| 单词 | 小组 |
| 释义 | 〔team〕team sports; a team effort.See Usage Note at collective noun 小组体育；小组的努力 参见 collective noun〔either〕But this usage is widely regarded as incorrect;in an earlier survey it was rejected by 92 percent of the Usage Panel. ·When all the elements in aneither . . . or construction (or a neither . . . nor construction) used as the subject of a sentence are singular, the verb is singular: 但是这种用法通常被认为是不正确的，在以前的调查中它被用法使用小组百分之九十二的成员所否定。当作为句中主语的either…or 结构（或 neither…nor 结构）中的所有成分都是单数的时候， 动词也应用单数： 〔hopefully〕And though this use ofhopefully may have been a vogue word when it first gained currency 30 years ago, it has long since lost any taint of jargon or pretentiousness for the general reader.The well-attested acceptance of the usage reflects an implicit popular recognition of its usefulness;there is no precise substitute.Someone who saysHopefully, the treaty will be ratified makes a hopeful prediction about the fate of the treaty,whereas someone who saysI hope (or We hope or It is hoped ) the treaty will be ratified expresses a bald statement about what is desired. Only the latter could be continued with a clause such asbut it isn't likely. · It might have been expected, then, that the initial flurry of objections tohopefully would have subsided once the usage became well established. Instead, increased currency of the usage appears only to have made the critics more adamant.In the 1969 Usage Panel survey the usage was acceptable to 44 percent of the Panel;in the most recent survey it was acceptable to only 27 percent.(By contrast, 60 percent accepted the analogous use ofmercifully in the sentence Mercifully, the game ended before the opponents could add another touchdown to the lopsided score. ) Yet the Panel has not shown any signs of becoming generally more conservative:in the very same survey panelists were disposed to accept once-vilified usagessuch as the employment ofcontact and host as verbs. · It seems that this use ofhopefully has been made a litmus test, which distinguishes writers who take an active interest in questions of grammar or usage from the great mass of people who keep their own linguistic counsel.No one can be blamed who useshopefully in blithe ignorance of the critics' disdain for it, since the rule could not be derived from any general concern for clarity or precision.But writers who are aware of the critical controversy face a more delicate decision.Some will simply flout the rule,seeing no reason that they should be deprived of a useful construction.Others may choose to avoid the usage,whether they are motivated by discretion or civility. ·Like other sentence adverbs such asbluntly and happily, hopefully may occasionally be ambiguous. In the sentenceHopefully, the company has launched a new venture, the word hopefully might be construed as describing the point of view of either the speaker or the subject. Such ambiguities can be resolved either by repositioning the adverb (as inThe company has launched the new venture hopefully ) or by choosing a paraphrase ( One may hope that the company has launched the new venture ). 尽管hopefully 的这一用法在30年前首次通用的时候曾是个时兴词， 但对于广大读者来说它早已失去了俚语或矫饰的色彩。屡经证实的对这一用法的接受反映了对其实用性的普遍默认；而且并不存在其他精确的代用词。有人如果说但愿条约能被批准 ， 便是对条约的命运作了充满希望的预测，反之如果有人说我希望 （或 我们希望 或 希望 ) 条约将会被批准 则表达了对其期望之物的大胆声明。 只有后者可以接从句象但这不大可能 。 也许我们本可以期待当这一用法已变得根深蒂固之后， 对hopefully 的一片反对声可稍事平息。 然而，这一用法的流行似乎反而使批评家们更为坚定。在1969年用法调查使用小组的调查中44%的成员接受这一用法；在最近一次的调查中却只有27%的成员接受。（相比之下，60%的人接受mercifully 在句子 幸好，在对手能够给这一边倒的比分再加上一分之前，比赛就结束了 中的类似用法） 但是并没有任何迹象表明调查小组成员正在普遍变得更保守：在同一次调查中小组成员们倾向于接受被一度废除的某些用法，如把contact 和 host 用作动词看来。 似乎hopefully 的用法已经成了一块试金石， 它把对语法和用法怀有浓厚兴趣的作家和保留着他们自己的语言学顾问的广大民众区分开来。那些全然忽视批评家们的蔑视使用hopefully 的人不该受到指责， 因为规则并不来源于任何对清晰和精确的关注。但是意识到了批评界争议的作者们面对着一个更为微妙的决定。有些人干脆违反规则，他们认为没有理由要失去这么一个实用的结构。另外一些人则选择避免这一用法，无论其动机是出于谨慎还是出于礼貌。象许多其它句中副词如bluntly 和 happily一样，hopefully 经常出现歧义。 在下句 Hopefully, the company has launched a new venture 中， hopefully 一词可以解释为记述说话者的观点或者句中主语的观点。 这种歧义可以通过调换副词位置（如公司已经满怀希望地到办了一个新企业 )或选择另一种说法( 有人希望这个公司已经创办了一个新企业 )来消除 〔subcommittee〕A subordinate committee composed of members appointed from a main committee.