密歇根新闻广播 based on和based off

 

Based on the evidence, the phrase "based on" is getting challenged by the phrase "based off."

This is an issue English Professor Anne Curzan has been hearing about from her colleagues. They say "based on" is correct, but their students tend to use "based off" or "based off of."

Curzan says this is a losing battle.

"Based off" has been on the rise since around 1980. The numbers are still small, so people who prefer "based on" are in good shape. According to Google Books, the ratio of "based on" to "based off" is approximately ten thousand to one.

The threat may be distant, but "based off" is rising rapidly, which may be why Curzan's colleagues are noticing it in their students' writing and speech.

Honestly, we can make logical arguments for both phrases. "Based on" makes sense, because you're building something on the base or foundation. For example, you might say, "His argument was based on research by a noted¹ scientist."

However, "based off" also has a foundation, but now you're using it as a jumping "off" point. In other words, you're launching off of it to the next point. For example, "Based off today's weather report, I don't think we should go to the beach."

We should point out that prepositions, which are notoriously idiomatic² in English, don't actually have to be logical. Think about the phrase "as a result." Why not "in a result," "for a result," or "by a result?" The answer is because the idiom is "as a result."

This is often how prepositions work. They're fixed³ phrases, but those phrases can change over time. For now, Curzan thinks we should just let "based on" and "based off (of)" sit next to each other in variation.

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。

3 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。