英语真的是英语吗？6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

6 Minute English from BBCLearningEnglish.com.

来自 BBCLearningEnglish.com 的 6 Minute English。

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这里是 BBC Learning English 的 6 Minute English。

I'm Neil.

我是 Neil。

And I'm Georgina.

我是 Georgina。

Gōdne mergen.

Gōdne mergen。

Mé lícap pé métanne.

Mé lícap pé métanne。

I beg your pardon, Neil. 語氣意圖

你说什么，Neil？

Is something stuck in your throat? 語氣意圖

你嗓子里卡东西了吗？

Are you speaking a foreign language?

你在说外语吗？

Ha, well, actually, Georgina,

哈，其实，Georgina，

I was saying good morning, pleased to meet you in English,

我在用英语说早上好，很高兴见到你，

but not the English you and I speak. 語法

但这不是你我说的现代英语。

That was Anglo-Saxon or Old English,

那是盎格鲁-撒克逊语，或称古英语，

the earliest form of English spoken in the Middle Ages, 語法

是中世纪人们使用的最早的英语形式，

so between the 5th and 15th century.

大约在5世纪到15世纪之间。

It doesn't sound anything like the way people talk nowadays. 短語搭配

听起来完全不像现代人的说话方式。

No, but it's surprising how many of the words we use today 語法

确实不像，但令人惊讶的是，我们今天使用的许多词汇

have survived from Old English.

都是从古英语保留下来的。

Beer, wine, drink, fish, bread, butter,

啤酒、葡萄酒、喝、鱼、面包、黄油，

eye, ear, mouth, head, hand, foot,

眼睛、耳朵、嘴巴、头、手、脚，

life, love, laughter, mother, daughter,

生命、爱、笑声、母亲、女儿，

sister, brother, son, father, all Anglo-Saxon words.

姐妹、兄弟、儿子、父亲，全都是盎格鲁-撒克逊词汇。

Wow, so many everyday words. 用詞

哇，这么多日常词汇啊。

But what about the classics, Latin and Greek? 語氣意圖

那拉丁语和希腊语这些古典语言呢？

I thought a lot of English vocabulary came from there.

我以为很多英语词汇都来源于那里。

That's also true,

那也没错，

but the history of English is the history of invasions, 表達脈絡

但英语的历史就是一部入侵史，

you know, when the army of one country fights to enter and control another country.

你知道的，就是一个国家的军队为了进入并控制另一个国家而交战。

Like the Roman invasion of Britain?

就像罗马人入侵不列颠那样？

Right, and later invasions too,

对，还有后来的入侵，

by Norse-speaking Vikings and Germanic Saxons.

包括说古诺斯语的维京人和日耳曼萨克逊人。

In fact, Georgina, that reminds me of my quiz question. 表達脈絡

事实上，Georgina，这提醒了我的小测验问题。

Go on, then, but in modern English, 語氣意圖

那就问吧，但请用现代英语，

if you don't mind. 語氣意圖

如果你不介意的话。

Okay, well, the year 1066 is remembered for a famous battle, 短語搭配

好的，1066 年因一场著名的战役而被铭记，

when the French-speaking Norman king, William the Conqueror, invaded England.

当时说法语的诺曼底公爵“征服者威廉”入侵了英格兰。

But what is the name of the famous battle?

但这场著名战役的名字是什么？

Is it A, the Battle of Waterloo,

是 A，滑铁卢战役，

B, the Battle of Hastings,

B，黑斯廷斯战役，

or C, the Battle of Trafalgar?

还是 C，特拉法加战役？

Mm, my history's not great, Neil,

嗯，我的历史不太好，Neil，

but I think it's B, the Battle of Hastings.

但我猜是 B，黑斯廷斯战役。

Okay, Georgina, we'll find out later. 短語動詞

好的，Georgina，我们稍后揭晓答案。

Another Old English word there.

