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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Culture
文艺版块
Johnson
约翰逊专栏
The word of the year
年度词汇
Johnson's choice for 2023 will be on people’s lips for years to come.
约翰逊专栏挑选的2023年度词汇将在多年后依然为人们津津乐道。
Before naming a word of the year, Johnson turns to colleagues to find out what those in different fields and in various countries are talking about.
在确定年度词汇之前，笔者问了下同事们，看看不同领域和不同国家的人们都在谈论什么。
It is a salutary reminder1 that the world is much bigger than the English language and that, even in largely English-speaking countries, the stock of words is constantly being refreshed by the languages with which English makes contact.
这是很有益处的，提醒自己世界上不只有英语这一种语言，而且即使在主要说英语的国家，与英语发生接触的其他语言也在不断刷新英语词库。
Our senior correspondent in Africa suggested coup2 as the word of the year—there have been two successful ones there in 2023.
本刊驻非洲的高级记者建议将"政变"作为年度词汇，2023年非洲已经发生了两次成功的政变。
But an honourable3 mention should go to the Yoruba verb japa, used colloquially4 in Nigeria to describe making a quick escape from a precarious5 situation.
但值得一提的还有约鲁巴语动词jaba，尼日利亚人在口语中用它来描述快速逃离危险的局面。
Recently it has been extended to mean escape from Nigeria itself, which is plagued by misgovernment.
最近，这个词的词义被扩展为"逃离尼日利亚"，该国因政府治理不善而深陷困境。
In contrast, India had a self-confident year, and vishwaguru was on many lips.
相比之下，印度今年是自信的一年，许多人常挂在嘴边的是vishwaguru一词。
As India hosted the G20 summit under the satisfied gaze of Narendra Modi, the prime minister, his fans revived the Sanskrit term.
在印度总理纳伦德拉·莫迪满意的凝视之下，印度举办了20国集团(G20)峰会，莫迪的粉丝们再次将这个梵语词汇发扬光大。
It means, roughly, “teacher to the world” (vishwa means “world”, and guru has long been an Indian export).
这个单词的大致意思是“全世界的老师”(vishwa的意思是“世界”，guru早就是印度输入英语的一个单词了)。
Indians using it feel they need no lessons from arrogant6 Westerners.
使用这个词的印度人觉得他们不需要从傲慢的西方人那里学习道理。
Or is that “Northerners”?
或者年度词汇应该是“北方人”？
The global south has gained ground as a way to talk about developing countries, especially those that used to be called “the third world”.
作为指代发展中国家，尤其是曾经被称为“第三世界”国家的一种说法，"全球南方"这个词最近越来越流行。
They avoid following America’s line on issues like Ukraine or Gaza.
这些国家拒绝在乌克兰或加沙等问题上追随美国的立场。
Talk of the global south has led more people to refer to the global north, which is mostly what used to be the West.
全球南方的说法也让很多人开始用全球北方这个词，全球北方大致相当于以前说的西方国家。
These linguistic7 shifts make for all-encompassing confusion.
这些语言上的转变造成了全方位的语义混乱。
But nothing can stop technology from dominating this year’s words.
但没有什么能阻止科技领域在今年的年度词汇中占据主导地位。
This was the year of artificial intelligence (AI), and not any kind but generative AI, which can churn out text and images with only some simple prompts.
今年是属于人工智能的一年，不是随便哪种类型的人工智能，而是生成式人工智能，它只需一些简单的提示词就可以产生大量的文本和图像。
The breakthrough in particular of large language models (LLMs) has been stunning8.
其中大型语言模型的突破尤其令人惊叹。
They produce prose so human-like that they have ignited a debate about whether LLMs are actually thinking (and whether students will ever do homework without them again).
这些模型写出的文字和人类的作品如此相像，以至于让人们开始讨论大型语言模型是否真的在思考(以及学生们做作业时是否还离得开它)。
Generative would be the word of the year if it were more widely known and used beyond the experts who follow AI.