小组委员会，专门小组：由来自一主要委员会组成的下级委员会〔about〕 A majority of the Usage Panel considers this usage acceptable in speech but not in formal writing. ·About is traditionally used to refer to the relation between a narrative and its subject: 用法小组大部分人员都认为在口语中可这样用，但在正式书面语中却不行。About 传统上用来指一叙事与其主题的关系： 〔important〕Some critics have objected to the use of the phrasemore importantly in place of more important as a means of introducing an assertion, as inMore importantly, there is no party ready to step into the vacuum left by the Communists. But both forms are widely used by reputable writers,and there is no obvious reason for preferring one or the other.In an earlier surveythe introductory use ofmore importantly was acceptable to half of the members of the Usage Panel. 一些批评家已经对短语more importantly 作为表述一个断言的方法来代替短语 more important 提出反对意见， 如在句子更重要的是，没有政党准备进入共产党留下来的真空中去。 但是这两种形式都被有声望的作家广泛使用，并且没有明显的理由说哪个比哪个更好。在早期的调查中，more importantly 的引入使用对用法专题小组的半数成员来说是可以接受的 〔parent〕The Usage Panel is better disposed to accept the verbparent than in previous surveys, though a majority continues to find it unacceptable.In 1968 it was acceptable to only 19 percent of the Panel;in the most recent survey45 percent accepted it in the sentenceIn looking for foster homes, we give preference first to relatives and second to families with prior experience in parenting. · The use of the verbparent to mean "act as a parent to" is not entirely new:it occurs as early as 1884 in a metaphorical context.But its use in a literal sense with respect to children is a recent development and reflects a modern reconceptualization of family life.The word is not completely synonymous with the traditional expressionraise a child, though the precise nature of the differences may depend on the context.For some speakers,use of the word suggests a self-conscious shift from child to parent as the focus of the parental relationship,and it may be this implication that feeds critical reservations about the verb.But the usage also reflects a widespread practical realizationthat the activities required of a parent extend well beyond the direct interactionwith the child emphasized inchild raising. Thus theparenting classes for young parents offered by schools and state agencies encompass not only the activities traditionally associated with raising a childbut also topics such as personal self-sufficiency, household financial management, and methods of dealing with schools and health care agencies.See Usage Note at father 用法小组比以往更倾向于接受动词parent 了， 虽然还有大部分人觉得不可接受。1968年仅有19％的小组成员认同这种用法；在最近的调查中，有45％的人接受了它,如在：在寻找收养家庭时，我们首先选孩子的亲戚，其次是有过养育孩子经历的家庭 这样的句子中的用法。 Parent 的意为“做…的父（母）”动词用法， 并不完全是个新用法：早在1884年，在一个比喻性的文章中就出现过了。但就孩子这方面而言，它的本义是近期发展的结果并反映了现代家庭生活的观念。这个词并不与习语 raise a child 完全同义， 尽管不同之处确切的性质可能取决于说话背景。但对一些人来说，使用这个词暗含一个把家长的关系作为重点的自觉的从孩子到父母的转换，也许正是这个隐含的用意引起了关于这个动词批评性的保留。然而，这个用法也反映了广泛的现实认识，即要求父母的活动扩展到超出直接与孩子的相互作用，这个相互作用在 child raising 这个短语中有所强调。 因此，由学校和国家专门部门向年轻家长提供的 parenting 课， 不仅包括传统上与抚养孩子有关的事务，而且还包括诸如个人自给自足、家庭财政管理和同学校和保健部门打交道的方法等课题 参见 father〔celibate〕Historically,celibate means only "unmarried"; its use to mean "abstaining from sexual intercourse" is a 20th-century development.But the new sense of the word appears more or less to have displaced the old,and the use ofcelibate to mean "unmarried" is now almost sure to invite misinterpretation in other than narrowly ecclesiastical contexts.Sixty-eight percent of the Usage Panel rejected the older use in the sentenceHe remained celibate [unmarried] , although he engaged in sexual intercourse. 历史上，celibate 只作“未婚的”解； 用作“禁欲”的意思是在20世纪发展起来的。但是该词的新含义多少有取代原含义的趋势，并用celibate 作“未婚的”意义， 现在除了在狭小的神学领域外几乎都会引起误解。用法专题使用小组百分之六十八的成员在句子他仍是单身的 ［未婚的］ ，尽管他仍保有性生活 中，拒绝使用该词的旧含义 〔either〕When the construction mixes singular and plural elements, however,there is some confusion as to which form the verb should take.It has sometimes been suggested that the verb should agree with whichever noun phrase is closest to it;thus one would writeEither Eve or the Kays have been invited, butEither the Kays or Eve has been invited. This pattern is accepted by 54 percent of the Usage Panel.Others have maintained that the construction is fundamentally inconsistent whichever number is assigned to the verband that such sentences should be rewritten accordingly.As Wilson Follett put it:然而，当结构中既有单数又有复数成分的时候，动词应采取什么形式说法不定。