英语词汇中音、形、义关系辨析
2017-09-11邱葆珍
邱葆珍
【摘 要】每个字词都有其词义和发音,英语中有些单词,当被用于不同行业时,发音发生变化。这些词汇的运用,须根据英语句意和上下文内容而定。本文探析这类单词的習惯用法,归纳单词的基本词义和发音,力求在词义、发音及拼写对比基础上,加深对这些词汇的认识。
【关键词】词义;语音;对比
0 引言
英语是一种词汇丰富的语言。词汇是某种语言里所使用的词的总称,单词和语音是组成语言的基本要素。人们要进行交流,须用言语表达思想和感情,要准确表达主观抽象思维、正确描述客观物质世界,须掌握单词正确发音,掌握词汇正确用法。
1 拼写相同,发音、词义不同的单词
英语词汇中有为数不少的单词,其拼写形式相同,但发音、和词义却完全不同,如:
1)My wife burst into tears when she heard the bad news.
The girl was in tears because she lost her mother.
在这两句中,tear 作名词,意为:眼泪。单词中元音的发音如同 ear。
This material tears easily, so be careful when you wear it.
He couldnt tear himself away from his book.
在这两句中,tear作动词,表示离开、撕裂的意思。单词中元音的发音如同air。
There is a tear in the coat. 名词:撕裂处
The train passed by at a tear. 名词:飞奔
2)New sewer pipes have been installed in the city.
sewer 作名词:下水道。单词发音可参考 fewer.
The sewer is mending the hole in the coat.
sewer 作名词:缝纫者。 单词发音可参考 lower.
3)Its only a few minutes walk from here to the station.
minute 作名词:分钟。单词发音为 /minit /
His handwriting is so minute that its difficult to read.
minute 作形容词:微小。 单词发音为 / mainju:t /
4)Everyone bowed as the Queen walked into the room.
We have to bow to fate and accept what cannot be avoided.
bow 作动词:鞠躬、弯腰、点头、屈服。单词发音可参考 how.
常用的词组有:bow and scrape 巴结、奉承
take a bow 鞠躬答谢
bow the knee to 屈服、低头
He put his bow on the violin.
She fixed her shoe-laces in a bow.
bow 作名词:弓、结。单词发音可参考 low.
常用词组有:have more than one strings to his bow 有几种办法可选择
draw a bow at a venture 碰运气
draw not your bow till your arrow is fixed 三思而后行
draw a long bow 夸口、说谎
2 发音相同,拼写、词义不同的单词
这一类单词发音相同,但拼写与词义不同,在听力方面易引起误解。
1)The cat has left her lose hairs all over my clothes.
My hair has grown long.
hair 作可数或不可数名词:毛、发单词发音可参考air.
常见用法:comb ones hair for sb. 申斥某人
get in ones hair 惹恼某人
lose ones hair 发脾气
a hair in ones neck 麻烦事
let ones hair down 不拘礼节
make ones hair curl 使人感到惊恐
The hare disappeared in the wood.
He hared off down the road.
hare 作名词:野兔。 hare 作动词:飞快地跑。 单词发音与 hair 相同。
常见用法:as mad as a March hare 像三月的兔子一样疯狂
start a hare 讨论提出枝节问题
hold with the hare and run with the hounds 两面讨好
make a hare of sb. 愚弄某人
hare brained 轻率的
2)Most people in our country can read and write.endprint
The thermometer reads 33 degrees.
read 作动词:读、显示。
常见用法:read somebody a lesson 教训某人
read somebody like a book 对某人非常了解
read somebodys thoughts 看出某人的思想活动
They have hidden their boat in the reed marshes.
They cut the reeds to make mats.
reed 作可数和不可数名词:芦苇。读音与 read 相同。
常见用法:broken reed 不可靠的人或物
lean on a reed 依赖不可靠的人或物
3)Life is dear to him.
He is my dear friend.
dear 作形容词:珍贵的、亲密的。发音与 deer 相同。
常见用法:the dearest friend 不共戴天的敌人
The little girl touched the deer tenderly.
