一鳥在手，到底值多少？：英語精讀講義

Hey,

嘿，

Vsauce.

Vsauce。

Michael here.

我是 Michael。

And as they say,

俗話說，

a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 慣用語

一鳥在手，勝過二鳥在林。

What it means is that it's better to have a certain advantage 文法

這句話的意思是，擁有一項確定的優勢

than to have nothing

總比一無所有，

except the possibility of a greater one.

只剩下取得更大優勢的可能性來得好。

But two birds in the bush,

不過，林中的兩隻鳥——

who calculated that?

這個數字是誰算出來的？

What really is the value of a bird in the hand?

手裡的一隻鳥到底值多少？

Well, according to Julian Baggini,

Julian Baggini 認為，

a bird in the hand is technically worth 2.48 birds in the bush.

嚴格來說，手裡的一隻鳥抵得上林中的2.48隻鳥。

He calculated that number by looking at observations

他分析了一些觀察資料，算出這個數字，

from studies of what psychologists call loss aversion.

這些資料來自心理學家所謂「損失規避」的相關研究。

Loss aversion is a name given to the tendency we humans have 用詞

「損失規避」這個名稱，指的是我們人類的一種傾向：

to more strongly prefer to avoid losing something we have 文法

我們更強烈地想避免失去已經擁有的東西，

than to gain something that we don't.

而不是去獲得尚未擁有的東西。

In general, it's been shown that if someone loses $100, 文法

整體而言，研究顯示，如果一個人損失了100美元，

they lose more satisfaction than someone who receives $100 acquires.

他失去的滿足感，會多於另一個收到100美元的人所獲得的滿足感。

Researchers have been able to get more granular with loss aversion. 用詞

研究人員還對損失規避做了更細緻的分析。

In one study, they gave half of the participants something nice like a fancy mug,

在一項研究中，他們送給一半受試者精緻馬克杯之類的好東西，

and the other half they gave nothing.

另一半受試者則什麼也沒拿到。

Then, they asked the people with mugs

接著，他們請那些拿到馬克杯的人

to come up with a value for the mug 片語動詞

替這個杯子估個價，

were they to sell it and never have it again. 文法

假設他們要把它賣掉，而且從此再也無法擁有它。

They also asked the people who never got a mug

他們也詢問那些從未拿到馬克杯的人，

how much they would be willing to pay to have a mug. 片語搭配

願意花多少錢買一個馬克杯。

Now, the people who had never had one

結果，從未擁有過馬克杯的人

estimated that the value of the mug would only be about $2.87.

估計它只值大約2.87美元。

But those who did have the mug and knew that they would never have it again if they sold it, 文法

但那些已經擁有杯子，而且知道一旦賣掉就再也拿不回來的人，

estimated its value to be about two and a half times larger,

估出的價值約為前者的兩倍半，

around $7.

也就是大約7美元。

So, according to the evidence in a general sense,

所以，從整體證據來看，

having is actually slightly more than twice as good as not having. 文法

擁有一樣東西，實際上比沒有它好上略多於兩倍。

But why just cover that aphorism?

不過，為什麼只談這句格言呢？

Let's talk about some other literary terms because our language can do some pretty funny things,

再來聊聊其他一些文學術語吧，因為語言有時會玩出很有趣的花樣，

and those things it does have specific names.

而這些花樣都有專門的名稱。

Let's begin with the blind date murderer,

先從「相親殺人魔」說起。

a meme people create that starts off all scary and frightening, 表達脈絡

這是網友創作的一種迷因，開頭聽起來又嚇人又恐怖，

but then turns out to actually be nice and cuddly.

最後卻發現其實非常溫馨又可愛。

For instance, I'm going to rip off your face.

例如：「我要把你的臉撕下來……」

Book status, you are so funny.

「……我是說，抄走你的 Facebook 動態，你真的太好笑了。」

I'm going to cut you

「我要把你剪了……」

out some coupons for that pizza place you like.

「……不，是幫你剪幾張你喜歡的那間披薩店優惠券。」

If you struggle, it'll only make it worse.

「你越掙扎，情況只會越糟。」

According to this fascinating article I'm sending you about quicksand.

「我是說，這篇正要傳給你的精彩流沙文章是這麼寫的。」

Many other memes use a similar structure,

還有許多迷因也採用類似的結構，

and the reason it's funny is that it's an example of what is known as paraprosdokian.

它之所以好笑，是因為這正是所謂「逆轉式結句」（paraprosdokian）的例子。

A paraprosdokian is a sentence or phrase you can use that begins one way, 表達脈絡

逆轉式結句是一種句子或片語：開頭先朝一個方向展開，

leading people to think a certain thing,

讓人產生某種想法，

but then in the second half completely reverses or in some way changes that initial opinion.

後半段卻徹底顛覆或以某種方式改變最初的理解。

I will eat your baby.

「我要吃掉你的寶寶……」

Carrots, if you don't want them.

「……我是說迷你胡蘿蔔，如果你不想吃的話。」

Syntactic ambiguity is when you can't figure out exactly what a sentence means 用詞

句法歧義，是指你無法確定一個句子到底是什麼意思，

because the order of the words doesn't help.