人们有时建议动词的人称和数应与离得最近的名词短语呼应；因此人们说Either Eve or the Kays have been invited ， 而不是Either the Kays or Eve has been invited 。 这种格式被用法使用小组54的成员所接受。也有人认为不管动词用什么样的数， 这个结构本质上都是一致的，因此这样的句子应重写。象威尔逊·伏莱特所说的：〔enthuse〕The verbenthuse is not well accepted; its use in the sentenceThe majority leader enthused over his party's gains was rejected by 76 percent of the Usage Panel in an earlier survey.This lack of acceptance ofenthuse is often attributed to its status as a back-formation: such words often meet with disapproval on their first appearanceand only gradually become accepted over time.But other back-formationssuch asdiagnose (a back-formation from diagnosis that was first recorded in 1861) and donate (first cited in 1785 as a back-formation from donation ) are considered unimpeachable English words. This situation suggests thatin truth the continued lack of acceptance ofenthuse, first recorded in 1827, may have less to do with doubts about its lineagethan with shortcomings in its character.Unlikeenthusiasm, which denotes an internal emotional state, enthuse denotes either the external expression of emotion,as inShe enthused over attending the Oscar ceremonies, or the inducement of enthusiasm by an external source,as inHe was so enthused about the miracle diet pills that he agreed to do a testimonial for their television ad. It is possible that a distaste for this emphasis on external emotional display and manipulation is for some people the source of an uneasethat manifests itself in a distaste for the word itself.See Usage Note at intuit 动词enthuse 并未被广泛接受； 其在优势党领导人对本党的利益极为热衷 一句中的用法， 在早期调查中遭到用法使用小组百分之七十六成员的反对。Enthuse 所以不被接受常归因于它是由逆序造词法产生的词： 这种词通常在他们刚刚出现时遭到反对，只有随着时间的流逝才逐渐被人们接受。但是其它逆序生成的词，如diagnose （由 diagnosis 而逆序生成，最早见于1861年）和 donate （最先于1875年作为由 donation 一词的逆序生成词被引用）被看作无可挑剔的英语词汇。 这一情况说明，不接受enthuse 这个1827年便出现的词汇， 实际上并非出自对其来历的怀疑，而是由于其本身的缺陷。与enthusiasm 这一可表现出内在情感状况的词不同， enthuse 要么显示出情感的外在表达，如在她为参加奥斯卡颁奖仪式感到兴奋 一句中， 要么显示出外界对热情的诱惑，如他对神奇的减肥药十分热心，意欲为其电视广告写一份鉴定书 一句。 有可能由于对其强调外在情感的表现与处理的不满，导致了一些人不愿意使用这个词 参见 intuit〔absolutely〕For some time,absolutely has been used informally as a vague intensive, as inan absolutely magnificent painting. In an earlier survey, a majority of the Usage Panel disapproved of this usage in formal writing.有时候，absolutely 曾被非正式地作为含糊的强调成分而使用， 比如在一幅无与伦比的绘画 中。 在早期的调查中，大部分用法小组的成员不主张在正式书面语中这样使用〔spring〕The door sprang shut. The emergency room team sprang into action.门突然关上。急救室小组紧急行动〔alternative〕Some traditionalists hold thatalternative should be used only in situations where the number of choices involved is exactly two, because of the word's historical relation to Latinalter, "the other of two.” H.W. Fowler, among others, has considered this restriction a fetish.The Usage Panel is evenly divided on the issue, with 49 percent accepting the sentenceOf the three alternatives, the first is the least distasteful. · Alternative is also sometimes used to refer to a variant or substitute in cases where there is no element of choice involved, as inWe will do our best to secure alternative employment for employees displaced by the closing of the factory. This sentence is unacceptable to 60 percent of the Usage Panel. ·Alternative should not be confused with alternate. Correct usage requiresThe class will meet on alternate (not alternative ) Tuesdays. 有些持传统观点的人认为alternative 只能严格地用在二者择一的情况下， 因为这个词来源于拉丁语alter ，意思是“二者中的另外一个”。 包括H.W.福勒的其他人认为这种限制是一种迷信。用法专题小组中持这两种意见的人各占一半，49％的人都接受这句话在三个选项中，第一个是最不让人讨厌的。 · Alternative 如果没有供选择的成分存在，其有时也指一个变体或替换的事物， 如我们将尽全力保证因工厂倒闭而离开岗位的雇员以某种方式就业。 语言用法专题小组中60％的人不接受这句话。Alternative 不能和 alternate混淆。 正确的用法要求全班每隔 （不是 alternative ） 星期二 见一次面。 