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.
10/11/2009
名人教英文 – 諧謔英文
以前，英國政治家大多很有來頭，看家本領是詞鋒銳利，用語不帶一個髒字，還幽默萬分，堪稱綿裏藏針。讓我們看看他們如何用英文。
話說著名哲學作品《自由論》（ On Liberty） 的作者米爾（John Stuart Mill）也曾當過一陣子英國下議院議員，少不免要在議會辯論中與其他議員針鋒相對。他在一本著作的注腳稱保守黨為the stupidest party（最愚蠢的政黨），對此他在下議院作出一番解釋： 「這句話表面看好像對這個偉大的政黨用語不夠禮貌。請容我解釋……」
以下是米爾的解釋，我原文照讀，但不知是否載於下議院的議事紀錄：What I stated was, that the Conservative Party was, bythe law of its constitution, necessarily the stupidest party. （ 眾笑） Now, I do not retract this assertion; but I did not mean thatConservatives are generally stupid; I meant, that stupid personsare generally Conservative （ 眾笑、喝采）… And I do not seewhy honourable Gentlemen should feel that position at alloffensive to them; for it ensures their always being an extremelypowerful party （Hear, hear）… there is a dense solid force insheer stupidity-such, that a few able men, with that forcepressing behind them, are assured of a victory in many astruggle; and many a victory the Conservative Party have owedto that force.（眾笑）
我先要解釋一下，英國下議院的議事規則跟我們立法會的很相近，就是議員不能互相辱罵。所以如果米爾說保守黨的議員stupid 愚蠢，那是犯規了。但是他倒過來說，不是保守黨員stupid，而是保守黨得到所有stupid 的人堅決支持，因為他們的政策政綱，只有愚蠢的人支持。但他們為何要感到被侮辱？世上蠢人很多，愚蠢的力量是最難改變的，因此也最可靠。幾個能幹的人，有了這股愚蠢的力量在背後推動，前途真是無可限量！
你看，米爾沒有用什麼「無知、愚蠢」之類的謾罵，句句恭維，明褒實貶。我覺得用英文到這個境界，可算是爐火純青了。
多媒體教室
網上收聽：english.mingpao.com/mp3_11.htm