如果"生成式"这个词更为大众所熟知，并且除了人工智能专家，其他人也用这个词，那么这个词本来可以成为年度词汇。
But since its launch in 2022, one term in particular—ChatGPT—has been on the lips of everyone from journalists to cab drivers wondering what all the fuss is about.
但自2022年被推出以来，有一个词，即ChatGPT，就一直挂在每个人的嘴边，从记者到出租车司机，每个人都想知道这个东西到底为什么这么火。
Can a name be a word of the year?
一个名字能成为年度词汇吗？
Is it even a word?
这个名字算是一个词汇吗？
Yes. Names are nouns.
算的，名字是名词。
And Google searches for “ChatGPT” are more than 90 times as frequent as those for “generative AI” or “large language model”.
谷歌搜索ChatGPT的频率是搜索"生成式人工智能"或"大型语言模型"的90多倍。
ChatGPT is the same in every language.
ChatGPT在所有语言中都是这个叫法。
Moreover, trade names have a long history of spreading into the collective parlance9: aspirin10, escalator, Hoover and Frisbee11.
此外，很早以前商标名称就流入了集体语汇：阿司匹林、自动扶梯、吸尘器和飞盘等。
(Though it is a mark of success, companies desperately12 try to prevent the “genericide” of their brands.)(虽然这是商业成功的标志，但公司都拼命防止品牌被“泛化”。)In technology, most people “Google” rather than generically13 “search online”.
在科技领域，大多数人“谷歌”，而不是宽泛地说“在线搜索”。
And in that same vein14, Chatgpt is the conversational15 term for any LLM: “What a lousy break-up text—did he get ChatGPT to write that?”
同样，在聊天时人们用ChatGPT指代所有大型语言模型：“这条分手短信写得也太差了，他是让ChatGPT写的吗？”
The people have spoken with their overwhelming interest.
人们兴致勃勃地说着ChatGPT这个词。
It is impossible to pick anything else for Johnson’s word of the year.
本专栏不可能再选其他词来作为年度词汇了。
Johnson has not been put out of work by ChatGPT.
笔者并没有因为ChatGPT而失业。
Nor is he trying to japa out of his column.
他也不想逃离自己的专栏。
But after eight years, it is time to relax the bonds of a rigid16 schedule.
但在更新了8年后，是时候放松一下严格的时间表了。
Reporting, opinions and analysis on language will continue to appear, but on a more occasional basis.
关于语言方面的报道、评论和分析仍将继续出现，但频率会稍微降低。
The great man whose name this column has borrowed, Samuel Johnson, knew that his labours could never be complete.
本专栏借用了塞缪尔·约翰逊的名字，这位伟大的学者知道，他在语言方面的工作永远不会完成。
He wrote that at any given moment, “some words are budding, and some falling away…a whole life cannot be spent upon syntax and etymology17, and…even a whole life would not be sufficient”.
他写道，在任何时刻，“一些词都正在萌发，一些词都正在凋零...…不能把一生的时间都花在语法和词源上，而且…...就算花上毕生的时间，也是不够的”。
But it has been a great pleasure to make the attempt.
但能尝试这样做，已经算得上是一件乐事了。
收听单词发音 |
1
reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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coup
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| n.政变；突然而成功的行动 | |
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3
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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colloquially
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| adv.用白话，用通俗语 | |
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5
precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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linguistic
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| adj.语言的，语言学的 | |
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stunning
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| adj.极好的；使人晕倒的 | |
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9
parlance
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| n.说法；语调 | |
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aspirin
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| n.阿司匹林 | |
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11
frisbee
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| n.飞盘(塑料玩具) | |
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12
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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13
generically
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| adv.一般地 | |
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14
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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15
conversational
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| adj.对话的，会话的 | |
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16
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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etymology
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| n.语源；字源学 | |
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