〔unique〕Over the course of the centuryunique has become the paradigmatic example of the class of terms that do not allow comparison or modification by an adverb of degree such as very, somewhat, or quite. Thus, most grammarians believe that it is incorrect to say that something isvery unique or more unique than something else, though phrases such asnearly unique and almost unique are acceptable. In the most recent survey the sentenceHer designs are quite unique in today's fashion scene was unacceptable to 80 percent of the Usage Panel. · Critical objections to the comparison and degree modification of absolute terms date to the 18th centuryand have been applied to a wide group of adjectives includingequal, fatal, omnipotent, parallel, perfect, and unanimous. According to the standard argument, such words denote properties that a thing either does or does not have but cannot have to a qualifiable degree.Thus ifunique is properly used to mean "without equal or equivalent,” something either is unique or it isn't, and phrases such asvery unique and more unique can only betray a weakening of the sense to mean something like "unusual" or "distinctive.” It is true that comparison and modification ofunique are often associated with the style favored by copywriters, as in the advertisement announcing thatOmaha's most unique restaurant is now even more unique or in the claim that a new automobile is So unique, it's patented. But modification ofunique is also found in the work of reputable writers, where it may lack any connotations of hyperbole.A painting is described asthe most unique of Beckman's self-portraits, and a travel writer states thatChicago is no less unique an American city than New York or San Francisco. The relative acceptability of these usages reflects the semantic subtlety ofunique itself. If we were to useunique only according to the strictest criteria of logic, after all, we might freely apply the term to anything in the worldsince nothing is wholly equivalent to anything else.Clearly, then, when we say that a restaurant or painting is unique,we mean that it is worthy of inclusion in a class by itself according to certain implicit but generally accepted criteria.Thus a legitimately unique painting might be one that realizes an unparalleled aesthetic vision,but not one that is rendered only in pigments whose names begin with the lettero; and a legitimately unique restaurant might be one that serves 18th-century French cuisine according to the original recipes,not one that has been installed in a converted sardine cannery.Given this understanding, it is not inherently impossible to think of uniqueness as a matter of degree,in the sense that one painting or restaurant may be more or less worthy of inclusion in a class by itself than some other. ·What is troubling about the copywriters' use ofunique is not that the word has become a synonym for unusual. Rather, it is the copywriters who are using the word in conformity with strict logic.Uniqueness is claimed for a restaurant in virtue of some trivial properties of its decor or menu,or for a resort hotel that simply happens to have a singularly picturesque view of the bay.Though it may be true that such properties render these thingslogically unique, they do not constitute legitimate grounds for putting the things into a class by themselves according to the criteria ordinarily invoked when things are sorted into classes.In fact, the abuse ofunique can be cloying even when no modification or comparison is involved; when we read an advertisement for a line of sportswear that featuresa unique selection of colors, we may suspect that the distinctive properties of the color selection are not so remarkable as the advertiser would have us believe. But it is not surprising that these uses ofunique should lend themselves to promiscuous modification and comparison; for once it is granted that uniqueness can be claimed for any product or service that is somehow distinctive from all its competitors,it is inevitable that an increase in uniqueness will be seen in every minor innovation.See Usage Note at equal ,infinite ,parallel ,perfect 在本世纪整个过程中unique 已成为不能由程度副词，例 very、somewhat 或 quite， 比较或修饰的一类术语的例证。 因此，多数语法学家认为说某事是very unique 或 more unique than 是不正确的， 虽然短语例如nearly unique 和 almost unique 是可接受的。 在最近的调查中，句子Her designs are quite unique in today's fashion scene （她的设计在现今流行样式的场面中是很独特的） 对用法专题使用小组的百分之八十成员是不可接受的。 对纯粹术语的比较和程度修饰的主要异议可追述到18世纪，并已广泛用到许多形容词中，包括equal, fatal, omnipotent, parallel, perfect 和 unanimous。 根据标准论据，这些单词表示一事有或没有但不能有可修饰的程度的性质。于是如果unique 适当地用于表示“没有相等或相当的”，则某事是唯一的或不是唯一的， 而短语像very unique 和 more unique 仅能表露出说明某事像“不寻常的”或“独特的”的意义的减弱。 