The deer are running one after another.
deer 作名词:鹿。单、复数同形。发音与 dear 相同。
常见用法:small deer 微不足道的人或事物
4)compliment 作名词和动词:赞美的话、赞美。发音与 complement相同。
John complimented Jean on her beautiful new dress.
complement 作名词和动词:补足物、补足。发音与 compliment 相同。
This wine complements the food perfectly.
常见用法:fish for compliments 沽名钓誉
left-handed compliment 似褒實贬的话语;带恶意的恭维话
3 拼写、发音相同,词义不同的单词
英语中有些单词的拼写、发音完全一致,但用于不同背景时词义完全不同。
1)The performer practiced on the piano to limber up his fingers.
limber 作动词:使柔软、使灵活
The limbers have been pulled to the right position.
limber 名词:拖带火炮和弹药的两轮车辆 - 前车
2)The birds perched upon the television aerial.
Eaves are ideal perches for birds.
perch 作动词和名词:停歇、栖息、栖息地
Perch is a kind of delicious sea food.
perch 作名词:河鲈
3)They brought me up to do nothing, and here I am in the sear and yellow, getting poorer and poorer every day.
sear 作形容词:干枯的、凋谢的
常见用法:the sear and yellow leaf 暮年、老境
His soul has been seared by injustice.
sear 作动词:烧灼。此句是比喻用法,意思是: 使麻木、使冷酷
4)Many people put mint leaves in the water to make tea.
mint 作名词:薄荷。
The poet minted several words that cant be found in any dictionary.
mint 作动词:臆造、创造。
拼写、发音相同,词义不同的单词,只有在语句中才能了解其词义,从以上例句可看出,此类单词与日常生活关联较密切。
4 名词与动词重音不同的单词
英语中有些同源单词,其名词拼写形式与动词拼写形式完全相同,发音也近相同,只是重音不同,此类词中,名词重音倾向于落在第一个音节,动词重音倾向于落在第二个音节。英语中这一发音现象同中国音韵学的“动静异音”相符。
1)Armed conflict could start at any time.
There is a possibility of a serious conflict in the two parties.
Do British laws conflict with any international laws?
conflict 作名词或动词:冲突。作名词重音在前,作动词重音再后。
2)The export of gold is forbidden.
Wool is one of the chief exports of Australia.
They sell their products to the home market but they dont export.endprint
export 作不可数名词:出口;作可数名词:出口产品。重音在第一个音节。
export 作动词:出口。重音在第二个音节。
3)Our shop has made a contract with a clothing firm to buy 100 coats a week.
Never sign a contract until you have read it from beginning to end.
contract 作可数名词:契约、合同。重音在第一个音节。
A foreign firm has contracted to build a new railway across Africa.
contract 作及物动词:缔结、缔约、承办。重音在第二个音节。
4) That child is a torment to his parents.
torment 作名词:痛苦、折磨、烦恼。重音在前。
Stop tormenting your poor father with such stupid questions.
torment 作及物動词:烦恼。 重音在第二音节。
属于这一类的单词还有:conduct, digest, permit, desert, object
从以上例子可看出,词性发生变化时,单词重音也按“名前动后”变化。
5 结语
语音、词汇、语法是语言三大要素。词汇是音、义、形的结合,是交际得以进行的语言能力核心部分之一。词义差别和发音差别是客观存在的,即使是最简单的词汇,既不像表面显现的那样,也不像人们想象的那样。因此,在使用语言时,须正确的词汇使用在正确的地方,并注意其正确的发音。
【参考文献】
[1]Daniel Jones. Everymans English Pronouncing Dictionary[M].London:J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd. New York : E P. Dutton & Co . Inc,1972.
[2]Jason B. Alter. Contextual Pronunciation[M].外语教学与研究出版社.1981.
[3]John Ellison, Ma, D Phil. The Right Word at the Right Time[M].London. New York. Montreal. Sydney. Cape Town: The Readers Digest Association Limited.
[4]Paul Procter. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English[M].Longman.1978.
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