英語修辭與寫作·4.2　詞語選擇的三項標準

4.2　詞語選擇的三項標準

關(guān)于擇語標準，人們說法不一，但準確、鮮明、生動三點則是公認的。準確的反面是含糊；鮮明的反面是晦澀；生動的反面是死板、冗贅。當然，某詞語用得是否符合標準要求，不可孤立地從詞語本身的含義上著眼，還要看其具體使用場合，包括同其他詞語搭配等。

4.2A　擇語的準確性

1） 準確性，就是要根據(jù)使用場合選用確切的語言形式。正如有句英語俗語所言：

Do not write so that your words may be understood, but write so that your words must be understood.

著名美國作家馬克·吐溫（Mark Twain）說：

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is as great as that between lightning and the lightning bug. （用詞準確與用詞幾乎準確，這兩者之間的差異就如同閃電與螢火蟲之間的差異。）

2） 為了擇語準確，必須熟悉詞語的多義性。例如depression一詞對心理學(xué)家、經(jīng)濟學(xué)家或地質(zhì)學(xué)家來說，含義各不相同：

He is in a state of deep depression as a result of his setback in the latest experiment. （抑郁）

The depression first hit almost all the small and medium sized enterprises. （蕭條）

Transportation was at a standstill caused by the depressions in the highways after the earthquake in that area. （塌陷）

反之，也常常有幾個詞語可以表示類似的含義，如心理學(xué)上的“depression”也能用melancholia, the blues, the dismals, in the dumps, low等詞語表示。當然，同義詞語在使用上也會有所不同，如上面的melancholia屬正式專業(yè)術(shù)語，而low, the blues則常用于口語中。

3） 要做到準確選擇，有必要注意詞語的兩種意義：“基本意義”（denotation）和“引申意義”（connotation）。前者指該詞語的本身，或客觀的固有含義，后者指該詞語在一定搭配或上下文中出現(xiàn)的其他意義，往往比較含蓄，帶有詞語使用者的主觀態(tài)度或感情色彩。試以cheap為例。它的基本意思是表示價格便宜，如顧客問營業(yè)員：“May I have something cheaper?”意思是希望要價錢便宜一點的（=less expensive），當然并不是說質(zhì)量可以不好，但在其他句式或使用場合里還可引出“低劣”、“平庸”、“吝嗇”、“卑鄙”等多種意思，這類意思正是修辭上的“敏感地帶”。例如：

Such cheap shoes can never last long. （質(zhì)量如此低劣的鞋絕不會耐穿。）

4） 選用詞語的準確性還表現(xiàn)在區(qū)分表示大體/抽象含義的詞語和表示具體/特定含義的詞語上，需要根據(jù)不同的使用場合作出正確的選擇。例如為了突出某人所受到的良好教育和在工作中取得了突出成就，就不宜籠統(tǒng)地講他是“graduated from a famous university and made great achievements in his work”，而應(yīng)具體說明他畢業(yè)于哪所大學(xué)，得到了什么學(xué)位，在某單位擔任了什么職務(wù)，取得的成就是什么，其社會效益如何，得到過什么獎勵等等。

抽象含義詞語和具體含義詞語不是兩個對立的家族，在一定的條件下可以轉(zhuǎn)化，如labour一詞通常帶抽象含義，但并非一成不變。試比較：

句A： Honest labour creates wealth for the society.

句B： In the GM contract dispute, labour seeks a five cent per hour wage increase.

上述A句中l(wèi)abour一詞為抽象含義，泛指各種社會勞動；B句中l(wèi)abour為具體含義，特指UAW，即（美國）聯(lián)合汽車工會。

4.2B　擇語的鮮明度

前面講到的準確性是鮮明度的前提，也是提高鮮明度的基礎(chǔ)。然而，鮮明與簡練相關(guān)。英國文豪莎士比亞的名言“Brevity is the soul of wit.”相當于漢語的“言貴簡潔”。我們說話、寫文章都要以“言簡意賅”四字為目標，為此，應(yīng)從兩個方面加以注意：

1） 在可以用較簡短的常見詞語表達意思時不要用復(fù)雜而少見的詞語，如do something for （不用perform, accomplish），用end / finish a letter （不用terminate, conclude），用learn / find out the truth （不用ascertain），用 get a birthday present （不用procure）, 用try to do something well（不用endeavour）；用speak in anger with him that day（不用indignation）, 用make choice of one's teacher / tutor of English （不用selection, educator）, 用one's old friends （不用aged）, 用ask a friend to supper / dinner / dine （不用tender him a banquet）, 用begin one's answer （不用commence / initiate, rejoinder）, 等等。上述斜體都是簡單詞（simple words），拼寫和發(fā)音都較簡明，易為別人理解和接受。

2） 多余的或轉(zhuǎn)彎抹角的詞語都不利于明白地表達思想，因此下列短語中加括號的部分都應(yīng)省去： mutual aid （to each other）/（mutual） aid to each other, （an entirely） complete confidence, repeat the question （again）, return （back） from abroad, etc.

試比較下列三組句子：

A1: There are sixteen boys attending the crash course.

A2: Sixteen boys attend the crash course.

B1: A great many of the students in the class lack the ability of being able to speak fluently.

B2: Many students in the class lack the ability of speaking fluently / can't speak fluently yet.

C1: The fact of the matter is that the office does not have enough funds in the allotment to make expenditure on programs of this nature.

C2: In fact the office doesn't have enough money to spend on these programs.