的确，unique 的比较和修饰常与撰稿人喜欢的文体相联系， 如在广告中称Omaha's most unique restaurant is now even more unique（奥马哈城的最独特的餐馆现在甚至是更加独特） 或声称新汽车是 So unique, it's patented（如此独特，它取得了专利权）。 但是unique 的修饰也在著名作家的作品中发现， 那里可能缺乏夸张法的任何涵义。描述一张油画为the most unique of Beckman's self-portraits（最独特的贝克曼的自画像）， 一位旅游作家叙述Chicago is no less unique an American city than New York or San Francisco（芝加哥比纽约或旧金山是不逊独特的美国城市）。 这些用法的相对可接受性反映unique 自身语义的巧妙。 如果我们仅按照逻辑的严格标准使用unique ， 则我们终于会自由地把此术语使用于世界上的任何事，因为没有完全等同于另一事的事。于是，显然当我们说餐馆或油画是独特的时，我们意味着根据某种隐含的但可普遍接受的判据它是值得包含在一个等级内的。于是合理独特的油画可能是实现空前未有的审美型的，而不是仅给予名字以字母O开始的颜料； 合理独特的餐馆可能根据原来的食谱提供18世纪法国菜肴的餐馆，而不是配备转换的沙丁鱼罐头食品的餐馆。按这样了解，将独特性视为程度问题不是本来就不可能的，在这个意义上一张油画或一个餐馆或多或少可能是极好的有价值的内涵物而不是其他。关于撰稿人使用unique 的困惑不是此单词已成为 unusual 的同义词。 相反地，正是撰稿人使用此单词与严密的逻辑相一致。对餐馆声称独特性是由于它的布置或菜单的某些不重要的性质，或者对于人们常去的旅馆仅因为有海湾的独一无二地别致的景象。虽然这样的性质使得这些事logically 独特的可能是真实的， 但是当事情进行了分类，根据平常实行的判据把这些事情自身放到一类，他们不组成正常的基础。事实上unique 的滥用会使人发腻，即使在没有涉及修饰或比较的时候； 当我们读运动服装的unique selection of colors（颜色的独特选择） 的一行广告时， 我们会怀疑颜色选择的独特性质并非广告商希望我们所认为的那么明显。但不必惊讶于unique 的这些用法应当适用于杂乱的修饰和比较； 就这一次可以承认，独特性能用来指任何产品或服务，它们与所有的竞争者相比较有某种程度的特色，在每一小的创新中可以看到独特性的增加是必然会发生的 参见 equal,infinite,parallel,perfect〔hegemony〕Hegemony may be stressed on either the second or first syllable, though 72 percent of the Usage Panel prefers the first pronunciation. Hegemony 这个词的发音，尽管用法专题使用小组的72%成员认为重音应放在第二个音节上，但实际上重音放在第一个或第二个音节上都是可以的 〔host〕Host was used as a verb in Shakespeare's time, but this usage was long obsoletewhen the verb was reintroduced (or perhaps reinvented) in recent yearsto mean "perform the role of a host.”The usage occurs particularly in contexts relating to institutional gatherings or television and radio shows,where the person performing the role of host has not personally invited the guests to his or her own establishment (thus it would be odd to sayThis evening we are hosting a dinner party at our house for my husband's cousins from New York ). Perhaps because the verb involves a suspect extension of the traditional conception of hospitality,it initially met with critical resistance.In a 1968 surveyonly 18 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the usage in the sentenceThe Cleveland chapter will host this year's convention. Over time, however,the usage has become increasingly well establishedand appears to serve a useful purpose in describing the activities of one who performs the ceremonial or practical role of a host (in arranging a conference or entertainment, welcoming guests, and so forth).In our most recent survey53 percent of the Panelists accepted the usage in the phrasea reception hosted by the Secretary of State. The verb is less well accepted when used to describe the role of a performer who acts as a master of ceremonies for a broadcast or film,where the relation of the word to the notion of "hospitality" is stretched still further.Only 31 percent of the Panel accepted the use of the verb in the sentenceStudents have watched Sex, Drugs and AIDS, a graphic film hosted by actress Rae Dawn Chong. · The verbcohost has likewise become well established in its use to refer to those who collaborate in assuming responsibility for an occasion. Fifty-eight percent of the Usage Panel accepted this use in the sentenceThe Department of Architecture and the Department of History will be cohosting a reception for conference participants. Host 一词在莎士比亚时代用作动词， 但自那时起这一用法很长时间不用了，直到近年来又被重新起用（或者可能重新创造），用来表示“担当主人的角色”。这一用法尤其在学术聚会或电视、电台节目的情况下使用，在这些情况下，身为主人的人并没有以私人身份邀请客人去到他或她自己的家中，（这样的话，如果我们说今天晚上我们将在家中为我丈夫来自纽约的表兄妹‘主办’一个晚餐会 就会觉得有点别扭）。 也许是因为有人认为这一动词用法会扩大传统的“好客”概念，所以一开始它就遭到了批评性抑制。在1968年的一次调查中，用法专题使用小组中18%的成员在如下句子中的用法，即克利夫兰分会将主办本年度的大会。 但是，随着时间的推移，这一用法已逐渐被接受，并在描绘一个担当司仪或具体的主人任务（例如安排会议或娱乐活动，欢迎客人等等）时起到了很好的作用。在我们最近一次的调查中，用法专题使用小组中的53%的成员接受了短语由国务卿出面举办的招待会 中"host"一词的用法。 但当这一动词用法用来描绘作为广播节目或电影节目的主持人的主持工作时，人们就不太接受其用法，因为这样用，这个词与“好客”这一概念的关系就更松了。只有31%的用法专题使用小组成员接受host在句子学生们观摩了 由 演员雷·唐·宗主持解说的纪录片 ‘性、毒品与艾滋病’”中的动词用法。 同样，用来表示分工合作共同举办某一活动的动词cohost 也已被普遍接受。 58%的用法专题使用小组成员接受这一动词在如下句子中的用法：建筑系和历史系将共同为与会者举办一次招待会 〔commentate〕Commentate, in the sense "to make a running commentary on,” as inshe commentated the fashion show, was unacceptable to a majority of the Usage Panel in an earlier survey.Commentate 有“对…不断地评论”之意， 就象在她评论时装展示 ， 这种用法在用法专题使用小组以前的调查中是不被接受的〔exuberate〕Exuberate is not well established in its use to mean "to be exuberant.” In an earlier surveyit was unacceptable to a majority of the Usage Panel.Exuberate 并不广泛用于表示“生气勃勃”。 