Te xt A
How Dictionar ies Ar e Made
词典是怎样编写的？
Study of the Text
1.It is widely believed that every word has a correct meaning, that we learn these meanings mainly from teachers and grammarians, and that dictionaries and grammars are the supreme authority in matters of meaning and usage. 人们普遍认为每个词都有它确切的意思, 我们主要从老师和语法学家那里了解到这些意思的, 并且词典在释义和讲解用法方面有绝对的权威。
1 )It is believed that.人们认为..。that 引导的是主语从句, It 是形式主语。类似的表达法还有。
It is thought that.
It is reported that.
it is said that.等等。
2 )authority 在这里是个名词, 意思是“ 权威, 权利”。当其用作复数时, 意思是“ 官方, 当局”。短语by the authority of 意思是“ 以..权力；得..许可”。
She thinks that young people have no respect for a uthority.
她认为年轻人不尊重权威。
By what authority did he dare to write so？
他有什么权力敢这样写？
He compiled the book by the authority of the famous dictionary.
他是根据那着名的词典而编写了那本书。
The matter should be settled by the local authorities.
这件事应由地方当局处理。
The authorities concerned will take the pollution problem into account.
有关当局(方面)将会考虑污染问题。
3 )in the matter of 关于..；就..而论
The essay is quite good in the matter of style.
这篇文章风格很不错。
The speech contest is successful in matters of content and form.
在内容和形式上演讲比赛很成功。
2.I once got into a dispute with an English woman over the pronunciation
of a word and offered to look it up in the dictionary. 有一次,
我因一个词的读音和一位英国妇女发生了争执便提出查一下词典。
1 )get into 进入, 陷入；染上(习惯)
He got into trouble again, making his family very angry.
他又闯祸了, 使他的家人很气愤。
The wine got into his head. 他酒力发作了。
2 )dispute 在这里是个名词, 意思是“ 争论, 辩论”, 构成动词短语“have a dispute with (against)sb. over (on, about)sth”, 意思
是“与某人争论某事”另外, dispute 也可用作不及物动词。
The two governments had a dispute over the ownership of the land.
两国政府对土地的归属有争议。
He disputed with her about(over, on)who will be sent to the exhibition.
在派谁去参加展览会的问题上他和她争论不休。
3.In the United States, however, anyone who is willing to quarrel with the dictionary is regarded as either eccentric or mad. 然而, 在美国任何不愿接受词典的人都被认为是古怪的或有毛病的。
1 )be willing to 愿意
Anyone who is willing to raise questions is welcome.
欢迎大家提问题。
We a re willing to spend time and money on it.
我们愿意花时间和钱。
2 )quarrel with sb. about sth. 和某人争吵某事
We were quarreling furiously with them about whose turn it was to cook the dinner. 我们就该谁去煮饭的事而激烈地同他们争吵。
I had a qua rrel with him yesterday. 昨天我和他吵了一架。
3 )辨异: quarrel, argue, v.
两词都有“争论, 争吵”的意思。quarrel 含有和某人吵架后非常生气；而argue 则表示和某人争吵后不一定生气的意思。试比较:
Jack and Jill quarrelled about who should get the money, and stopped speaking to each other.在谁该得到那笔钱上, 杰克和杰尔发生了争吵之后他们不理对方了。
Jill and I often have a drink together and argue about modern art.
杰尔和我经常在一起喝酒讨论现代美术。
4 )regard.as 把..认为；把..看做是
He is regarded as a successful businessman.
他被认为是位成功的企业家。
当regard 用作名词时, 意思是“ 关心, 考虑”。后可接介词for
或to。短语with regard to (of), in regard to 和as regards 是“ 关于；至于”的意思。而短语without regard to (for)则表示“ 不顾..”的意思。
You have no regard for my feelings. 你没有顾及到我的感情。
With rega rd to your recent application, I am afraid that we are un- able to offer you the job. 关于你近来的申请, 恐怕我们不能给你提供那份工作。
He went on with the experiment without rega rd to our advice.
他不顾我们的建议而继续试验。
As regards the money my parents gave me, I shall spend it very
carefully. 至于我父母给我的钱, 我将好好使用。
4.What follows applies only to those dictionary offices where firsthand,
original research goes on not those in which editors simply
copy existing dictionaries. 下面讲述的仅指利用第一手材料, 具
有独创性地编写词典的编辑--而不是简单地摘抄现有的词
典。
1 )what follows (下面将叙述的事情)是一名词性从句, 在句中充
当主语。
Wha t you say is worth trying. 你所说的值得一试。
2 )where 在这里引导的是表地点的定语从句, 修饰前面的offices,
相当于后面的in which。
This is the place where (in which)my fa ther worked for 30 yea rs.
