TEDxUofM
Anne Curzan: What makes a word "real"?
安．柯爾珍: 怎樣才算是一個「真正的」單詞？
Filmed:
Readability: 4
1,895,764 views
人們可能會認為，一些俚語單詞，比如「hangry」、「defriend」和「adorkable」填補了英語的一些空白，儘管它們沒有在詞典中出現過。那麼，究竟是誰決定這些詞語可被錄入神聖的詞典？語言歷史學家安．柯爾珍引人入勝地讓我們瞭解到詞典背後的編者們，以及他們做的篩選。
Anne Curzan - Language historian
English professor Anne Curzan actually encourages her students to use slang in class. A language historian, she is fascinated by how people use words—and by how this changes. Full bio
English professor Anne Curzan actually encourages her students to use slang in class. A language historian, she is fascinated by how people use words—and by how this changes. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I need to start by telling you a little bit
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一開始，我或許應該講講
00:15
about my social life,
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我的社交生活
00:16
which I know may not seem relevant,
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我知道這看起來似乎毫不相干
00:19
but it is.
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但其實大有關係
00:21
When people meet me at parties
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人們在派對上遇到我
00:23
and they find out that I'm an English professor
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發現我是一名英語教授
00:25
who specializes in language,
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並且研究語言時
00:27
they generally have one of two reactions.
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他們一般會有兩種反應
00:31
One set of people look frightened. (Laughter)
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一種人表現得驚恐（笑聲）
00:36
They often say something like,
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他們常常會說：
00:37
"Oh, I'd better be careful what I say.
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「噢，我說話得謹慎點
00:41
I'm sure you'll hear every mistake I make."
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你會一字不漏地聽出我的語用錯誤
00:44
And then they stop talking. (Laughter)
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於是他們乾脆就閉嘴了（笑聲）
00:48
And they wait for me to go away
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然後待我離開後
00:50
and talk to someone else.
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他們才與別人交談
00:53
The other set of people,
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另一種人
00:55
their eyes light up,
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會眼睛一亮
00:57
and they say,
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並說：
00:58
"You are just the person I want to talk to."
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「我正想要和你談談」
01:03
And then they tell me about whatever it is
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接著告訴我他們所認為的
01:05
they think is going wrong with the English language.
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英語語言存在的問題
01:08
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
01:10
A couple of weeks ago, I was at a dinner party
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幾周前，我參加了一個晚宴
01:12
and the man to my right
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我右邊的男士
01:15
started telling me about all the ways
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向我滔滔不絕地講述了
01:17
that the Internet is degrading the English language.
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網路如何玷污英語
01:20
He brought up Facebook, and he said,
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他提到了社群網站臉書：
01:23
"To defriend? I mean, is that even a real word?"
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「defriend？（刪除好友）
這算是一個真正的單詞嗎？」
這算是一個真正的單詞嗎？」
01:29
I want to pause on that question:
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就這點我先來提個問題：
01:33
What makes a word real?
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怎樣才算是一個真正的單詞？
01:36
My dinner companion and I both know
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晚宴上的各位都知道
01:38
what the verb "defriend" means,
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動詞「defriend」是什麼意思
01:42
so when does a new word like "defriend"
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那從何時起，像 defriend 這樣的新詞
01:44
become real?
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才可成為真正的詞彙呢
01:46
Who has the authority to make those kinds
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究竟誰有權力給這類詞
01:49
of official decisions about words, anyway?
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賦予官方定義？
01:52
Those are the questions I want to talk about today.
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這就是今天我要談的問題
01:57
I think most people, when they say a word isn't real,
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我認為當一般人說
某個單詞不成立時
某個單詞不成立時
02:00
what they mean is, it doesn't appear
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那即是，此詞沒有被記載
02:02
in a standard dictionary.
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在標準詞典裡
02:03
That, of course, raises a host of other questions,
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這必然衍生出諸多其他問題
02:06
including, who writes dictionaries?
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如，詞典是誰編寫的？
02:11
Before I go any further,
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我想在此打住，
02:13
let me clarify my role in all of this.
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先澄清一下我在其中的角色
02:15
I do not write dictionaries.
