「膠」分軟硬

分享給朋友

09/12/2013

「膠」分軟硬 毛孟靜

新一代批評人的用語,有個「膠」字。這口語的膠,除了有廣東話粗口的聯想,主旨是笑人蠢(being stupid, dim-wit)、戇居至容易受騙(being gullible),或傻呼呼地走極端(being stupidly extremist)。要形容人「膠」至不可救藥,就叫「硬膠」。

膠分軟硬。但本土之「膠」說,基本上都是罵人的話;現代西方社會也一樣,給叫做plastic,通常都「唔慌好嘢」,除了plasticmoney(信用卡)或屬例外。

但真要小心的,是英文的「軟膠」也可以是好事。英文的plastic,有時真要分軟硬。

像這一句:I was so impressed by the plasticbeauty of the choir girls. 直譯︰我至為欣賞詩歌班中女孩子的塑膠美。

塑膠美?Plastic beauty?霎時搭上plasticsurgery(整容),真會嚇一跳。事實是,英文的plastic,原本亦指所有泥膠,包括兒童用手揑造模型的play dough,上面所述的塑膠美,查實是形容「雕塑也似的美」。

另一句:We have to look after the plasticminds of young children. 說的自然不是BB「膠腦」,而是「我們要照顧孩子可堪塑造的腦袋」。看,這款膠,是指娃娃的思想像mouldable plastic,可搓圓㩒扁重塑的膠;

亦即指兒童impressionable,易受影響。

Plastic,塑膠。中文的「塑」造,當中該亦包含了mouldable plastic 的含意。還看中英文的連繫呼應。

如前述,我們有潮語,英語世界一樣有urban language。今時今日常講a plasticsmile 膠笑, a plastic plan 膠計劃, plasticpeople with plastic minds 膠人膠腦。也有比較深沉的一句:

We lament a plastic world of fad, hype andsensation. 我們嗟嘆一個充斥熱潮、流行炒作及官感為先的膠世界。

一般字典,包括手頭的牛津同義詞大字典, 都把plastic 第一解說為mouldable、flexible ( 有彈性的) 物質, 其後才輪到「假」:a plastic charm = a false charm。但新世紀,英文人或該都會避開把膠與兒童或美女掛鈎了。

分享給朋友

  • The Civic Party respects your personal privacy and is committed to maintaining your trust and confidence. We believe in ensuring the security of your personal information. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. The purpose of collecting the information in this form is to complete the purchase concerned and allow the Civic Party to contact you in the future. We are the sole owner of any information we collect. Your personal information is not lent or sold to anyone for any purpose.

  • The Civic Party respects your personal privacy and is committed to maintaining your trust and confidence. We believe in ensuring the security of your personal information. Please take the time to read this policy, and contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We strive to protect any personal information you may provide us but by law we must allow inspection of the volunteer register. Your personal data will be put into our volunteer database and will be used only for the purposes of arranging volunteer service and communicating with you. We are the sole owner of any information we collect. Your personal information is not lent or sold to anyone for any purpose. You may contact us for enquiry, updating or ceasing the use of your personal information.

  • 公民黨絕對尊重閣下的個人私隱,並會將資料保密。我們會妥善保存閣下提交予我們的任何個人資料。如有任何疑問,請聯絡我們。閣下在此表格提供的資料,只用於處理是次購買以及日後與本黨之聯繫。閣下的資料絕對保密,只供本黨保存和參考,絕不會外借或出售,或透露予任何第三者。

  • 公民黨絕對尊重閣下的個人私隱,並會將資料保密。我們會妥善保存閣下提交予我們的任何個人資料。請細閱此私隱政策,如有任何疑問,請聯絡我們。我們藉此表格收集 閣下資料的目的,是處理 閣下的義工申請,閣下所提交的個人資料將儲存於本黨的義工資料庫內,並只會用於本黨安排義工服務及與閣下通訊的用途上。閣下的資料只供本黨保存和參考,絕不會外借或出售。如欲查詢、更改或要求停止使用你的個人資料,請與本黨聯絡。