顯然，上述3組中的第一句都不夠簡潔，應(yīng)采用第二句為宜。

4.2C　擇語的生動感

生動感也可以叫做優(yōu)美感（gracefulness），它是建立在準確性和鮮明度的基礎(chǔ)之上的，否則，單純追求生動或優(yōu)雅，就會出現(xiàn)詞藻華麗（flowery）而內(nèi)容空洞的文風，那是應(yīng)當避免的。下面讓我們比較兩段文章：

A） For several days snow fell heavily in the south of England. It lay many inches thick on the ground. The roofs of houses were white; walking through the streets was difficult; driving was dangerous.

B） It was the coldest winter for forty-five years. Heavy snow blankets swallowed everything on earth: Villages in the English countryside were cut off and the Thames froze over. Cars crawled along while pedestrians trudged through the deep snow. Horns hoarsened; road accidents shot up. People told jokes about how it was more risky to drive by day than to go boating on the sea at night.

上述兩段都是寫大雪天的情景，相比之下，A篇不及B篇生動，因為其中一般概念性的詞語較多，如heavily, difficult, dangerous等等，B篇其所以比較生動，主要取決于下面幾個因素：

1） 選用含義準確、具體的詞語。如用trains, cars, pedestrians, cut off, freeze over, crawl along, trudge, horns以及具體的時間地點，給讀者以明確具體的印象，而不是籠統(tǒng)地講walking, driving如何危險。

2） 采用適當?shù)霓o格。如blankets, swallowed, hoarsened, shot up等，帶有比喻、夸張，增加了生動感。

3） 提高句式的多樣性。整段文章5句話，結(jié)構(gòu)各不相同。人言“Variety breeds vividness”，可謂言之有理。

練習四?。‥xercise Four）

I. Preview Questions:

1. Can you give an example to indicate the importance of word choice?

2. Do you think it a good idea to give a second thought to your word choice and consult dictionaries from time to time?

3. What other things, apart from preciseness, distinctiveness and vividness, we should pay attention to in the choice of words?

4. Can you cite an example to prove how polysemy affects the choice of words?

5. Can you tell the difference between denotation and connotation?

6. Please cite an example of a word or phrase to be used in one context for its general sense and another for its specific sense.

7. What kind of words, simple ones or long and difficult ones, should you choose if you want to write in an informal, easygoing way?

8. Is it possible for one to achieve gracefulness in writing if he uses many flowery words and expressions only?

II. Read and determine whether each of the following statements is true （T） or false （F）:

1. Words must be used in context clearly, accurately and effectively.

2. English is a language with a large vocabulary, which offers plenty of room for word choice.

3. When one writes that his words may be understood in one way or another, he can be regarded as an accurate writer.

4. If you want to achieve clarity, you should be able to avoid word wasters and avoid lofty language including inflated words, stuffy phrases, etc.

5. If you want to write accurately, the first and most important thing is to pay attention to denotation and connotation.

6. In the sentence “Honest labor creates wealth for the society”, the word “labor” is used in its specific meaning.

7. Shakespeare's saying “Brevity is the soul of wit” means that we should only use simple, short words in writing on all occasions.

8. The saying “Variety breeds vividness” tells us that if we repeat the same words, expressions and sentence patterns, our writing will be dull and dry.

III. Use a single word for each of the underlined part in the following sentences:

1. John is of the opinion that everything will be going on smoothly.

2. He is always ready to give encouragement to any of his friends who is in need of it.

3. We can keep in contact by means of telephone, telex or fax.

4. Please find there is a cheque for ￡5 in this letter together with two photos.

5. You may have noticed that the policeman's story comes into conflict with that of the accused.

6. Our university is in close proximity to the second largest lake of the country.

7. There are two main methods of transporting the oil, through the use of pipeline or through the use of tanker.

8. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to offer assistance to you.

9. I will not interpose any objection to your proposal.

10. The cart is making a noise on the pavement.

IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given in corresponding brackets:

1. As we know, “pretty” and “handsome” are synonyms but often used in different collocations. For instance, they both can be used to modify boys but not girls, and you have a____________color but a____________overcoat. （handsome, pretty）

2. In the sentence “Out in the West where men were men”, the____________（first, second） “men” is used not in the sense of “men in general” but “men with courage, firmness”.

3. When you say “Bill delivered a lengthy apology and gained his suit”, you mean he made a long____________（justification, excuse）.

4. — Waiter!

　— Yes, sir.

　— What's this?

　— It's____________soup, sir.

　— No matter what it's____________. What is it now?

　（been, bean）

5. The real cause of bad relations between the brother and sister is the shortage of____________. （alternative accommodation, other flats/rooms/houses）

6. The phrase “get to the first base” in the sentence “If you don't dress neatly, you won't get to the first base” means____________. （“make a successful start”, “obtain the best opportunity”）

V. Fill in each blank with one of the verbs: move, roll, run, spin, turn, whirl:

Today it can be said that wheels____________America. The four rubber tires of the automobile____________America through work and play. Wheels , and people drive off to their jobs. Tires____________, and people shop for the week's food at the big supermarket down the highway. Hubcaps____________, and the whole family spend a day at the lake. Each year more wheels crowd the highways as 10 million new cars____________out of the factories. One out of every six Americans works at assembling cars, driving trucks, building roads, or pumping gas. America without cars? It is unthinkable.

參考答案

Ⅱ. 1. T　2. T　3. F　4. T　5. F　6. F　7. F　8. T
Ⅲ. 1. believes 2. encourage, needs/need 3. by/through 4. Enclosed 5. conflicts 6. close 7. by, by/with, with 8. unable, help 9. object 10. creaking
Ⅳ. 1. pretty, handsome；　2. second；　3. justification；　4. bean, been；　5. other flats/rooms/houses；　6. make a successful start V. run, move, spin, turn, whirl, roll.