2023年经济学人 牛津英语词典背后的故事

 

    Culture

    文艺版块

    Book review

    书评

    Spelling glee

    词语的欢乐

    The Dictionary People. By Sarah Ogilvie.

    《编写词典的人》，萨拉·奥格尔维

    In July 1915 an ailing¹ James Murray, one of the early editors of the Oxford² English Dictionary (OED), defined one final word.

    1915年7月，《牛津英语词典》的早期编辑之一詹姆斯·默里强撑病躯，给最后一个单词撰写了定义。

    He had dedicated³ 36 years to the dictionary; his toil⁴ had taken a toll⁵.

    他为这本词典奉献了36年的时间，他的辛劳也让他的身体健康付出了代价。

    Knowing he would not see the project complete, he wrote his last entry: for “twilight”.

    默里知道自己看不到词典完成的那天了，而他写下的最后一个词条是“日暮”。

    The poetic⁶ pathos⁷ of Murray’s final days is one of many memorable⁸ tales in “The Dictionary People”.

    默里生命最后的这段充满诗意悲伤的故事是《编写词典的人》中许多令人难忘的故事之一。

    Conceived in 1857, the OED was a huge crowdsourcing project—“the Wikipedia of the 19th century”—comprising 3,000 people.

    编写《牛津词典》的构想在1857年提出，是一个规模庞大的众包项目，堪称“19世纪的维基百科”，共有3000人参与其中。

    The idea was to create a “descriptive” dictionary that tracked words’ use and meaning over time (unlike its “prescriptive” 18th-century predecessor⁹ by Samuel Johnson, which told readers how to say and use words).

    最初的想法是创建一部“描述性”词典，追溯单词的用法和词义如何随时间而演变(不同于塞缪尔·约翰逊在18世纪编写的“规范性”词典，约翰逊的词典告诉读者单词如何发音和使用)。

    Volunteers read widely, mailing in examples of how “rare, obsolete¹⁰, old-fashioned, new, peculiar” words were used.

    志愿者们进行了广泛阅读，将各种“罕见的、淘汰的、老式的、新式的、奇特的”单词例句邮寄过来。

    What is surprising about this fairly random¹¹ method is that it worked, achieving order through the large number of contributors.

    令人惊讶的是，这种相当随意的方法竟然奏效了，因为贡献例句的人数众多而形成了秩序。

    The origin story of Sarah Ogilvie’s book is almost as improbable as that of the dictionary itself.

    萨拉·奥格尔维这本书的起源故事几乎和词典本身的故事一样离奇。

    Ms Ogilvie, a former lexicographer¹² who served as an editor for the OED, went into the archives of Oxford University Press and stumbled across an old notebook.

    奥格尔维曾是一名词典编纂者，曾担任《牛津英语词典》的编辑。有一天她走进牛津大学出版社的档案馆，偶然发现了一本旧笔记本。

    It had belonged to Murray and contained the names and details of the dictionary volunteers, most of whom had previously¹³ been unknown.

    这是默里的笔记本，里面记录了词典志愿者的名字和详细信息，其中大多数人都藉藉无名。

    “The Dictionary People” is her work of detective scholarship, evoking¹⁴ the lives behind the names.

    《编写词典的人》是她的学术侦探之作，钩出了这些名字背后的人生。

    The dictionary’s contributors are an engaging cast, including three murderers, a vegetarian¹⁵ vicar, one of Karl Marx’s daughters and J.R.R.Tolkien.

    词典贡献者的阵容十分有趣，包括三名杀人犯、一名吃素的牧师、卡尔·马克思的一个女儿和J.R.R. 托尔金。

    Katharine Bradley and Edith Cooper, aunt and niece, were lifelong lovers and successful writers, who co-wrote plays under a male pseudonym¹⁶.

    凯瑟琳·布拉德利和伊迪丝·库珀是姑侄关系，但两人也是相伴一生的恋人和成功的作家，她们用男性笔名共同写作剧本。

    For some, the dictionary was an obsession¹⁷: one contributor supplied 165,061 quotations¹⁸.

    还有一些人对词典无比痴迷：一位贡献者提供了165 061条引文。

    Murray, too, was assiduous.

