近日,约克大学的专家们发起了一个寻回失落语言的活动,列出了30个已被废弃但仍和今天的生活有关联的英语单词,希望人们能够重拾这些旧时代的语言。来猜猜这30个单词都是什么意思?
如果有人说你snout-fair,你是会高兴还是生气呢?那么被称为dowsabel或percher呢?
这些单词属于约克大学的语言学和英语史专家寻回的30个原本人们已然“遗忘”英语单词。这些专家认为这些英语单词至今仍然有用,并希望人们在日常生活当中重新使用。
约克大学语言和语言学专业的高级讲师多米尼克•瓦特(Dominic Watt,)表示,他希望人们能够重新使用旧时代的语言(the language of old)。
该团队花了三个月时间搜遍了旧书旧词典,创建了这个列表。先来见识几个“失落”的单词:
你见过这几个单词吗?
Nickum: A cheating or dishonest person(作弊或不诚实的人)
Peacockize: To behave like a peacock; esp. to pose or strut ostentatiously(表现得像只孔雀,尤其是招摇卖弄、大摇大摆)
Rouzy-bouzy:Boisterously drunk(醉酒吵闹)
Ruff:To swagger, bluster, domineer. To ruff it out / to brag or boast of a thing(虚张声势、夸口、盛气凌人。),如 to ruff it out:吹嘘某事
Tremblable: Causing dread or horror; dreadful(令人恐惧的;可怕的)
Awhape:To amaze, stupefy with fear, confound utterly( 使惊呆,使惊慌失措)
他们拟出了这份清单,试图说服人们这些遭废弃的单词仍然与今天的生活有关联。
瓦特想将这些词重新带回现代会话中。“我们从失落的词语中找出一些有趣又发人深思的,希望帮助人们重新拾起旧时代的语言。”他说道。
比如,Snout-fair意思是“面容姣好、漂亮、清秀、英俊”(having a fair countenance; fair-faced, comely, handsome),而sillytonian指的是“易受骗的傻瓜,尤其是被认为属于某一派别的人”(a silly or gullible person, esp one considered as belonging to a notional sect of such people)。
Dowsabel是对情人的称呼,相当于lady-love(情妇)。
20世纪70年代BBC情景喜剧《美好生活》中的势力邻居玛戈特•利百特可以看作是percher的典型例子,指那种“想谋高位、攀高枝的人,野心勃勃、孤行专断的人”(who aspires to a higher rank or status; an ambitious or self-assertive person)。
BBC电视剧《相信我》讲的就是quacksalver的故事——一个“谎称自己懂医的人、卖假药的江湖郎中”(dishonestly claims knowledge of, or skill in, medicine; a pedlar of false cures)。
这30个“失落的单词”被划入研究人员认为和现代生活相关的三个类别:post-truth (deception)(后真相(欺骗))、外表(apparence)、人格和行为(personality and behaviour)和情感( emotions)。
进入最终列表还包括ear-rent,指“碎碎念给人带来的象征性伤害”(the figurative cost to a person of listening to trivial or incessant talk),slug-a-bed意思是“睡懒觉的人”,merry-go-sorry形容“悲喜交加”(a mixture of joy and sorrow)的情绪。
【附】30个失落的英语单词完整版
欺骗类
Ambodexter - One who takes bribes from both sides
Betrump - To deceive, cheat, elude, slip from
Coney-catch - To swindle, cheat, trick, dupe, deceive
Hugger-mugger - Concealment, secrecy
Nickum - A cheating or dishonest person
Quacksalver - A person who dishonestly claims knowledge of or skill in medicine; a pedlar of false cures
Rouker - A person who whispers or murmurs; one who spreads tales or rumours
外表类
Man-millinery - Suggestive of male vanity or pomposity
Parget - To daub or plaster (the face or body) with powder or paint
Snout-fair - Having a fair countenance; fair-faced, comely, handsome
Slug-a-bed - One who lies long in bed through laziness
人格和行为类
Losenger - A false flatterer, a lying rascal, a deceiver
Momist - A person who habitually finds fault; a harsh critic
Peacockize - To behave like a peacock, to pose or strut ostentatiously
Percher - A person who aspires to a higher rank or status; an ambitious or self-assertive person
Rouzy-bouzy - Boisterously drunk
Ruff - To swagger, bluster, domineer. To ruff it out or to brag or boast of a thing
Sillytonian - A silly or gullible person, one considered as belonging to a notional sect of such people
Wlonk - Proud, haughty, rich, splendid, fine, magnificent
情感类
Awhape - To amaze, stupefy with fear, confound utterly
Fumish - Inclined to fume, hot-tempered, irascible, passionate
Hugge - To shudder, shrink, shiver, or shake with fear or with cold
Merry-go-sorry - A mixture of joy and sorrow
Stomaching - Full of malignity, given to cherish anger or resentment
Swerk - To be or become dark, gloomy, troubled, or sad
Teen - To vex, irritate, annoy, anger, enrage, to inflict suffering upon
Tremblable - Causing dread or horror
Wlonk - Proud, haughty, rich, splendid, fine, magnificent
注:本文综合英语点津、Smartlive、BBC以及卫报的相关内容。
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