在早期调查中，并不被用法专题使用小组大部分成员接受〔cockhorse〕A horse added to a team of horses to assist a wagon through high water or over difficult terrain.马车之后的额外的马：加入一小组马的一匹马，帮助四轮运货马车通过深水或越过困难地形.〔hectic〕In the Usage Panel survey done for the first edition of theAmerican Heritage Dictionary (1969), 92 percent of the Panel approved of the use ofhectic in its most familiar sense, "characterized by feverish activity, confusion, or haste.”The question was put to the Panelbecause in earlier usage that sense was sometimes deprecated as a loose extension of the term's meaning in medicine.Unless one has some medical knowledgeone probably does not know the older medical uses of the term,for example, "relating to an undulating fever, such as those accompanying tuberculosis,”and unless one has some acquaintance with Middle Englishone would not recognize the first recorded instance of the word,etik, in a text written before 1398. The Middle English term comes from the Old French development of the Late Latin wordhecticus, whose form helped reshape our word in the 16th century.Late Latinhecticus in turn comes from Greek hektikos, "formed by habit or forming habit" and "consumptive,” developing the last sense because of the chronic nature of tuberculous fevers.Thus a word that once simply meant "habitual"eventually had an English descendant used to refer to circumstances that would be undesirable if they were habitual.在针对美国经典辞书 （1969年）第一版对用法专题使用小组的调查中， 92%的成员赞成hectic 一词最常用的意思， “以紧张的活动、忙乱或慌忙为特征的”。之所以要向这些成员提这个问题，是因为作为该词医学含义的模糊延伸，这个意义有时不为人们所接受。除非某人有医学方面的知识，否则他就很可能不知道这个词在医学方面的古老用法，比如“和起伏不定的热病有关的，如肺结核的伴随症”。另外，除非某人对中古英语有一度程度的了解，否则他也认不出1398年以前的一个文本中该词的首例etik 。 这个中古英语单词是由古法语经后期拉丁语hecticus 一词的发展而来的， 其形式在16世纪帮助重新形成了这个单词。而后期拉丁语中的这个词hecticus 又是由希腊语中的 hektikos 一词而来，这个词在希腊语中意指“由习惯形成的或形成习惯的”及“患肺痨的，肺痨的”， 之所以得到最后的意思，是出于肺痨病的特性。这样一来，原来只是表示“习惯性的”这个词，传到英语中最后竟变成了指一旦成为习惯则不被人所喜爱的情形〔about〕This use has lately been extended to refer to the relation between various nonlinguistic entities and the things they make manifest,as inThe party was mostly about showing off their new offices or His designs are about the use of rough-textured materials. This practice probably originates with the expressionThat's what it's all about and may partly reflect implicit deference to the postmodern doctrine that every social artifact and activity can be regarded as a text subject to interpretation. But the usage is still too voguish to have won general acceptance;it is rejected by 59 percent of the Usage Panel in the example 这种用法现已被扩展到表示各种非语言作品和它所表现的事物之间的关系，比如在该政党大肆吹嘘他们的新官员 或 他的设计使用天然质地的原材料。 这种用法可能是源自这就是全部情况 的表示法，也许部分地反应了一种内在的区别：以后现代主义的观点来看，每一社会产物或活动都可视为需解释的一种主题。 但这种用法流行期太短暂而没有得到普遍的认可；百分之五十九的用法小组人员都认为下面的例子是不正确的： 〔disinterested〕Despite critical disapproval, disinterested has come to be widely used by many educated writers to mean "uninterested" or "having lost interest,”as inSince she discovered skiing, she is disinterested in her schoolwork (a sense it had at an earlier stage of English, but which had in the interim become outmoded).Many maintain that the word can legitimately be used only in its sense of "having no stake in (an outcome or issue),”as inSince the judge stands to profit from the sale of the company, she cannot be considered a disinterested party in the dispute. In our most recent survey,89 percent of the Usage Panel rejected the sentence 尽管批评界的不赞成， disinterested 已逐渐成为许多有学识的作家们广泛用来指“不感兴趣的”或“失去兴趣的”，如在因为发现了滑雪这一运动，她就对功课失去了兴趣 （该词在英语的早期阶段就有这个词义，但在过渡时间，该词义已不再用）许多人认为在法律上该词只可用来表示“与（结果或事件）无利害关系，”如因为法官站在这一方是为了从公司所售物品中获利，她不能被看作是在这场争论中无任何关系的一方。 