【英语早间课堂】教您一招说爱(5)

各位亲爱的朋友们，非常高兴您如约来到早间课堂小节目，我是Juliet。

 

上回我们谈到“绝交信”“绝情信”的地道英文表达是：a Dear John letter，这其中含有一个人的名字“John”，英美国家有那么多男子的名字，为何这里偏偏要用John呢？因为：

 

There are a number of theories on why the name John is used rather than any other. John was a common name in America at the time the term was coined. John is also the name used in many other terms that refer to an anonymous¹ man , such as "John Doe" or "John Smith".

 

因为了约翰在美国实在是一个超级大众的名字，尤其在这个词组诞生的时候格外普遍。另外了，约翰这个名字也往往被用来指示无名人士，比方很常见的John Doe或者John Smith。

 

那么在英美国家为何用a Dear John letter（一封写给约翰的信件）来表示女方要和其男方断绝恋情或者是夫妻关系呢？这要追溯到美国二战时期，so, now, let's go back to then American history：

 

While the exact origins of the phrase are unknown, it is commonly believed to have been coined by Americans during World War II. Large numbers of American troops were stationed overseas for many months or years, and as time passed many of their wives or girlfriends decided² to begin a new relationship with a new man rather than waiting for their old one to return.

 

在美国人二战时期，当时大量的美军部队被派往海外，短则数月，长则多年。光阴流逝，军嫂们或者在家的女朋友不愿意再独守空闺盼着其良人归来，决定开始与另一男子开始一段全新的感情。

 

信件的开头经常是这样写的：“Dear John, I have found someone else whom I think the world of. I think the only way out is for us to get a divorce³, to get a divorce....”译文为：亲爱的约翰，我找到了另一个人，我愿意与他共度一生，唯一解决我们之间的问题的方案就是咱俩离婚吧。So, sometimes, I think loneliness is dreadful⁴!

 

我们现在知道a Dear John letter是绝交信的由来，下面我们就来看看上回课后翻译功课的答案。

 

Eg.Tom was very upset today for he got a Dear John letter from hisgirlfriend.dear_john_letter.jpg

 

Tom今天特别沮丧，因为他收到了女朋友的吹灯信。

 

Eg.She wrote to her Boy friend a Dear John letter yesterday.

 

她昨天给她的男朋友写了一封绝交信。

 

Eg.That Dear John letter ended their marriage.

 

一封绝情信结束了他们的婚姻。

 

Eg.I received a Dear John letter while I stayed in Japan.

 

我在日本时收到了一封绝交信。

 

Eg.Reading between the lines, he knew it was a Dear John letter.

 

他从字里行间看出这是一封绝交信。

 

好，各位亲爱的朋友们，我们今天究其源，探其本深入学习了a Dear John letter这个词语，一个词语往往跟那个国家的历史事件或者习俗有关，就如我们中文中的成语也是有典故来源的。最后Juliet送给大家一首歌，这首歌的名字就叫做A Dear John Letter那么您不妨您不妨轻轻松松地跟着唱，这样更为深刻理解这个词语，记住这个词语。

 

转自可可英语

1 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 divorce   

n.离婚；分离；vi.离婚；vt.离婚；脱离

参考例句：

• Did he divorce his wife or did she divorce him?是他要和妻子离婚，还是妻子要和他离婚？
• None of us like the divorce of word and deed.我们都不喜欢言行不一。

4 dreadful   

adj.糟透了的，极端的，可怕的，令人畏惧的

参考例句：

• I cannot imagine what to do in this dreadful situation.我不能想像在这么糟的情况下该怎么办。
• I must apologize for the dreadful mistake I made.我为我所犯的严重错误深表歉意。