刚刚那里又是一个古英语词汇。

But it's not just words that survive from Anglo-Saxon, 語法

不过，从盎格鲁-撒克逊语保留下来的不仅是词汇，

it's word endings too.

还有词尾。

The suffix, or letters added to the end of a word to modify its meaning. 用詞

也就是后缀，或者说加在词尾以改变其含义的字母。

Right, like adding S to make something plural,

对，比如加上 S 变成复数，

as in one bird, two birds. 短語搭配

就像一只鸟（bird），两只鸟（birds）。

Or the ness in goodness and happiness,

或者像 goodness（善良）和 happiness（幸福）中的 ness，

and dom, as in freedom and kingdom.

以及 freedom（自由）和 kingdom（王国）中的 dom。

Poet Michael Rosen is fascinated by Old English.

诗人 Michael Rosen 对古英语非常着迷。

Here he is talking about word suffixes to Oxford University Professor Andy Orchard

下面是他与牛津大学教授 Andy Orchard 讨论词汇后缀的片段，

for BBC Radio 4's program Word of Mouth.

摘自 BBC Radio 4 的节目《Word of Mouth》。

Listen out for the proportion of modern English that comes from Anglo-Saxon. 短語動詞

留意听现代英语中有多少比例源自盎格鲁-撒克逊语。

I walked that walked the et bit on the end. Yeah, the -ed ending. 用詞

I walked 里的 walked，末尾有 et 这个发音。对，就是 -ed 词尾。

Most modern verbs, if we were to say, you know, 語法

大多数现代动词，如果我们要说，你知道，

I texted my daughter, 語法

我给女儿发了短信（texted），

I mean text obviously comes from Latin,

我是说 text 显然源自拉丁语，

I tweeted.

我发了推文（tweeted）。

We still lapse to the Anglo-Saxon. 用詞

我们仍然会回归到盎格鲁-撒克逊的构词法。

And generally, when I'm speaking,

一般来说，当我说话的时候，

just let's do it in mathematical terms, 表達脈絡

我们就用数学术语来说吧，

what proportion can we say is Old English?

我们可以说古英语占多大比例？

Can we say like about 80% in common parlance, 用詞

我们可以说在日常用语（in common parlance）中大约有 80% 吗，

sorry to use a French word there? 文化背景

抱歉这里用了一个源自法语的词？

In speech, it would be something like that. 語氣意圖

在口语中，大概是这样。

In the written language, less.

在书面语中，要少一些。

They're the basic building blocks of who we are and what we think. 習語

它们构成了我们是谁以及我们如何思考的基本基石。

Professor Orchard estimates that 80% of spoken English

Orchard 教授估计，有 80% 的口头英语，

in common parlance comes from Anglo-Saxon.

在日常用语中，源自盎格鲁-撒克逊语。

In common parlance means the words and vocabulary that most people use

in common parlance 的意思是大多数人在

in ordinary everyday conversation.

普通日常对话中使用的词汇。

So, Anglo-Saxon words are the building blocks of English,

所以，盎格鲁-撒克逊词汇是英语的构建基石（building blocks），

the basic parts that are put together to make something.

也就是组合在一起构成某物的基本部件。

He also thinks that the languages we speak shape the way we see the world. 習語

他还认为，我们所说的语言塑造了我们看待世界的方式。

Here's Michael Rosen and Professor Andy Orchard

这是 Michael Rosen 和 Andy Orchard 教授

discussing this idea on BBC Radio 4 program Word of Mouth.

在 BBC Radio 4 节目《Word of Mouth》中讨论这个观点的片段。

Can we say that English speakers today,

我们可以说，今天的英语使用者，

as I'm speaking to you now,

就像我现在和你说话一样，

view the world through Anglo-Saxon eyes, 習語

是通过盎格鲁-撒克逊的眼睛来看待世界，

through Anglo-Saxon words?

通过盎格鲁-撒克逊的词汇来看待吗？

Can we say that?