在最近的统计中，用法专题使用小组中百分之八十九的成员不接受下面的句子 〔dive〕Eitherdove or dived is acceptable as the past tense of dive. Dived is actually the earlier form,and the emergence ofdove may appear anomalous in light of the general tendencies of change in English verb forms. Old English had two classes of verbs:strong verbs, whose past tense was indicated by a change in their vowel (a process that survives in such present-day English verbsasdrive/drove or fling/flung ); and weak verbs,whose past was formed with a suffix related to-ed in Modern English (as in present-day Englishlive/lived and move/moved ). Since the Old English period,many verbs have changed from the strong pattern to the weak one;for example, the past tense ofhelp, formerly healp, became helped, and the past tense ofstep, formerly stop, became stepped. Over the years, in fact, the weak pattern has become so prevalentthat we use the termregular to refer to verbs that form their past tense by suffixation of -ed. However, there have occasionally been changes in the other direction:the past tense ofwear, now wore, was once werede ; that ofspit, now spat, was once spitede ; and the development ofdove is an additional example of the small group of verbs that have swum against the historical tide. dove 或 dived 都可用作 dive的过去式形式。 Dived 实际上是早期词形，根据英语动词词形变化的趋势，dove 的出现似乎是不规则的。 古英语有两类动词：强式动词，其过去时形式由元音变化来体现（这一过程还存在于现代英语里，诸如drive/drove 或 fling/flung 等动词中）； 另一类为弱式动词，其过去时态形式由与现代英语-ed 后缀有关 （如现代英语中的live/lived 和 move/moved )。 自古英语时期以来，许多动词由强式变为弱式；例如help 的过去式形式以前为 healp ，已变为 helped ， step 的过去式由以前的 stop 变为 stepped 。 事实上，多年来弱式动词变得非常普遍，我们用术语规则动词 来指那些由加后缀 -ed 来构成过去式形式的动词， 然而偶尔也会向另一方向发生变化：wear 的过去形式现为 wore ，曾为 weared ； spit 的过去式现为 spat ，曾为 spitede ； dove 的发展是反历史潮流而动的一小组动词中的另外一小组动词的例子 〔deprecate〕The first and fully accepted meaning ofdeprecate is "to express disapproval of.” But the word has steadily encroached on the meaning ofdepreciate. It is now used, almost to the exclusion ofdepreciate, in the sense "to belittle or mildly disparage,” as inHe deprecated his own contribution. In an earlier survey,this newer sense was approved by a majority of the Usage Panel.Deprecate 的第一个并被完全接受的意义是“表示不满”。 但这个词已逐渐延展到depreciate 的意义。 而现在depreciate 在“贬低或轻度鄙视”这个意义上几乎不使用了。 例如他看不起自己的贡献。 在早期的一项调查中，这个新意义为用法专题使用小组的大多数成员所赞同〔corsage〕A small bouquet of flowers worn by a woman at the shoulder or waist or on the wrist.组花：女人戴在肩上、腰上或手腕上的一小组花朵〔minimal〕Under the strict interpretation ofminimal, this sentence should mean only "Alcohol has an unpleasant effect when I have eaten nothing.”If the looser interpretation is allowed, however,the sentence can also mean “ . . . when I have eaten a bit.”Presented with the sentence, 29 percent of the Usage Panel said that it could have only the "eaten nothing" (that is, the strict) interpretation;34 percent said that it could have only the "eaten a bit" (that is, the looser) interpretation;and 37 percent said that it could have either meaning.Thus the looser sense ofminimal is accepted by 71 percent of the Panel and must be considered acceptable in nontechnical use. · In an analogous shift,the verbminimize is often used to mean "to reduce,” an extension of its strict etymological sense of "to reduce to the smallest possible level.”This looser usage is the result of the imprecision that usually attaches to the use of the verb in most nontechnical contexts.When a manager announces thatThe company wants to minimize the risk of accidents to line workers, we naturally interpret the manager as meaning that the risk is to be reduced to the smallest level consistent with considerations of efficiency and cost,not that risks are to be reduced to the lowest level logically possible.Even when used with allowable imprecision, however, the verbminimize should carry some implication that the relevant quantity is reduced as much as could reasonably be expected in the circumstances.Thusminimize retains at least an approximately superlative sense and so is inconsistent with modification by adverbs such asgreatly or considerably, which imply that the verb is being used as a simple synonym forlessen or reduce. 若句中的minimal 的意思比较严格， 那么这一句就只能理解为“当我什么没吃时喝酒会搞得我很难受。”但是如果比较宽泛的词义得到承认，那么这一句同时也有“…当我吃过一点东西时”这层意思。百分之二十九的用法专题使用小组成员认为这一词只能当“什么都不吃”（即严格意义上的词义）来讲；百分之三十四的成员说它只有“吃过一点”（即宽泛一些的）词义；百分之三十七的成员说两种含义都可适用。所以minimal 宽泛的含义被用法专题使用小组的百分之七十一的成员接受。 与其相类似的是，动词minimize 经常被用来指“减少”， 是其“减少到最可能小的水平”的严格意义上的延伸。这一较宽泛的含义是非技术性文章使用这一动词的不精确性而带来的结果。当一个经理宣称公司试图将生产线上工人面临出事故的风险降至最低， 我们自然会认为经理的意思是工厂的事故风险将被降至一个同时又考虑效率和成本的最小程度，而不是逻辑上可以达到的最低程度。即使在可以允许不精确的程度内使用时，动词mininize 也应有一层隐含的意思， 即其相对数量已被减少到了情况所期望的合理的程度。