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我不是詞典編寫人
02:17
I do, however, collect new words
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然而我的確在收集新詞
02:20
much the way dictionary editors do,
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頗似詞典主編們的活兒
02:23
and the great thing about being a historian
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作為英語語言史的學者好處在於
02:25
of the English language
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02:26
is that I get to call this "research."
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我可以稱之為「研究」
02:30
When I teach the history of the English language,
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當我教英語語言史時
02:32
I require that students teach me
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我要求學生在開課前
02:35
two new slang words before I will begin class.
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教我兩個新俚語
02:38
Over the years, I have learned
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因此，這些年裡我
02:41
some great new slang this way,
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學到了一些精彩的俚語
02:44
including "hangry," which --
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如「hangry」
02:48
(Applause) —
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（掌聲）
02:52
which is when you are cranky or angry
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意思是你因為饑餓(hungry)
02:54
because you are hungry,
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而惱怒(angry)
02:58
and "adorkable,"
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還有「adorkable」
03:03
which is when you are adorable
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意思是
03:05
in kind of a dorky way,
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傻得可愛
03:08
clearly, terrific words that fill
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很明顯，這些精妙的詞
03:11
important gaps in the English language.
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補充了英語語言的重要空白
03:14
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
03:18
But how real are they
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但這些詞怎麼才是正確
03:21
if we use them primarily as slang
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如果它們僅作為俚語
03:23
and they don't yet appear in a dictionary?
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且尚未被記入詞典？
03:27
With that, let's turn to dictionaries.
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讓我們回到詞典的問題
03:30
I'm going to do this as a show of hands:
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請你們舉手表示
03:32
How many of you still regularly
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有多少人還會習慣查詞典 ？
03:34
refer to a dictionary, either print or online?
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印刷或是網路的都行
03:39
Okay, so that looks like most of you.
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好的，似乎多數人都有
03:41
Now, a second question. Again, a show of hands:
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問題二，請再舉手表示
03:44
How many of you have ever looked to see
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有多少人曾試圖去瞭解
03:47
who edited the dictionary you are using?
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這些詞典的作者是誰？
03:54
Okay, many fewer.
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好的，不多
03:57
At some level, we know that there are human hands
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在某程度上，我們知道詞典背後
04:01
behind dictionaries,
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必有人為的操作
04:02
but we're really not sure who those hands belong to.
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但我們難以知道，他們是何方神聖
04:07
I'm actually fascinated by this.
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其實我對此很好奇
04:09
Even the most critical people out there
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即使是最挑剔的人
04:12
tend not to be very critical about dictionaries,
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也不會對詞典太嚴苛
04:14
not distinguishing among them
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不會區分比較
04:16
and not asking a whole lot of questions
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不會刨根問底
04:18
about who edited them.
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關於誰是編者
04:20
Just think about the phrase
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想想這句話
04:22
"Look it up in the dictionary,"
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「請翻閱詞典」
04:24
which suggests that all dictionaries
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這意味著，所有的詞典
04:26
are exactly the same.
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都是一樣的
04:28
Consider the library here on campus,
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假設在學校圖書館
04:30
where you go into the reading room,
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有間閱覽室
04:32
and there is a large, unabridged dictionary
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那有一本未經刪減的大詞典
04:35
up on a pedestal in this place of honor and respect
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被供放在莊重的臺座上
04:39
lying open so we can go stand before it
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頁面敞開著待我們
04:41
to get answers.
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上前尋答案
04:43
Now, don't get me wrong,
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別誤會，我沒否認
04:46
dictionaries are fantastic resources,
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詞典是很好的資源
04:49
but they are human
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可它們都是人類腦力結晶
04:50
and they are not timeless.
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他們會因時而變
04:53
I'm struck as a teacher
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作為老師，我覺得很困惑的是
04:55
that we tell students to critically question
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我們常對學生強調，要批判思考
04:58
every text they read, every website they visit,
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瀏覽過的文章或網頁
05:01
except dictionaries,
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除詞典外
05:03
which we tend to treat as un-authored,
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我們往往覺得，詞典沒有作者
05:06
as if they came from nowhere to give us answers
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好似他們從天而降來
告訴我們單詞的定義
05:09
about what words really mean.