    默里本人也极其勤奋。

    He once wrote to George Eliot of “Middlemarch” fame to ask about a word choice in “Romola”, published 17 years earlier.

    他曾写信给以《米德尔马契》闻名的乔治·艾略特，询问她17年前出版的《罗慕拉》中的一个选词问题。

    (She responded courteously¹⁹.)

    (她彬彬有礼地给予了回复。)

    Yet he also found time beyond his Herculean project to be humane²⁰, paying several visits to one contributor imprisoned²¹ in Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital.

    然而，在完成这一艰巨项目之余，默里还留出时间做了一些仁慈之举，他多次探望了一位被关在布罗德穆尔的贡献者，布罗德穆尔是一所戒备森严的精神病医院。

    Through the multitude of stories, snapshots of a society in flux²² emerge: an age of scientific discovery, growing transport and communication links and increased professionalisation of scholarship.

    从众多的故事之中，一个变动中的社会的图像浮现出来：众多科学发现、不断发展的交通和通信联系，以及学术的日益专业化。

    Yet many of the dictionary’s contributors were autodidacts.

    然而，这本词典的许多贡献者都是自学成才。

    The project’s popularity reflected a growing community of people eager for intellectual pursuits but excluded from conventional academia.

    该项目大受欢迎，说明当时越来越多的人有智识追求，却被传统学术界拒之门外。

    Ms Ogilvie’s book is full of quirky titbits.

    奥格尔维的这本书充满了奇闻轶事。

    Many dictionary obsessives engaged in another crowdsourcing vogue²³: collecting and measuring rainwater.

    许多痴迷于词典的人还参与了另一种很时尚的众包工作：收集和测量雨水。

    The presentation of the book is unconventional, too, taking its structure from the work it describes.

    这本书的呈现方式也是不同寻常的，借用了《牛津英语词典》的结构。

    There are 26 alphabetical²⁴ chapters, each celebrating a group of contributors (memorably, “K” is for “kleptomaniac”).

    全书有26个按字母顺序排列的章节，每个章节都是为了纪念某一群贡献者(让人印象很深的是K代表“盗窃狂”)。

    This is a cunning conceit²⁵, though it sometimes means that broader issues emerge only piecemeal²⁶.

    这是一种别出心裁的巧思，但这种结构也导致有时更宏大的问题只能零零碎碎地呈现。

    “The Dictionary People” will appeal to logophiles.

    《编写词典的人》将会吸引词语爱好者。

    Pages abound²⁷ with wonderful words: absquatulate (to abscond), couthutlaughe (a person knowingly concealing²⁸ an outlaw) and zwodder (a drowsy²⁹ feeling).

    精彩的词汇在书中俯拾皆是：absquatulate(逃遁)、Couthortleh(故意窝藏罪犯的人)、zwodder(昏昏欲睡的感觉)。

    But Ms Ogilvie’s book is also a story of omissions³⁰.

    但奥格尔维的这本书也是一个关于遗漏的故事。

    The OED aimed to record English as it was used across the world; it was a product of empire.

    《牛津英语词典》旨在记录英语在世界各地的使用情况，它是帝国的产物。

    “The published sources of those words drew originally on the language of members of black and indigenous³¹ communities, whose names never made it into the pages of Murray’s address book,” Ms Ogilvie writes.

    奥格尔维写道：“有些单词最初来自黑人和原住民的语言，但他们的名字从未出现在默里的通讯录上。”

    In addition, many words were kept out of the OED: “homosexuality” was included in 1933, “lesbian” not until 1976.

    此外，许多词曾经被《牛津英语词典》排除在外：“同性恋”一词于1933年被收录，“女同性恋”一词直到1976年才被收录在内。

    When it came to slang, Murray was cautious about obscenity laws; first editions of the “C” and “F” volumes remain clear of the obvious culprits.

    对于俚语，默里对淫秽语言的态度十分谨慎，第一版词典的C和F部分十分清白，没有那两个众人皆知的词。

    Above all, though, this is a story about ordinary people.

    不过，最重要的是，这本书讲述了普通人的故事。

    It is a powerful testament³² to those who, to cite dictionary-helper George Eliot, “lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs”.

