TED演讲：语言如何改变人类(2)

 　　In fact, the Tower of Babel story in the Bible is a fable¹ and warning about the power of language. 事实上，圣经里巴别塔的故事就是关于语言能力的一个寓言和警示

　　According to that story, early humans developed the conceit² that, by using their language to work together, 这个故事说，远古的人类变得自以为是，他们以为通过同一种语言一起合作

　　they could build a tower that would take them all the way to heaven. 可以建起一座带他们通往天堂的塔

　　Now God, angered at this attempt to usurp³ his power, destroyed the tower, 上帝为此大逆不道的篡夺行为震怒，因此毁了这座通天塔

　　and then to ensure that it would never be rebuilt, 并为了确保人类无法再建

　　he scattered⁴ the people by giving them different languages -- confused them by giving them different languages. 他通过赋予人们不同的语言将之拆散--用不同的语言使他们迷惑

　　And this leads to the wonderful irony⁵ that our languages exist to prevent us from communicating. 所以这导致一个奇妙而讽刺的结果，正是语言阻碍我们的交流

　　Even today, we know that there are words we cannot use, phrases we cannot say, 甚至在今天，仍有些字词我们不能用，有些短语不能说

　　because if we do so, we might be accosted⁶, jailed, or even killed. 因为这样做，我们也许会锒铛入狱，甚至招来杀身之祸

　　And all of this from a puff⁷ of air emanating⁸ from our mouths. 这一切只因为口吐一口气而已

　　Now all this fuss about a single one of our traits tells us there's something worth explaining. 我们刚刚这番关于语言这一特性的长篇大论，无非是要说有些东西值得去解释

　　And that is how and why did this remarkable⁹ trait evolve, and why did it evolve only in our species? 那就是语言这一奇妙特性是如何演变的及其原因，并且为什么只在人类中演变？

　　Now it's a little bit of a surprise that to get an answer to that question, 为获得以上问题的答案，先要做点意料外的工作

　　we have to go to tool use in the chimpanzees. 我们必须先研究黑猩猩使用工具的能力

　　Now these chimpanzees are using tools, and we take that as a sign of their intelligence. 这些黑猩猩正在利用工具，这被认为是它们智力的一个表现

　　But if they really were intelligent, 但是如果它们真的聪明的话

　　why would they use a stick to extract termites¹⁰ from the ground rather than a shovel¹¹? 为什么它们要用根棍子把白蚁从地面里取出，而不是用铲子挖呢？

　　And if they really were intelligent, why would they crack open nuts with a rock? 如果它们真的聪明，为什么自己要用石头砸开坚果呢？

　　Why wouldn't they just go to a shop and buy a bag of nuts that somebody else had already cracked open for them? 为什么它们不去商店买上一袋坚果，在那里已经有砸好的坚果为它们准备好了？

　　Why not? I mean, that's what we do. 为什么呢？因为那些是人类才能做的。

1 fable   

n.寓言；童话；神话

参考例句：

• The fable is given on the next page. 这篇寓言登在下一页上。
• He had some motive in telling this fable. 他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

2 conceit   

n.自负，自高自大

参考例句：

• As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。
• She seems to be eaten up with her own conceit.她仿佛已经被骄傲冲昏了头脑。

3 usurp   

vt.篡夺，霸占；vi.篡位

参考例句：

• Their position enabled them to usurp power.他们所处的地位使其得以篡权。
• You must not allow it to usurp a disproportionate share of your interest.你不应让它过多地占据你的兴趣。

4 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

5 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

6 accosted   

v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭

参考例句：

• She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger. 在街上，一个完全陌生的人贸然走到她跟前搭讪。
• His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. 他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 puff   

n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气

参考例句：

• He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。
• They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。

8 emanating   

v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的现在分词 )；产生，表现，显示

参考例句：

• Even so, there is a slight odour of potpourri emanating from Longfellow. 纵然如此，也还是可以闻到来自朗费罗的一种轻微的杂烩的味道。 来自辞典例句
• Many surface waters, particularly those emanating from swampy areas, are often colored to the extent. 许多地表水，特别是由沼泽地区流出的地表水常常染上一定程度的颜色。 来自辞典例句

9 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

10 termites   

n.白蚁( termite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Termites are principally tropical in distribution. 白蚁主要分布在热带地区。 来自辞典例句
• This spray will exterminate the termites. 这种喷剂能消灭白蚁。 来自辞典例句

11 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。