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05:13
Here's the thing: If you ask dictionary editors,
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那麼，如果你問詞典的作者
05:17
what they'll tell you
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他們會說的是
05:18
is they're just trying to keep up with us
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他們致力於與大眾同步
05:20
as we change the language.
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隨著人類不斷改變語言
05:22
They're watching what we say and what we write
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他們一直觀察著我們說寫的內容
05:24
and trying to figure out what's going to stick
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並試圖決定
何去何留
05:27
and what's not going to stick.
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05:29
They have to gamble,
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他們得賭一把
05:30
because they want to appear cutting edge
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因為他們希望顯得更前沿
05:32
and catch the words that are going to make it,
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因而選了一些代表性詞彙
05:34
such as LOL,
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比如「LOL」
（laughing out loud，放聲大笑）
（laughing out loud，放聲大笑）
05:37
but they don't want to appear faddish
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但他們不失保守態度
05:39
and include the words that aren't going to make it,
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所以不收錄曇花一現的詞
05:42
and I think a word that they're watching right now
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我覺得當前編者們關注的一個詞
05:43
is YOLO, you only live once.
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是YOLO，「人只能活一次」的縮寫
05:49
Now I get to hang out with dictionary editors,
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我常與詞典編輯們接觸
05:51
and you might be surprised
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我們會面的地點之一
05:53
by one of the places where we hang out.
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或許會令人驚訝
05:55
Every January, we go
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每年一月份
我們都出席全美方言協會的年會
05:57
to the American Dialect Society annual meeting,
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06:00
where among other things,
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我們會票選出
06:02
we vote on the word of the year.
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年度詞語
06:05
There are about 200 or 300 people who come,
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與會者約有200到300位
06:08
some of the best known
linguists in the United States.
linguists in the United States.
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當中不乏美國最有名的語言學家
06:11
To give you a sense of the flavor of the meeting,
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簡單講講會議的氛圍
06:13
it occurs right before happy hour.
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會議會在酒水減價前開始
06:16
Anyone who comes can vote.
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凡是前來的人都可投票
06:18
The most important rule is
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有一重要前提：
06:19
that you can vote with only one hand.
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你只能單手投票一次
06:23
In the past, some of the winners have been
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過去的年度詞語有
06:26
"tweet" in 2009
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2009年的「tweet」
（指Twitter的消息）
（指Twitter的消息）
06:28
and "hashtag" in 2012.
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2012年的「hashtag」
（指主題標籤「#」）
（指主題標籤「#」）
06:32
"Chad" was the word of the year in the year 2000,
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2000年度詞語是「chad」
（指選票打孔後掉下的紙片）
（指選票打孔後掉下的紙片）
06:35
because who knew what a chad was before 2000,
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2000年之前，沒人知道 chad 是什麼
06:39
and "WMD" in 2002.
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2002年度詞是「WMD」
（指伊戰中的大規模殺傷性武器）
（指伊戰中的大規模殺傷性武器）
06:43
Now, we have other categories in which we vote too,
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現在投票增添了其他項目
06:46
and my favorite category
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我最喜歡的是
06:48
is most creative word of the year.
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年度最具創意詞
06:50
Past winners in this category have included
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曾獲勝的詞包括
06:53
"recombobulation area,"
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「recombobulation area」
06:56
which is at the Milwaukee Airport after security,
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指的是密爾沃基機場過安檢後
07:00
where you can recombobulate.
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旅客的重新整頓區
07:02
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
07:04
You can put your belt back on,
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你可在那整理行李
07:05
put your computer back in your bag.
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放回電腦
07:10
And then my all-time favorite word at this vote,
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這次，我空前喜歡的創意詞是
07:13
which is "multi-slacking."
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「multi-slacking」
07:15
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
07:18
And multi-slacking is the act
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multi-slacking 指
07:20
of having multiple windows up on your screen
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電腦的多個視窗被打開
07:23
so it looks like you're working
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貌似有人在工作
07:24
when you're actually goofing around on the web.