    引用曾为词典提供帮助的乔治·艾略特的话来说，这本书是那些“生前忠实地过着无名的生活，生后于无人来访的坟墓中安息”的人们曾存于世间的有力证明。

1 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

2 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

3 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

4 toil   

vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事

参考例句：

• The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
• Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

5 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

6 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

7 pathos   

n.哀婉，悲怆

参考例句：

• The pathos of the situation brought tears to our eyes.情况令人怜悯，看得我们不禁流泪。
• There is abundant pathos in her words.她的话里富有动人哀怜的力量。

8 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

9 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

10 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

11 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

12 lexicographer   

n.辞典编纂人

参考例句：

• A lexicographer's job is to describe the language.词典编纂者的工作就是对语言加以描述。
• The lexicographer knew that the English lexis was changing. 字典编纂者知道英语词汇在不断变化。

13 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

14 evoking   

产生，引起，唤起( evoke的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Some occur in organisms without evoking symptoms. 一些存在于生物体中，但不发生症状。
• Nowadays, the protection of traditional knowledge is evoking heat discussion worldwide. 目前，全球都掀起了保护传统知识的热潮。

15 vegetarian   

n.素食者；adj.素食的

参考例句：

• She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
• I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。

16 pseudonym   

n.假名，笔名

参考例句：

• Eric Blair wrote under the pseudonym of George Orwell.埃里克·布莱尔用乔治·奧威尔这个笔名写作。
• Both plays were published under the pseudonym of Philip Dayre.两个剧本都是以菲利普·戴尔的笔名出版的。

17 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

18 quotations   

n.引用( quotation的名词复数 )；[商业]行情（报告）；（货物或股票的）市价；时价

参考例句：

• The insurance company requires three quotations for repairs to the car. 保险公司要修理这辆汽车的三家修理厂的报价单。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These quotations cannot readily be traced to their sources. 这些引语很难查出出自何处。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 courteously   

adv.有礼貌地，亲切地

参考例句：

• He courteously opened the door for me.他谦恭有礼地为我开门。
• Presently he rose courteously and released her.过了一会，他就很客气地站起来，让她走开。

20 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

21 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

22 flux   

n.流动；不断的改变

参考例句：

• The market is in a constant state of flux.市场行情在不断变化。
• In most reactors,there is a significant flux of fast neutrons.在大部分反应堆中都有一定强度的快中子流。

23 Vogue   

n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的

参考例句：

• Flowery carpets became the vogue.花卉地毯变成了时髦货。
• Short hair came back into vogue about ten years ago.大约十年前短发又开始流行起来了。

24 alphabetical   

adj.字母（表）的，依字母顺序的

参考例句：

• Please arrange these books in alphabetical order.请把这些书按字母顺序整理一下。
• There is no need to maintain a strict alphabetical sequence.不必保持严格的字顺。

25 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。

26 piecemeal   

adj.零碎的；n.片，块；adv.逐渐地；v.弄成碎块

参考例句：

• A lack of narrative drive leaves the reader with piecemeal vignettes.叙述缺乏吸引力，读者读到的只是一些支离破碎的片段。
• Let's settle the matter at one stroke,not piecemeal.把这事一气儿解决了吧，别零敲碎打了。

27 abound   

vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于

参考例句：

• Oranges abound here all the year round.这里一年到头都有很多橙子。
• But problems abound in the management of State-owned companies.但是在国有企业的管理中仍然存在不少问题。

28 concealing   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善，我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产

29 drowsy   

adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的

参考例句：

• Exhaust fumes made him drowsy and brought on a headache.废气把他熏得昏昏沉沉，还引起了头疼。
• I feel drowsy after lunch every day.每天午饭后我就想睡觉。

30 omissions   

n.省略( omission的名词复数 )；删节；遗漏；略去或漏掉的事（或人）

参考例句：

• In spite of careful checking, there are still omissions. 饶这么细心核对，还是有遗漏。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• It has many omissions; even so, it is quite a useful reference book. 那本书有许多遗漏之处，即使如此，尚不失为一本有用的参考书。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

31 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

32 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。