What a load of rubbish!一堆垃圾!

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01/09/2011

What a load of rubbish!一堆垃圾! 毛孟靜

最近香港的一個catchphrase(流行語)是「垃圾論」,來自一個高官的疑似隨口答問,他說記者提出的指摘是completely rubbish。

這是錯英文,應該是complete rubbish,沒有ly。原本呢,那算是日常口語溝通,偶然有瑕疵也不要緊,人家聽得明白最重要。事實是,我常跟年輕人說,講英文貴在自然,有信心,去掉怕給人笑的心結;不然,開口講英文先要嘰哩咕嚕在心裏度好文法,度至雞啼天光,等你度畢,你要說的話,人家都老早講了。

錯了不要緊,只要不重複錯誤。好遺憾,有另一個高官旋踵在發表同一為人詬病的謬論時,竟然再講totally rubbish!又錯,應該是total rubbish。這令人開始嘆息香港高官英文水平之差,亦反映香港的英語教育果然失敗。

英文跟中文一樣,若沒得讀稿,隨口噏之際,要訓練自己一路講一路自我糾正。像上面的例子,若腦子裏已決定確係想講「垃圾」,而completely 已經出了口,跟著的rubbish 可嘗試快快改口做rubbishy,變成︰That’s completely/totally rubbishy.Rubbishy,像垃圾的,成了形容詞,就符合前面的ly 的副詞用法了。

話說垃圾,英國人通常講rubbish,美國人就鍾意用trash、garbage。一個經典的英美分別是「垃圾桶」,英國人叫rubbish bin,美國人幾無例外都說trash can。

西方人, 尤其是年輕人嘴邊常掛的「垃圾」,係crap。批評人滿嘴荒唐可拋出一句︰He’s talking crap!

問人︰ 這是什麼垃圾邏輯? What crappy logic is this?

廣東話的丟垃圾,常常會講「揼」垃圾,有理由相信,這個揼,不就是dump。

Dump 做動詞︰Dump the rubbish in the bin.把垃圾丟棄在桶內。

Dump 做名詞︰Her room is like a rubbish dump.她的房間像個垃圾堆。

Dump 這個字,因為往往與廢物垃圾掛鈎,漸漸也用諸人的排泄。Take a dump 指大便的動作︰ He’s got to go take a dump,這種話,屬粗俗語,不好講,但要知。

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