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其實是在不務正業
07:26
(Laughter) (Applause)
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（笑聲）（掌聲）
07:33
Will all of these words stick? Absolutely not.
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這些詞會被收錄嗎？肯定不會
07:36
And we have made some questionable choices,
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我們也曾做過一些有爭議的決定
07:39
for example in 2006
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例如2006年
07:41
when the word of the year was "Plutoed,"
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年度詞語是「Plutoed」
07:43
to mean demoted.
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意思是降級
07:45
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
07:50
But some of the past winners
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但過去有些獲選詞
07:52
now seem completely unremarkable,
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如今似乎徹底司空見慣了
07:55
such as "app"
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例如「app」
07:57
and "e" as a prefix,
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作為前綴的「e」
07:59
and "google" as a verb.
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作為動詞的「google」
08:02
Now, a few weeks before our vote,
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今年投票前幾週
08:06
Lake Superior State University
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蘇必利爾湖州立大學
08:08
issues its list of banished words for the year.
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發佈了年度禁用語的名單
08:12
What is striking about this
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吸睛的是
08:14
is that there's actually often quite a lot of overlap
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此名單與協會的
08:17
between their list and the list that we are considering
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年度候選詞名單
08:20
for words of the year,
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有相當多的共同之處
08:22
and this is because we're noticing the same thing.
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這是因為我們都
注意到了一點
注意到了一點
08:26
We're noticing words that are coming into prominence.
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我們都關注到流行詞
08:29
It's really a question of attitude.
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問題是各花入各眼
08:32
Are you bothered by language
fads and language change,
fads and language change,
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你覺得語言的日新月異
08:35
or do you find it fun, interesting,
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有趣還是令人反感
08:39
something worthy of study
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作為生活語言的一部分
08:40
as part of a living language?
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流行語有研究價值嗎？
08:43
The list by Lake Superior State University
185
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蘇必利爾湖州立大學的清單
08:45
continues a fairly long tradition in English
186
513525
2645
延續了長久以來
08:48
of complaints about new words.
187
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不接納英語新詞的保守思想
08:50
So here is Dean Henry Alford in 1875,
188
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4352
1875 年該校院長亨利
08:54
who was very concerned that "desirability"
189
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極為反感「desirability」這個詞
08:57
is really a terrible word.
190
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認為它糟糕透了
08:59
In 1760, Benjamin Franklin
191
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2734
1760 年，班傑明·富蘭克林
09:02
wrote a letter to David Hume
192
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1456
在致大衛·休謨的信中說
09:03
giving up the word "colonize" as bad.
193
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3803
應棄用「colonize」這不當的詞
09:07
Over the years, we've also seen worries
194
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2199
一直以來，我們也曾見聞
09:09
about new pronunciations.
195
537682
1890
對新發音的擔憂
09:11
Here is Samuel Rogers in 1855
196
539572
3048
1855 年，薩繆爾·羅格斯
09:14
who is concerned about some
fashionable pronunciations
fashionable pronunciations
197
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2599
認為一些時髦的發音
09:17
that he finds offensive,
198
545219
2007
令人討厭
09:19
and he says "as if contemplate were not bad enough,
199
547226
3488
他說：若「contemplate」還不夠糟糕
09:22
balcony makes me sick."
200
550714
2418
那「balcony」足以令我作嘔。
（注：單詞重音位置變了）
（注：單詞重音位置變了）
09:25
(Laughter)
201
553132
3396
（笑聲）
09:28
The word is borrowed in from Italian
202
556528
2350
這個詞源於義大利
09:30
and it was pronounced bal-COE-nee.
203
558878
3540
它的發音是bal-COE-nee
（注：重音於第二音節）
（注：重音於第二音節）
09:34
These complaints now strike us as quaint,
204
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2943
這些抱怨如今顯得荒誕離奇
09:37
if not downright adorkable -- (Laughter) --
205
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4945
完全「傻得可愛」（笑聲）
09:42
but here's the thing:
206
570306
2734
但問題是
09:45
we still get quite worked up about language change.
