2016年6月29日 星期三

「讚」原來不是那麼一回事(thumbs up)

Pollice Verso by Leon Gerome 圖片來源:Wikipedia

我們很習慣用翹起的大拇指(thumbs up)稱讚別人,但是根據 Michael Macrone 的「引經據典說英文:希臘羅馬篇」裡面所說,當初在羅馬競技場上,翹起的大拇指代表戰敗受傷的鬥士要被處決(因為觀眾覺得他鬥得不好),而拇指朝下(thumbs down)則這位受傷的鬥士可以獲得治療(代表觀眾覺得他鬥得好)。

那麼,什麼時候拇指朝上成了好的意義呢?據說是因為Leon Gerome的錯誤導致。他是法國畫家,在1873年畫了一幅名為Pollice Verso的畫(如上圖),在裡面他錯誤的將拉丁文的verso pollice (拇指朝上)誤解為拇指朝下(因為拉丁文的verso是翻轉的意思)。因此,他畫了這幅畫,裡面觀眾們紛紛將拇指朝下,而戰敗的鬥士也被勝利者殺死。由於這幅畫太有名了,使得大家誤以為拇指朝下才是不好的意思。

於是,我們就以為拇指朝上才是好的了。

如果未來有人穿越時空到古羅馬去玩耍時,千萬別比錯手勢,會出事啊!

「遠方的聲音」-電話(Distance voice - telephone)

1892年,貝爾從紐約打電話到芝加哥
圖片來源:Wikipedia

1876年三月,貝爾(Alexander Graham Bell)獲得了電話在美國的第一個專利。不過,電話「telephone」這個字,其實也是字首與字尾拼起來的呢!
In March 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded a patent for the electric telephone by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). It was the first patent to be awarded for telephone.

字首tele-是「遠方」的意思;而字尾-phone是「聲音」的意思。兩個字合起來就是「遠方的聲音」的意思!
The prefix tele- means "distant" and the suffix -phone means "sound, voice". The actual meaning for "telephone" is "distant voice".

不過,電話並不是第一個使用telephone這個詞的器具。在1844年,約翰‧泰勒船長(John Taylor)發明了用四個空氣喇叭讓船隻在大霧中還可以互相聯絡的方法,而telephone這個詞就是他發明的。而1860年約翰‧菲力普‧雷斯(Johann Philipp Reis)發明了原形電話,可以將聲音轉成電波。
However, the word "telephone" was not invented by Bell. Caption John Taylor invented this word on his invention for using for air horns to communicate with vessels in foggy weather. Johann Philipp Reis invented Reis Telephone in 1860, which was the first instrument that can convert voice into electrical impulses.

參考文獻 References:

Wikipedia. telephone

2016年6月8日 星期三

口臭 halitosis

圖片來源:Wikipedia

halitosis這個自來自於拉丁文的halitus,這個字第一次出現是在1874年,意思是呼吸,不過比較強調呼氣的部分(breath, exhalation, steam, vapor);它與拉丁文的 halare (意為呼吸,一樣是著重在呼氣的部分: to breathe, emit vapor)。而字尾 -osis第二十三課(一)學過,是與疾病有關的字尾。一樣跟呼吸有關有個字尾 -pnea,它是由希臘文的 pnoia來的,意思也是呼吸(breath),在第二十五課(二)有學到。

The word "halitosis" was first appeared in 1874. Halitosis means "bad breath". The word is originated from Latin halitus, meaning breath, exhalation, steam, vapor. It is related to halare (to breath, emit vapor). There is a suffix "-pnea" also meaning breath and it is originated from Greek pnoia (breath). We learn that in Lesson 25-2.

根據維基百科的資料,口臭是看牙醫的第三名的理由;第一名是蛀牙、第二名是牙齦問題;世界上大約有兩成的人有口臭的問題,使得任何可以消除口臭的東西(口香糖、breath mint)都大行其道。

According to Wikipedia, halitosis is the third most frequent reason for people to seek dental care, following tooth decay and gum disease. Because about 20% of the general population are reported to suffer from it to some degree, anything that claim to be able to reduce halitosis (chewing gum, breath mint) are quite popular.

並非所有自認為有口臭的人都有口臭的問題:大約有5-72%因口臭而求診的病患,在專業檢查時並沒有真正的口臭。真的有口臭的人,往往是在齦或舌頭背面的細菌造成的。其他10%是由鼻腔、鼻竇、咽喉、肺、食道、胃或其它地方疾病造成。

Not all who think they have halitosis really have it. Significant percentages (5–72%) of people who suspect that they have halitosis have been reported not to have genuine halitosis when examined by professionals. Most of the occasion of halitosis (about 90%) is caused by bacteria present below the gumline and on the back of the tongue. The remaining 10% could be resulted from disorders in the nasal cavity, sinuses, throat, lungs, esophagus, stomach or elsewhere.

參考文獻 References:

Wikipedia. Halitosis.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Online Etymology : halitosis.