因為詞語的排列順序幫不上忙。

It frequently occurs in newspaper headlines.

這種情況經常出現在報紙標題中。

For instance, police help dog bite victim.

例如標題「police help dog bite victim」。

Well, did the police help a person who had been bit by a dog, 文法

那麼，究竟是警方幫助了一個被狗咬的人，

or did the police help a dog bite a victim?

還是警方幫著一隻狗去咬受害者？

Free hat.

「Free hat.」

Are you giving away hats for free,

這是要免費送帽子，

or are you trying to get a guy named Hat out of jail?

還是要把一個名叫 Hat 的傢伙從監獄裡救出來？

Lexical ambiguity, 用詞

至於詞彙歧義，

in my opinion,

依我看，

is often more fun.

往往更有意思。

This happens when a word has multiple meanings

當一個詞有多重含義，

and figuring out which one is being used in a sentence

而你很難判斷它在句子中用的是哪一種含義時，

is a challenge.

就會出現這種情況。

The word buffalo can mean a number of different things.

buffalo 這個詞可以有好幾種不同的意思。

It's the name of an animal, the name of a city,

它可以是一種動物的名稱，也可以是一座城市的名稱，

and it can also be a verb, which means to bully or confuse or baffle,

還可以當動詞，意思是欺負、迷惑或難住某人，

as in, hm, this video buffaloes me. 用詞

例如：「嗯，這支影片 buffaloes me，真讓我搞不懂。」

I tweeted about this a few months ago because buffalo has those three meanings,

幾個月前我曾為此發推文。正因為 buffalo 有這三種意思，

it is possible to make a completely sensible and correct legitimate sentence

所以完全可以寫出一個合情合理、文法正確的正式句子，

using only the word buffalo.

而且只用 buffalo 這一個詞。

Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo. 表達脈絡

Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo.

You have to think about it for a long time for it to make sense,

你得想上很久，才能看懂這句話，

but what it's really saying is that bison from the city of buffalo,

但它真正表達的是：來自 Buffalo 市的野牛，

that bison from the city of buffalo bully,

受到其他 Buffalo 市野牛的欺負，

also happen to bully other bison from the city of buffalo.

同時也會欺負另外一些來自 Buffalo 市的野牛。

Tongue twisters.

繞口令。

All I have to say here is that the she inside she sells seashells by the seashore 文化背景

這裡我只想說，「she sells seashells by the seashore」裡的 she

is an actual she, not just some random girl.

確有其人，並不是隨便編出來的女孩。

She most likely refers to Mary Anning, a British paleontologist

她很可能指的是英國古生物學家 Mary Anning，

who collected fossils from beaches nearby where she lived her entire life

她一輩子都住在海邊，並在附近的海灘上採集化石，

and discovered the very first ichthyosaur skeleton when she was only 12 years old.

年僅12歲時就發現了世上第一具魚龍骨骼。

Now, it's time for my favorite literary term,

現在，該說說我最喜歡的文學術語了：

tmesis.

tmesis，也就是插詞法。

This word is great

這個詞很棒，

because you get to spell it with a T and then an M and no vowel in between.

因為拼寫時先寫 T，接著就是 M，中間沒有母音。

Tmesis is a figure of speech 表達脈絡

插詞法是一種修辭手法，

when you stick a word inside another word.

指把一個詞塞進另一個詞中間。

For instance, why say absolutely

例如，為什麼只說 absolutely，

when you could say abs-o-freaking-lutely.

明明還可以說 abs-o-freaking-lutely。

And why say you're welcome

又為什麼只說 you're welcome，

when you could say you're wel-diddly-elcome?

明明還可以說 you're wel-diddly-elcome？

And of course, legend,

當然，還有 legen——

wait for it,

等一下——

dary.

——dary。

Finally, a spoonerism is a specific type of verbal mistake 用詞

最後，斯普納式口誤（spoonerism）是一種特定的口誤，

where you switch the first two letters of two words.

說話時會把兩個單字的第一個字母互換。

Many of us do this occasionally,

我們很多人偶爾都會犯這種口誤，

but it's named after William Archibald Spooner, a reverend who did this a lot. 片語搭配

但它得名於牧師 William Archibald Spooner，因為他常常這樣說錯。

For instance, instead of saying that the Lord is a loving shepherd, 文法

例如，他本來想說「主是一位慈愛的牧羊人」（a loving shepherd），

he would tell everybody that the Lord is a shoving leopard.

卻會告訴大家「主是一隻推擠人的豹」（a shoving leopard）。

He would get his murds wixed up.

他會把 words mixed 說成 murds wixed。

One of my favorite,

不過，我最喜歡的例子之一

however, comes from Sarah Palin.

來自 Sarah Palin。

When you spoonerize her name,

把她的名字做一次首音互換後，

she becomes Parah Salin.

她就成了 Parah Salin。

And as always,

一如往常，

wanks for thatching.

wanks for thatching——也就是「感謝收看」。