美式名字與稱(chēng)謂

      "What's in a name?" According to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, not too much. "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." But Shakespeare may have been wrong. In most cultures, names and titles matter a great deal.

一個(gè)名字到底意味著甚么呢？根據(jù)莎士比亞的名著，羅密歐與朱麗葉，名字里沒(méi)有太多的意義--「就算給玫瑰取任何其它的名字，它聞起來(lái)還是一樣的芬芳。」不過(guò)莎士比亞也許錯(cuò)了。因?yàn)樵诖蟛糠值奈幕?，姓名和稱(chēng)謂可是很重要的呢。

Americans choose names for their children with care. Parents usually think about the impression a name gives, not its meaning. Most Americans would consider a "Jennifer" more attractive than a "Bertha," for example. The last name, or surname, must also be considered when choosing a first and middle name. A name like Lester Chester Hester would sound poetic, but odd. Parents may avoid names that remind them of people they don't like. On the other hand, people might name their children after a respected older relative or even a famous person. The popularity of certain names can change with each new generation. Names that were once common, like Fanny or Elmer, sound old-fashioned today. But other names-like John and David, Mary and Sarah-have stood the test of time and continue to be favorites.

美國(guó)人會(huì)很小心地為孩子取名字，父母?jìng)兺ǔ?huì)考量的是名字給人的印象，而不是名字本身的意義。比如說(shuō)：大部分的美國(guó)人會(huì)覺(jué)得Jennifer這個(gè)名字比Bertha要來(lái)得吸引人。取第一和第二個(gè)名字的時(shí)候（注：美國(guó)人除了姓和名之外，有些人還有中間的名字）也要將姓考慮進(jìn)去。像「雷司特．徹司特．海司特」這樣的名字或許聽(tīng)起來(lái)很詩(shī)意又押韻，其實(shí)是很奇怪的名字。有些名字會(huì)使父母?jìng)兿肫鹱约翰幌矚g的人，他們就會(huì)避免使用；另一方面，人們會(huì)以一位敬佩的年長(zhǎng)親戚或是名人的名字來(lái)替孩子命名。某些名字受歡迎的程度在每一代都不盡相同。曾經(jīng)相當(dāng)普遍的名字像是Fanny或Elmer，現(xiàn)今聽(tīng)起來(lái)都過(guò)時(shí)了，不過(guò)有些名字像是John，David，Mary和Sarah都?xì)v久不衰，仍是大家的最?lèi)?ài)。

People in America don't always call their friends and relatives by their given names. Instead, they often use nicknames. Sometimes nicknames are short forms of a longer name. For instance, a girl named Elizabeth may be called Lisa, Beth or Betsy. As children grow up, they may decide for themselves which nickname they wish to be called. If they consider their nickname childish, they may start using a more adult form. Some people just go by the initials of their first and middle names, like B.J. or R.C. And of course, people may call their children or their sweethearts other special nicknames. Often they have a "sweet" flavor, like Honey or Sugar.

美國(guó)人通常不是直呼親戚或朋友的名字，而是喊他們的小名，有時(shí)候小名就是較長(zhǎng)的名字的簡(jiǎn)稱(chēng)。例如說(shuō)，名為伊麗莎白（Elizabeth）的女孩，可能被叫做麗莎（Lisa），貝絲（Beth），或是貝茲Betsy（Betsy）。當(dāng)孩子們長(zhǎng)大了之后，他們可以決定要?jiǎng)e人叫他們哪個(gè)小名；如果他們覺(jué)得小名太幼稚了，就會(huì)開(kāi)始用一些比較像大人的稱(chēng)呼方式。有些人干脆用第一和第二個(gè)名字的首字母作為稱(chēng)謂，像是B.J.或R.C.。當(dāng)然，人們還會(huì)有一些特殊的昵稱(chēng)來(lái)稱(chēng)呼他們的孩子或是甜心。這些昵稱(chēng)通常有「甜甜」的味道，像是Honey或是Sugar。

In informal settings, people are normally on a first-name basis. Sometimes older folks even allow young people to call them by their first name. But in most formal situations, people use an appropriate title-such as Mr. (Mister), Ms. ("Miz"), Dr. (doctor) or Prof. (professor)-with a person's last name. After an introduction, the person may say, for example, "Please call me Tom." If not, use his or her surname.

在非正式的情況下，人們一般會(huì)以名字相稱(chēng)，有時(shí)候長(zhǎng)輩甚至允許年輕人喊他們的名字。不過(guò)大部份的正式場(chǎng)合里，人們會(huì)采用適當(dāng)?shù)姆Q(chēng)謂。例如：先生、女士、博士、教授再加上姓來(lái)稱(chēng)呼人。經(jīng)過(guò)介紹之后，對(duì)方可能會(huì)說(shuō)：「請(qǐng)叫我Tom就好了?！狗駝t，還是以他的姓稱(chēng)呼之。

Americans still use a few very formal titles which reflect their Old World heritage. The British address their king and queen as Your Majesty; Americans address the judge in a court as Your Honor. Americans speaking to their nation's leader respectfully call him Mr. President. And many churches refer to their leader as Reverend. In everyday situations, the polite forms sir and madam (or ma'am) show a measure of respect. But Americans don't generally use the names of occupations or positions as formal titles. Students might address their teacher as Mr. (or Ms.) Hudson, but not Teacher Hudson.

美國(guó)人仍會(huì)使用一些很正式的稱(chēng)謂來(lái)反映出他們歐洲背景的傳統(tǒng)。英國(guó)人稱(chēng)呼他們的國(guó)王和皇后為殿下，美國(guó)人則稱(chēng)呼法官為閣下；美國(guó)人很尊敬地對(duì)國(guó)家元首說(shuō)話(huà)時(shí)，會(huì)稱(chēng)他為總統(tǒng)先生；而很多教會(huì)提到教會(huì)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者，則以牧師尊稱(chēng)。在日常生活中，先生或是夫人這樣禮貌的稱(chēng)謂，表現(xiàn)出相當(dāng)?shù)淖鹬?。但是美?guó)人一般不會(huì)用職業(yè)或是職位的名稱(chēng)來(lái)稱(chēng)呼人。學(xué)生們可能會(huì)稱(chēng)呼他們的老師為哈德森先生（或女士），而不是哈德森老師。

What's in a name? A world of significance. So if you're choosing an English name for yourself, take care to choose a good one. A made-up name could sound strange to native English speakers. And a translation of your Chinese name may not make an appropriate name, either. But a good name can leave a positive and lasting impression. As an American politician once remarked, "In real life, unlike in Shakespeare, the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears."

「名字到底意味甚么呢？」意義可是很重大的呢！所以如果你正試著為自己取個(gè)英文名字，仔細(xì)地選一個(gè)好一點(diǎn)的吧。自創(chuàng)的名字對(duì)以英語(yǔ)為母語(yǔ)的人而言，可能聽(tīng)起來(lái)有點(diǎn)奇怪。而直接翻譯你的中文名字可能也不太適合。一個(gè)好名字會(huì)留給人持久的好印象，就像一個(gè)美國(guó)政治家曾經(jīng)說(shuō)過(guò)的：「有別于莎士比亞的戲劇的是，在真實(shí)的生活中，玫瑰花有多香，就全看它的名字有多好聽(tīng)了?！?/span>