这样，minimize 至少仍然保留着一种大致为最高级的意思， 因而它与这些副词如greatly 或 considerably 不能搭配使用， 因为这些副词暗示着这一动词被当成了lessen 或 reduce 简单同义词而使用 〔banal〕The pronunciation ofbanal is not settled among educated speakers of American English. Sixty years ago, H.W. Fowler recommended the pronunciation BAN-al (rhyming withpanel ), but this pronunciation is now regarded as recondite by most Americans:it is preferred by only 2 percent of the Usage Panel.Other possibilities are BANE-al (rhyming withanal ), preferred by 38 percent of the Panel; ba-NAL (rhyming withcanal ), preferred by 46 percent; and ba-NAHL (the last syllable rhyming withdoll ), preferred by 14 percent (this last pronunciation is more common in British English).Some panelists admit to being so vexed by the problem that they tend to avoid the word in conversation.Speakers can perhaps take comfort in knowing that any one of the last three pronunciations will have the support of a substantial minority, and that none of them is incorrect.When several pronunciations of a word are widely used,there is really no right or wrong one.单词banal 的发音在受过教育的讲美式英语的人中并未固定下来。 六十年前，H.W.福勒曾建议其发音为BAN-al（与panel 押韵）， 但大多数美国人认为这一发音是晦涩难懂的：它只得到“惯用法专题研究小组”中2%成员的偏爱。另外可能的发音有BANE-al（与anal 押韵），得到38小组成员的认可； ba-NAL（与canal 押韵）得到46的认可； ba-NAHL（最后一个音节与doll 押韵），得到14的认可 （这最后一个发音在英国英语中更为常用）。一些小组成员承认，这个词的发音令他们太伤脑筋了以至他们在说话时尽量避免使用它。当使用者得知最后三个发音中的任何一个都有较为坚实的少数票的支持，且它们中的任何一个都不是错误的，也许会给他们一些安慰。当一个单词的几种发音都被广泛使用时，便的确无所谓对错了〔team〕A group organized to work together:组：组织起来共同工作的小组：〔gaffer〕An electrician in charge of lighting on a movie or television set.照明电工：电影或电视拍摄小组负责照明的电工〔alibi〕Alibi (noun) in its nonlegal sense of "an excuse" is acceptable in written usage to almost half of the Usage Panel.As an intransitive verb (they never alibi ), it is unacceptable in written usage to a large majority of the Panel.Alibi （名词）作为没有法律意义的“借口”解释时， 差不多半数以上的用法使用小组成员认为其书面用法是可以接受的。而作为不及物动词（they never alibi（他们从不为自己辩解） ）， 用法使用小组中的大多数人不接受其书面用法〔sextet〕A group composed of six vocalists or musicians.六重唱或六重奏：由六个歌手或乐师组成的小组〔momentarily〕Momentarily is widely used in speech to mean "in a moment,”as inThe manager is on another line, but she'll be with you momentarily. This usage rarely leads to ambiguitysince the intended sense can usually be determined on the basis of the tense of the verb and the context.Nonetheless, many critics hold that the adverb should be reserved for the senses "for a moment" or "moment by moment,”and the extended usage is unacceptable to 59 percent of the Usage Panel.Momentarily 被广泛用于说话中， 表示“立即”，如在经理在和别人通话，但她马上会与你通话的。 这种用法很少导致语义模糊，因为要表达的意思通常可以由动词时态和上下文来决定。可是，许多评论家认为这一副词只应保留“片刻”或“即刻”的含义，对于其引申的含义，用法专题讨论小组中59%的人不予接受〔responsible〕Some critics have maintained thatresponsible should not be used to describe things, since only persons can be held accountable.The application to things is justifiable, however, whenresponsible is used to mean "being the source or cause of.” In an earlier survey,a majority of the Usage Panel accepted the sentence 一些批评家坚持认为responsible 不应用于描述事物， 因为只有人才能负担责任。但是当responsible 被用来表示“归因于…”的意思时，用它叙述事物是合理的。 在更早期的调查中，用法专题小组中的大部分成员都接受句子 〔subgroup〕A distinct group within a group; a subdivision of a group.子群：小组，小集团，小团体〔trialogue〕A conversation or discussion in which three people or groups participate.三人谈，三方谈：三个人或三个小组参加的谈话或讨论〔triumvirate〕A body or group of triumvirs.三人领导小组或三人执政的机构〔brainstorming〕A method of shared problem solving in which all members of a group spontaneously contribute ideas.脑力激荡，合伙解决问题的方法：一种合伙解决问题的方法，其中小组的每一个成员都主动地提出自己的想法〔finalize〕Finalize is frequently associated with the language of bureaucracy and so is objected to by many writers.The sentenceWe will finalize plans for a class reunion was unacceptable to 71 percent of the Usage Panel. Althoughfinalize has no single exact synonym, a substitute can always be found from amongcomplete, conclude, make final, and put into final form. See Usage Note at -ize Finalize 经常与官方语言联系在一起， 所以被许多作家拒绝使用。我们将完成班级聚会的计划 这句话在用法专题使用小组中有71%的成员认为不可接受。 虽然finalize 没有特别好的近义词， 但总还是可以从 complete, conclude, make final 以及 put into final form当中找到替代词 参见 -ize〔trio〕The group performing such a composition.三重奏演出小组：演奏三重奏曲的小组〔feminist〕The termfeminist may be applied to a person of either sex, according to 86 percent of the Usage Panel. 用法专题使用小组86%的成员认为词条feminist ，可用来指任一性别的人 |
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