207
573040
4373
對於語言變化，人們仍會激動不已
我辦公室裡有一疊文檔
09:49
I have an entire file in my office
208
577413
2062
09:51
of newspaper articles
209
579475
3062
都是對非標準詞語
09:54
which express concern about illegitimate words
210
582537
2693
表示擔心的報刊文章
09:57
that should not have been included in the dictionary,
211
585230
1879
認為它們不應被納入詞典
09:59
including "LOL"
212
587109
1448
包括「LOL」
10:00
when it got into the Oxford English Dictionary
213
588557
2070
它已被納入牛津英語詞典
10:02
and "defriend"
214
590627
1775
還有「defriend」
10:04
when it got into the Oxford American Dictionary.
215
592402
2772
也已被納入牛津美語詞典
10:07
I also have articles expressing concern
216
595174
2217
還有文章對
10:09
about "invite" as a noun,
217
597391
2869
把「invite」用作名詞
10:12
"impact" as a verb,
218
600260
1956
把「impact」用作動詞有異議
10:14
because only teeth can be impacted,
219
602216
2971
因為impacted常指阻生牙
10:17
and "incentivize" is described
220
605187
2975
「incentivize」也被認為是
10:20
as "boorish, bureaucratic misspeak."
221
608162
4511
「粗鄙繁雜的錯誤發音」
10:24
Now, it's not that dictionary editors
222
612673
1961
詞典編輯們
10:26
ignore these kinds of attitudes about language.
223
614634
2691
對這種立場並無忽視
10:29
They try to provide us some guidance about words
224
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2555
他們試圖提供關於
10:31
that are considered slang or informal
225
619880
2270
所謂的俚語、非正式語和冒犯詞的指引
10:34
or offensive, often through usage labels,
226
622150
3143
常通過用法標示的形式
10:37
but they're in something of a bind,
227
625293
1690
他們或多或少受限
10:38
because they're trying to describe what we do,
228
626983
3652
因為他們試圖概括一般人的語用方式
10:42
and they know that we often go to dictionaries
229
630635
2329
他們也知道人們常會用詞典
10:44
to get information about how we should use a word
230
632964
2768
來瞭解詞語應如何使用
10:47
well or appropriately.
231
635732
1908
才恰當合理
10:49
In response, the American Heritage Dictionaries
232
637640
3024
對此，美國傳統詞典
10:52
include usage notes.
233
640664
2141
包含了語用注解
10:54
Usage notes tend to occur with words
234
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2117
注解往往更適用於
10:56
that are troublesome in one way,
235
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1323
那些複雜麻煩的詞
10:58
and one of the ways that they can be troublesome
236
646245
2865
之所以麻煩的一個原因是
11:01
is that they're changing meaning.
237
649110
1933
詞的原意不斷改變
11:03
Now usage notes involve very human decisions,
238
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3426
如今注解難免有很多主觀的判斷
11:06
and I think, as dictionary users,
239
654469
2059
作為詞典使用者，我認為
11:08
we're often not as aware of those human decisions
240
656528
2242
我們往往沒注意到
11:10
as we should be.
241
658770
1099
這些不應被忽視的主觀部分
11:11
To show you what I mean,
242
659869
1124
為了讓大家更明白
11:12
we'll look at an example, but before we do,
243
660993
2717
我們先來看一例子，但在此之前
11:15
I want to explain what the dictionary editors
244
663710
1982
我來解釋一下詞典編輯如何使用
11:17
are trying to deal with in this usage note.
245
665692
3298
使用說明
11:20
Think about the word "peruse"
246
668990
2674
想想這個詞「peruse」
11:23
and how you use that word.
247
671664
3638
以及你如何使用這個詞
11:27
I would guess many of you are thinking
248
675302
2536
我猜想你們大部分人認為
11:29
of skim, scan, reading quickly.
249
677838
4537
意思是瀏覽、掃視、匆匆閱讀
11:34
Some of you may even have some walking involved,
250
682375
2835
有些人甚至覺得和走路相關
11:37
because you're perusing grocery store shelves,
251
685210
2246
因為你會 peruse 小賣部的貨架
11:39
or something like that.