我们可以这么说吗？

Well, certainly in Old English poetry,

嗯，当然，在古英语诗歌中，

it's always raining,

总是在下雨，

and I suppose it's always raining today.

我想现在也总是在下雨。

There is a retrospective element that we're still inhabiting that worldview, 習語

这里有一种追溯的元素，我们仍然居住在那个世界观里，

those ideas, the same words,

那些思想，同样的词汇，

the same simple ideas that they inhabited.

同样简单的思想，他们曾经生活在其中。

And what's extraordinary if you think about the history of English is,

如果你想想英语的历史，非同寻常的是，

despite the invasions by the Norse and by the Norman, 語法

尽管遭受了古诺斯人和诺曼人的入侵，

and then despite the years of empire when we're bringing things back,

并且尽管在帝国时代我们带回了许多外来词，

the English that we're speaking today is still at its root, 習語

我们今天所说的英语从根本上来说依然是，

Old English word, at its heart,

古英语词汇，在本质上，

Old English word, still very much English.

依然是古英语词汇，依然非常‘英语’。

Michael Rosen asks if English speakers see the world through Anglo-Saxon eyes.

Michael Rosen 问说英语的人是否通过盎格鲁-撒克逊的眼睛看世界。

When we see something through someone's eyes,

当我们 through someone's eyes（通过某人的眼睛）看事物时，

we see it from their perspective,

我们是从他们的视角，

their point of view.

他们的观点来看待的。

And Professor Orchard replies by saying that,

Orchard 教授回答说，

despite all the history of invasion and empire,

尽管经历了所有的入侵和帝国历史，

the English we speak today is still Old English at heart.

我们今天所说的英语本质上（at heart）依然是古英语。

A phrase used to say what something is really like.

这个短语用来表达某事物的真实面貌。

Wow, so much history crammed into 6 minutes. 用詞

哇，短短6分钟里塞满了这么多历史。

And now, time for one more history fact.

现在，再来一个历史事实。

Do you mean your quiz question, Neil?

你是说你的测验问题吗，Neil？

What's the name of the famous battle of 1066?

1066年那场著名战役的名字是什么？

What did you say, Georgina?

你是怎么回答的，Georgina？

I said B, the Battle of Hastings.

我选了 B，黑斯廷斯战役。

Which was the correct answer.

这是正确答案。

The Battle of Hastings in 1066 played a big part in the Norman Conquest 講解

1066年的黑斯廷斯战役在诺曼征服

and mixing French words into the language.

以及将法语词汇混入英语中发挥了重要作用。

And I also know how the English ruler, King Harold, died,

我还知道当时的英格兰统治者哈罗德国王是怎么死的，

shot through the eye with an arrow.

是被箭射穿了眼睛。

Ouch.

哎哟。

Okay, let's recap the vocabulary, 表達脈絡

好了，让我们回顾一下词汇，

some of which exists because of invasions, 語法

其中一些词汇的存在是因为入侵（invasions），

when one country enters and controls another.

即一个国家进入并控制另一个国家。

A suffix is added to the end of a word to make a new word.

后缀（suffix）是加在单词末尾以构成新词的字母。

The phrase in common parlance means using ordinary everyday words.

短语 in common parlance 的意思是使用普通的日常词汇。

Building blocks are the basic parts used to make something.

构建基石（building blocks）是用来制造某物的基本部件。

To see things through someone's eyes means from their point of view.

通过某人的眼睛看事物（to see things through someone's eyes）的意思是从他们的视角来看。

And finally, at heart is used to say what something is really like.

最后，本质上（at heart）用来表达某事物的真实面貌。

That's all for this program.

这就是本节目的全部内容。

Join us again soon at 6 Minute English,

请马上再次加入我们的 6 Minute English，

but for now,

但现在，

far gesund.

far gesund。

That's Old English for goodbye. 短語搭配

这是古英语的再见。

Far gesund.

far gesund。

6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

来自 BBC Learning English 的 6 Minute English。