那就是我父亲工作了30 年的地方。
3 )apply to 把..用于。apply for 则是“ 申请”的意思。
They a pplied scientific discoveries to the industrial production.
他们把科学发现应用于工业生产。
We are going to apply paint to our house.
我们要油漆房屋。
After graduation from college, he plans to a pply for a position in
the government department. 大学毕业后, 他打算在政府部门求职。
Everyone is allowed to a pply for scholarship to that University.
每个人都允许申请那所大学的奖学金。
4 )动词copy 在这里意思是“ 摘抄；模仿”。
Would you copy this letter for me, please？帮我抄写这封信, 好吗？
Street fashion tends to copy the clothes produced by the big Paris designers.
街上的流行服装往往模仿巴黎的大设计家们设计的服装式样。
作为名词, copy 的意思是“ 抄本, 副本；摹本, 复制品；(电影)拷贝”。
5.For a really big job of dictionary writing, such as the Oxford English Dictionary, millions of such cards are collected, and the task of editing occupies decades. 对于巨大的词典编辑工作, 比如说,
《牛津英语大词典》的编辑们就搜集了数百万张卡片, 整个编辑工作经历了数十年。
1 )for 在这里是个介词, 意思是“ 对于, 关于”。
For me, the book is beyond understanding.
对于我, 这书无法理解。
2 )such 在这里的意思是“ 这样的, 如此的”, 与as 相呼应, 意思是“像..那样的”。
Children such as these will never learn anything.
这样的孩子终归学不了什么。
I am not such a fool as to believe that.
我不是连那种事都相信的笨蛋。
His illness was not (one)such as to cause anxiety.
他的病不是那种令人着急的病。
除此以外, such 用作关联词, 还可以与that 相呼应, 意思是“ 如此..以至”。
She had such a fright that she fainted. 她吓得昏倒下去了。
Such was the force of the explosion that all the windows were broken.
爆炸力大得把所有的窗子都震破了。
3 )occupy 在这里是个及物动词, 意思是“ 花费, 需要(时间)”；此外常用被动或反身结构, 意思是“ 使从事；使忙碌”。
Writing occupies most of my free time.
写作花费了我大部分空闲时间。
Anxieties occupied his mind. 他心里充满了焦虑。
I was occupied in writing the letter all the day yesterday.
昨天一整天我都在忙着写封信。
He used to occupy himself with the task of writing the dictionary.
他曾从事过词典的编写工作。
6.To define a word, then, the dictionary editor places before him the stack of cards illustrating that word；each of the cards represents an actual use of the word by a writer of some literary or historical importance. 为了给一个词下定义, 词典的编辑面对一堆解释该词的卡片, 每一张列举一个词的用法, 而这种用法是某位文学巨匠或历史学家所用过的。
1 )分词短语illustrating that word 充当定语, 相当于that illustrates that word。动词illustrate 在这里的意思是“ 说明；举例”。
His story about her illustrates her true generosity very clearly.
他讲的有关她的故事非常清楚地说明了她是慷慨大方的。
2 )place 在这里是及物动词, 意思是“ 放置；排列”。
He placed the book carefully on the shelf.
他小心地把书放在书架上。
Her request places me in an awkward position.
她的要求使我处境尴尬。
3 )represent 在这里是个及物动词, 意思是“ 代表”；其后接as 意思是“认为..是”。动词短语represent oneself as(或to be)意思是“ 声称自己是”。
I am not what you represent me to be. 我不是像你所说的那种人。
He represented himself as a philosopher. 他声称自己是哲学家。
She represented her fellow-workers at the meeting.
在会上她代表她的同胞们发了言。
7.He reads the cards carefully, discards some, re-reads the rest, and divides up the stack according to what he thinks are the several senses of the word. 他仔细读这些卡片, 排除掉一些, 重新再读, 然后再按照他认为属于该词的几个意思将这一堆卡片再次分类。
1 )discard 在这里是个及物动词, 意思是“ 丢弃, 抛弃”。
We have to discard our old clothes after we grow up.