252
687456
1671
或者類似的用法
11:41
You might be surprised to learn
253
689127
2484
讓你吃驚的是
11:43
that if you look in most standard dictionaries,
254
691611
1869
如果你在一些標準的詞典中查詢
11:45
the first definition will be to read carefully,
255
693480
2773
第一個解釋是「仔細閱讀」
11:48
or pour over.
256
696253
2444
或者「仔細查看」
11:50
American Heritage has that as the first definition.
257
698697
2859
美國遺產詞典就把它列為第一個解釋
11:53
They then have, as the second definition, skim,
258
701556
2965
第二個解釋才是「瀏覽」
11:56
and next to that, they say "usage problem."
259
704521
3795
接下來的解釋是「使用問題」
12:00
(Laughter)
260
708316
1910
（笑聲）
12:02
And then they include a usage note,
261
710226
2088
然後他們寫了一個使用說明
12:04
which is worth looking at.
262
712314
1877
值得看看
12:06
So here's the usage note:
263
714191
1911
使用說明是這麼寫的：
12:08
"Peruse has long meant 'to read thoroughly' ...
264
716102
2357
「Peruse長期以來的含義是『仔細閱讀』
12:10
But the word if often used more loosely,
265
718459
1767
但是經常被不嚴謹地使用
12:12
to mean simply 'to read.' ...
266
720226
2160
意為『閱讀』
12:14
Further extension of the word
to mean 'to glance over, skim,'
to mean 'to glance over, skim,'
267
722386
2929
這個單詞經常被用來表達『匆匆掃過、瀏覽』
12:17
has traditionally been considered an error,
268
725315
2456
但一直被認為是錯誤的
12:19
but our ballot results suggest that it is becoming
269
727771
2403
但是我們內部的投票表決顯示，這個意思
12:22
somewhat more acceptable.
270
730174
1696
似乎被更多的人所接受
12:23
When asked about the sentence,
271
731870
1399
當被問到這個句子的含義
12:25
'I only had a moment to peruse the manual quickly,'
272
733269
2731
『我只有很短的時間快速peruse這本手冊。』
12:28
66 percent of the [Usage] Panel
273
736000
2075
用戶說明小組中66％的人
12:30
found it unacceptable in 1988,
274
738075
2347
在1988年認為是可以這樣說的
12:32
58 percent in 1999,
275
740422
2107
1999年是58％
12:34
and 48 percent in 2011."
276
742529
3868
2011年是48％」
12:38
Ah, the Usage Panel,
277
746397
1961
啊，用戶小組
12:40
that trusted body of language authorities
278
748358
2610
受人信賴的語言權威組織
12:42
who is getting more lenient about this.
279
750968
2852
對這個問題越來越寬容
12:45
Now, what I hope you're thinking right now is,
280
753820
2070
我知道你們現在思考的問題是
12:47
"Wait, who's on the Usage Panel?
281
755890
3995
「等一下，誰是用戶小組？
12:51
And what should I do with their pronouncements?"
282
759885
3112
看到這樣的公告我該怎麼辦？」
12:54
If you look in the front matter
283
762997
1963
如果你翻看
12:56
of American Heritage Dictionaries,
284
764960
1108
美國遺產字典的扉頁
12:58
you can actually find the names
285
766068
1575
就能找到用戶小組
12:59
of the people on the Usage Panel.
286
767643
1569
成員的名字
13:01
But who looks at the front matter of dictionaries?
287
769212
2032
但是誰會翻看字典的扉頁呢？
13:03
There are about 200 people on the Usage Panel.
288
771244
3047
用戶小組成員大約有200人
13:06
They include academicians,
289
774291
2377
包括學者
13:08
journalists, creative writers.
290
776668
1677
記者、作家
13:10
There's a Supreme Court justice on it
291
778345
2092
還有最高法院大法官
13:12
and a few linguists.
292
780437
1899
和幾位語言學家
13:14
As of 2005, the list includes me.
293
782336
4832
2005年，我也加入其中
13:19
(Applause)
294
787168
3812
（掌聲）
13:23
Here's what we can do for you.
295
791342
3368
我們可以為你做這些事
13:26
We can give you a sense
296
794710
2360
我可以讓你瞭解
13:29
of the range of opinions about contested usage.
