英美文化：英语中那些含有歧视义的词语

 　近日，卷福因在访谈中使用含有种族歧视的词语“coloured”(有色人种)而饱受争议，尽管他本想强调英国演艺界中种族不平等的现象。用词有风险，同志需谨慎，例如，常见的“special”就往往含有贬义。

　　1、Gay

　　同志

　　Once, this word meant 'happy' -think Victorian children dancing prettily¹ around a maypole。

　　这个词的本义是“愉悦的”，你可以想象维多利亚时代的小孩儿在五朔节(每年的5月1日，是北半球的春季节日)花柱欢快起舞的场景。

　　Now, the common word for 'homosexual'can also be used to mean 'pathetic'. Many young people (this is often a millennial² thing) still have a hangover from the playground and utter sentences such as 'that's so gay' - meaning 'that's lame³'。

　　如今，“gay”既可以表示“同性恋”(homosexual)，也可以表示“可悲”(pathetic)。许多年轻人(20世纪开始)在夜场宿醉之后仍然会说“that's so gay”，意为“太逊了”。

　　Use this instead: C**p

　　替换词语：C**p

　　2、Retarded

　　迟钝

　　‘Retard’ as a verb originally meant to ‘delay or hold back in terms of progress or development’。

　　作为一个动词，“retard”本义是“拖延进度”。

　　But the noun is used as an offensive term used to describe a person with a mental disability, or to suggest that someone is being stupid。

　　但作为名词，它也可以是贬义，指某个人智力残疾或暗示其很笨。

　　Use this instead: Twit。

　　替换词语：Twit。

　　3、Rapey

　　强奸的

　　It’s OK to use the words ‘rape’or ‘rapist’ in context. But the invented adjective ‘rapey’ is an unwelcome knock-on effect。

　　如果有上下文，我们是可以使用“rape”(强奸)或者“rapist”(强奸犯)的。但是，由此引申出来的形容词“rapey”却是不合时宜的。

　　Typically it's used by people to describe someone who might look like a rapist，is acting⁴ in a lecherous⁵ way, or a potentially sinister⁶ situation ("that alley⁷ is really rapey"). It might sound harmless, but it can trivialise a serious crime。

　　通常来讲，repay主要用来指那些行为淫荡，看起来像强奸犯的人，或者指某种可能引发犯罪的场合(例如：那条小巷很“rapey”)。尽管可能听起来没什么恶意，但却可能引发重大犯罪事件。

　　Use this instead: Creepy。

　　替换词语：Creepy

　　4、Spastic

　　麻痹患者

　　As with ‘retard’ this term is often used to describe people with disabilities, in a derogatory way。

　　跟“retard”一样，“spastic”经常用来指那些身有残疾的人，暗含贬义。

　　It was in the 1990s that it started to be employed as an insult, mostly to describe someone clumsy: such as‘you spaz’ or ‘you’re so spastic.’

　　上个世纪90年代，“spastic”开始含有侮辱的意思，经常指某人很蠢，例如“you spaz“ 或者 “you’re so spastic”。

　　Such was the impact of this, that charity The Spastics Society changed its name to Scope in 1994,in an attempt say something more positive about disability。

　　受此影响，1994年，慈善机构“The Spastics Society”把自己的名字改成“Scope”，试图用更正面的词去表示残疾。

　　Use this instead: Clumsy

　　替换词语：Clumsy

　　5、Paedo

　　恋童癖者

　　‘Paedo’ is a shortened term for a‘paedophile’ – but it’s also often used as a joke. For example, if a guy has a younger girlfriend. Or if someone takes their young nieces and nephews to the park。

　　“Paedo”是单词“paedophile”的缩写，但有时也用作玩笑。例如，某人有个年轻的女朋友或者某人带自己小侄子小侄女去公园。

　　Making light of such a horrendous⁸ offence is something that needs to stop。

　　然而，我们不应当随随便便开这种恶意的玩笑。

　　Use this instead: Just don’t -unless you’re describing a real child sex offender⁹。

　　替换词语：不要使用，除非你要用它指那些儿童性侵犯者。

1 prettily   

adv.优美地；可爱地

参考例句：

• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back.此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。
• She pouted prettily at him.她冲他撅着嘴，样子很可爱。

2 millennial   

一千年的，千福年的

参考例句：

• Both Russia and America looked to the future to fulfill their millennial expectations. 俄国和美国都把实现他们黄金时代的希望寄托于未来。
• The millennial generation is celebrating the global commons every day, apparently unmindful of Hardin's warning. 千禧一代显然对哈丁的警告不以为然，每天都在颂扬全球“公地”。

3 lame   

adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的

参考例句：

• The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
• I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 lecherous   

adj.好色的；淫邪的

参考例句：

• Her husband was described in court as a lecherous scoundrel.她的丈夫在法庭上被描绘成一个好色的无赖。
• Men enjoy all the beautiful bones,but do not mistake him lecherous.男人骨子里全都喜欢美女，但千万别误以为他好色。

6 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

7 alley   

n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路

参考例句：

• We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
• The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。

8 horrendous   

adj.可怕的，令人惊惧的

参考例句：

• He described it as the most horrendous experience of his life.他形容这是自己一生中最可怕的经历。
• The mining industry in China has a horrendous safety record.中国的煤矿工业具有令人不安的安全记录。

9 offender   

n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者

参考例句：

• They all sued out a pardon for an offender.他们请求法院赦免一名罪犯。
• The authorities often know that sex offenders will attack again when they are released.当局一般都知道性犯罪者在获释后往往会再次犯案。