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在《镜中奇遇》(Through the Looking-Glass)第六章,Humpty Dumpty说他能让一个词儿做好多事儿,爱丽丝请他解释'Jabberwocky(书中的一首诗,也许是英国文学中最伟大的nonsense poem)的诗句:
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
HD解释说,brillig是下午4点做晚饭烧火(broiling)的时间,slithy等于lithe and slimy,而‘Lithe’is the same as ‘active’。(有些词典解释slithy为“柔软有粘性”,显然不是HD的意思;他自己说了,等于active and slimy,即牛津词典说的smooth and active。它形容tove,Carroll原先假想那是a species of Badger. They had smooth white hair, long hind legs, and short horns like a stag: lived chiefly on cheese.(Rectory Umbrella & Mischmasch),HD补充说它还像lizard,也像corkscrew。既然有光滑的皮毛,当然不好说“有粘性”。(其他几个词,请小伙伴自己去听HD同学的解释。)
接着,HD同学说了英语词汇史上的一句名言:You see it's like aportmanteau— there are two meanings packed up into one word. Portmanteau即所谓“包裹词”,用多个词的元素“打包”组成新词(如汉字六书里的“会意”)。Gardner说,这种游戏James Joyce的Finnegans Wake里玩儿了几万个。最有意思的是,他把“解字大师”Humpty Dumpty也玩儿在如下的一个“词”中:
Bothallchoractorschumminaroundgansumuminarumdrumstrumtruminahumptadumpwaultopoofoolooderamaunsturnup!
Jabberwocky
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