297
797070
3052
一些相互矛盾用法的不同意見
13:32
That is and should be the extent of our authority.
298
800122
3357
這是我們的職責範圍
13:35
We are not a language academy.
299
803479
3411
我們並不是語言學術機構
13:38
About once a year, I get a ballot
300
806890
2947
大約每年一次，我有機會
13:41
that asks me about whether new uses,
301
809837
3032
投票選出新的用法
13:44
new pronunciations, new meanings, are acceptable.
302
812869
3338
新的發音、新的含義，是否可被接受
13:48
Now here's what I do to fill out the ballot.
303
816207
2892
我填寫選票的方法是這樣的：
13:51
I listen to what other people are saying and writing.
304
819099
3508
我聆聽並觀察別人說話和寫作
13:54
I do not listen to my own likes
305
822607
2244
我不會憑自己的喜好
13:56
and dislikes about the English language.
306
824851
3209
有選擇地觀察英語的使用
14:00
I will be honest with you:
307
828060
1469
坦率地說
14:01
I do not like the word "impactful,"
308
829529
2949
我不喜歡「impactful」這個詞
14:04
but that is neither here nor there
309
832478
2002
但這並不影響
14:06
in terms of whether "impactful"
is becoming common usage
is becoming common usage
310
834480
3239
「impactful」這個詞是否會
14:09
and becoming more acceptable in written prose.
311
837719
3251
在散文寫作中普遍使用，並且被接受
14:12
So to be responsible,
312
840970
1048
出於負責任的態度
14:14
what I do is go look at usage,
313
842018
2528
我會觀察詞語的用法
14:16
which often involves going to look
314
844546
1836
這需要經常瀏覽
14:18
at online databases such as Google Books.
315
846382
2695
網路資料庫，比如谷歌圖書
14:21
Well, if you look for "impactful" in Google Books,
316
849077
2820
如果你在谷歌圖書中搜索「impactful」
14:23
here is what you find.
317
851897
3206
就會找到這些資訊
14:27
Well, it sure looks like "impactful"
318
855103
2241
看起來「impactful」
14:29
is proving useful
319
857344
1730
對一定數量的作家來說
14:31
for a certain number of writers,
320
859074
1629
的確是有用的
14:32
and has become more and more useful
321
860703
1600
而且在過去20年裡
14:34
over the last 20 years.
322
862303
1959
使用的頻率呈上升趨勢
14:36
Now, there are going to be changes
323
864262
2153
即使我們不喜歡語言的這種現象
14:38
that all of us don't like in the language.
324
866415
2634
改變也必將發生
14:41
There are going to be changes where you think,
325
869049
2184
即使你在想：
14:43
"Really?
326
871233
987
「真的嗎
14:44
Does the language have to change that way?"
327
872220
3685
語言真的要發生這樣的變化？」
14:47
What I'm saying is,
328
875905
1683
我的意思是說
14:49
we should be less quick
329
877588
1722
我們不要急於
14:51
to decide that that change is terrible,
330
879310
3791
說改變是不好的
14:55
we should be less quick to impose
331
883101
1714
我們不要急於把我們自己
14:56
our likes and dislikes about words on other people,
332
884815
3301
對語言的好惡強加給別人
15:00
and we should be entirely reluctant
333
888116
2914
我們不應當認為
15:03
to think that the English language is in trouble.
334
891030
2744
英語遇到麻煩了
15:05
It's not. It is rich and vibrant and filled
335
893774
4196
它並沒遇到麻煩，它內容豐富、生機勃勃
15:09
with the creativity of the speakers who speak it.
336
897970
3010
充滿了使用者帶來的新創意
15:12
In retrospect, we think it's fascinating
337
900980
2618
回顧以往，我們覺得
15:15
that the word "nice" used to mean silly,
338
903598
3378
用「nice」表示「愚蠢」太有意思了
15:18
and that the word "decimate"
339
906976
1684
用「decimate」表示
15:20
used to mean to kill one in every 10.
