在世界革命爆发之前
我出国前学英语,费了好几年。最大的麻烦是拼写不规范,“一音多字母”。比如case 和kiss发音都是【k】,字母却不同。这件事不但我觉得头大,以英语为母语的美国人也觉得头大。马克吐温是作家,英语大玩家。他也觉得是个问题。为此提出一个改革方案和一个改革时间表。提议很是雷厉风行,凡是提出的新拼写规则,下面的文字马上实行。等于边破边立,用实例证明。这里只看看两段,体会一下幽默大师的幽默:
“For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later.”
意思是“第一年,把字母c和字母x从字母表中去掉。用k或者s取代。只允许c在ch这种组合中出现”。新规则是废除字母c, 马上就把本段中的replaced改成replased,case改成了kase。
Year 2 might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with "i" and Iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all.
意思是“第二年改革w。统一which和one的第一个辅音。第三年把字母y废除,用i取代。第四年,彻底纠正g和j的同音问题”。这段继续执行第一段提出的规则,把consonant拼成konsonant,replace拼成replase,fix拼成fiks。又执行本段提出的新规则,把year拼成iear,anomaly拼成anomali,once拼成wonse (这条我不大理解,由“学习不是很好”解释)。
马克吐温的建议全文,我抄在附录里。有兴趣的读者可以自己体味。马克吐温的新规则我赞同,但觉得没完全挠到痒处。不但拼写,英语有几个中文里没有的语法成分,也很令人头疼。凡是这种成分,基本都是没用,或者用处很小。这些冗余的成分,说明英文不如中文优化程度高。如果让我主刀改革,会实行激进策略,把中文没有的所有语法成分都去掉,这包括: 6park.com 1. 废除“第三人单数动词变形”规则
理由:没用。
例:He runs --- He run. 6park.com2. 废除单字“the”
理由:没用。
例:The US government -- US government。
3。凡是发音跟字母名称音一样的地方,一律写成该字母
理由:消灭一大类拼写错误,减轻用户负担。
例:easy -- ez. you are -- u r.
4。废除单字“be" ,包括be, is, are, am。
理由:没用。
例:He is running -- He running. I am smart -- I smart.
5。取消动词时态。
理由:没用。
例:She went home yesterday -- She go home yesterday.
正在苦学英语的中国学生,见到我的建议,肯定心中一亮,觉得见到了隧道尽头的光。可惜,改革英语肯定不会依着我的性子来。俄国改革俄语的拼法,不过实行了马克吐温的温和改革,也得借革命的权威实现。中国文字改革也是借革命的权威。两国改革文字,都减少了儿童识字的时间,对国家有大利。英语的问题是,殖民已经使得英语成了很多国家的官方语言。牵涉国家太多,实行我的改革会引起世界级的混乱,这责任我不能负。在世界革命爆发之前,诸生还是先学落后版的英语吧。
附录:马克吐温英语改革建议
For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later.
Year 2 might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with "i" and Iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all.
Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or
so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez "c", "y" and "x" -- bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez -- tu riplais "ch", "sh", and "th" rispektivli. 6park.com Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld。
贴主:神采于2020_04_23 11:36:08编辑评分完成:已经给 神采 加上 100 银元!
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