340
908660
3505
表示殺死十分之一
15:24
(Laughter)
341
912165
4193
（笑聲）
15:29
We think that Ben Franklin was being silly
342
917162
5093
我們覺得本佛蘭克林
擔心「notice」被用作動詞太愚蠢了
15:34
to worry about "notice" as a verb.
343
922255
2649
15:36
Well, you know what?
344
924904
1463
你知道嗎？
15:38
We're going to look pretty silly in a hundred years
345
926367
2700
一百年之後，我們也會是同樣地愚蠢
15:41
for worrying about "impact" as a verb
346
929067
2297
因為擔心「impact」會變成一個動詞
15:43
and "invite" as a noun.
347
931364
2812
「invite」會變成一個名詞
15:46
The language is not going to change so fast
348
934176
2240
語言的改變不會
15:48
that we can't keep up.
349
936416
1897
快得讓我們跟不上
15:50
Language just doesn't work that way.
350
938313
2283
語言不會以這種方式變化
15:52
I hope that what you can do
351
940596
1613
我希望你們
15:54
is find language change not worrisome
352
942209
2829
不要對語言的變化感到不安
15:57
but fun and fascinating,
353
945038
2038
而是要把它當作有趣、迷人的事情
15:59
just the way dictionary editors do.
354
947076
3009
就像詞典的編輯們一樣
16:02
I hope you can enjoy being part
355
950085
1962
我希望你們可以享受
16:04
of the creativity that is continually remaking
356
952047
5004
創意的過程，持續改進
我們的語言，讓它更加強大
16:09
our language and keeping it robust.
357
957051
3276
16:12
So how does a word get into a dictionary?
358
960327
2920
那麼，一個單詞是怎樣進入詞典的呢？
16:15
It gets in because we use it
359
963247
2469
它之所以會進入詞典，是因為我們使用它
16:17
and we keep using it,
360
965716
1624
不斷地使用它
16:19
and dictionary editors are paying attention to us.
361
967340
4235
詞典編輯注意到我們的使用
16:23
If you're thinking, "But that lets all of us decide
362
971575
3120
如果你說：「那這等於是讓我們所有人
16:26
what words mean,"
363
974695
1749
來決定一個詞的含義。」
16:28
I would say, "Yes it does,
364
976444
4051
我會說：「是的
16:32
and it always has."
365
980495
2352
其實一直是這樣」
16:34
Dictionaries are a wonderful guide and resource,
366
982847
3927
詞典是非常好的指導工具和知識來源
16:38
but there is no objective
dictionary authority out there
dictionary authority out there
367
986774
3496
但是並沒有一個客觀的詞典權威
16:42
that is the final arbiter about what words mean.
368
990270
3773
來最終判定一個詞的真正含義
16:46
If a community of speakers is using a word
369
994043
2513
如果一個群體在使用一個詞
16:48
and knows what it means, it's real.
370
996556
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並且共同認定它的含義，那麼它就是真實的
16:52
That word might be slangy,
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這個詞或許是俚語
16:53
that word might be informal,
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或許不正式
16:55
that word might be a word that you think
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或許你認為它
16:57
is illogical or unnecessary,
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不合邏輯或者沒有必要
16:59
but that word that we're using,
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但是只要我們在使用它
17:02
that word is real.
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它就是真實的
17:04
Thank you.
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謝謝
17:06
(Applause)
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（掌聲）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Anne Curzan - Language historianEnglish professor Anne Curzan actually encourages her students to use slang in class. A language historian, she is fascinated by how people use words—and by how this changes.
Why you should listen
Anne Curzan is a collector of slang words, a dissector of colloquialisms and a charter of language evolution. To put it most simply, she is a Professor of English at the University of Michigan who studies how the English language works and how it has changed over time. As she puts it in her talk, “The English language is rich, vibrant and filled with the creativity of the people who speak it.”
In addition to sitting on the usage panel for American Heritage dictionary since 2005, Curzan is also an author—her latest book is called Fixing English: Prescriptivism and Language History. She also co-hosts the show “That’s What They Say” on Michigan Radio, all about language and grammar, and writes regularly for The Chronicle of Higher Education’s language blog, Lingua Franca.
Anne Curzan | Speaker | TED.com