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Merriam-Webster: The People Who Defined American English 韦氏辞典，美语权威

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

The name Webster is synonymous with American English. Webster’s dictionaries have done a tremendous amount to shape how English is learned and spelled in America and throughout the world. It all started with a visionary named Noah Webster.

韦伯斯特这个姓氏已成为美式英文的同义词，无论在美国或世界各地，韦氏辞典都已大量形塑英文的学习方式及拼法，而这一切都源自有远见的诺亚．韦伯斯特。

Noah Webster was born in 1758 in Connecticut, in the USA. As a young man, he participated in the Revolutionary War, fighting to free America from British rule. Although America won the war, Webster felt that it was not truly independent. All of America’s primary schoolbooks were still written and published in English!

诺亚．韦伯斯特于1758年生于美国康乃迪克州，年轻时曾投身独立战争，为使美国脱离英国的统治而战。尽管美国战胜，韦伯斯特却觉得美国并未真正独立，因为美国所有的小学教科书，仍然全在英国编写发行！

Webster was determined to correct this problem by creating grammar and spelling books that has a distinctly American flavor. He published his first dictionary in 1806, and the book was well received. Encouraged by this success, he dedicated the next 27 years to compiling his epic work, An American Dictionary of the English Language. He meticulously catalogued every American English word that could not be found in British dictionaries. Webster’s overall approach also reflected America’s democratic system. Unlike British dictionaries, which were based on aristocratic English, Webster’s dictionary was meant to reflect common speech. In other words, what was popular was defined as correct.

韦伯斯特决心导正这个问题，他想创编拥有独特美国特色的文法及拼字书籍。1806年他出版的第一本字典大获好评，这项成就激励他投注未来的27年，汇编史诗般的作品《美国英语词典》。他以一丝不苟的态度，收列英式字典查不到的每个美式英文单字。韦伯斯特全方位的手法同时反映出美国的民主体制，不同于英式字典以贵族英文为基础，韦氏辞典刻意反映平民用法，也就是说，举凡普罗大众使用的，在定义上都是正确的。

Most ambitiously of all, Webster worked to standardize English spelling. His most famous change was to drop the “u” from British words such as “colour” or “honour.” This was another reflection of his populist philosophy. He wanted to represent words as they were commonly pronounced, not as the elite believed they should be pronounced.

韦伯斯特最大的企图，是致力将英文拼字标准化。最广为人知的改变，是他删除诸如colour及honour这类英式拼字中的“u”。这再度反映了他的平民哲学，他想以一般发音呈现文字，而非菁英人士所相信的发音方式。

Vocabulary

单词发音

tremendous [trɪˋmɛndəs] adj. 巨大的，极大的

participate [pɑrˋtɪsə͵pet] v. 参加，参与[（+in）]

determined [dɪˋtɝmɪnd] adj. 已下决心的[F][+to-v][+that]

distinctly [dɪˋstɪŋktlɪ] adv. 清楚地; 明白地

publish [ˋpʌblɪʃ] v. 出版；发行

meticulously [məˋtɪkjələslɪ] adv. 极细心地，一丝不苟地

democratic [͵dɛməˋkrætɪk] adj. 民主的

be based on 以…为基础,以…为根据

aristocratic [͵ærɪstəˋkrætɪk] adj. 贵族的

elite [eˋlit ɪˋlit] n. 精英；优秀分子

More Information

单词发音

synonymous [sɪˋnɑnəməs] adj. 同义的；同义词性质的

epic [ˋɛpɪk] adj. 巨大的﹐宏伟的; 史诗般的

catalogue [ˋkætəlɔg] v. 归类，编列目录

overall [ˋovɚ͵ɔl] adj. 包括一切的，全面的

ambitiously [æmˋbɪʃəslɪ] adv. 雄心勃勃地

populist [ˋpɑpjəlɪst] adj. 平民主义的；平民化的

课文讲解

Although it was a work of monumental scope, An American Dictionary of the English Language was initially not very successful. The first version, published in 1828, sold only 2,500 copies. In fact, the sales were so poor that Webster had to mortgage his house in order to finance a second edition!

尽管内容包罗万象，《美国英语词典》一开始却不很成功，1828年印行的初版仅售出二千五百册。事实上由于销售欠佳，韦伯斯特甚至得抵押房子，才能筹得再版的资金。

Gradually, the demand for these books grew, and they ultimately had a profound impact on the development of American English. Before Webster, Americans spoke in dialects that were highly regional. These who lived near the Spanish colonies of Texas and Florida, for example, tended to incorporate Spanish words such as “canyon” or “vigilante” into their speech. Others would borrow words from local native communities, which changed from region to region. “Canoes” and “raccoons” were ubiquitous across the American landscape, but their names were not. Webster’s dictionary changed this, creating a unified American English for the first time.

渐渐的这些辞典的需求量日增，终致对美式英文的发展产生深远影响。韦氏辞典推出之前，美国方言极具地方色彩，比方住在西班牙殖民地附近的德州及佛州人，便倾向将「峡谷」及「保安委员会委员」这类西班牙文的字词融入他们的语言中。还有人会向当地的原住民族群借用文字，而各地区用字皆不相同。尽管全美都有「独木舟」及「浣熊」，但各地称呼却不尽相同。韦氏辞典改变了这种现象，首度创造出统一的美式英文。

After Noah Webster’s death in 1843, the rights to his books and name were sold to brothers George and Charles Merriam. They published several new editions, adding illustrations to make the dictionaries more visually appealing.

1843年诺亚．韦伯斯特辞世后，其辞典之内容及名称被乔治及查尔斯梅瑞姆购得，他们出版了几个新版本，并加入插图让字典在视觉上更吸引人。

Today, Webster’s dictionary remains the world’s foremost authority for American English. In fact, if you want to understand how American culture had changed over the years, all you have to do is check which words were added to the dictionary. In recent years, many of the new additions have had to do with computers and technology. In the 2006 edition, words like “spyware” and “Google” made their first appearance. Almost 200 years after it was first published, Webster’s dictionary continues to represent America’s evolving society!

如今，韦氏辞典仍为世上最具权威的美式英文辞典。事实上若想了解美国文化多年来的变迁，只需查阅这套辞典加入哪些字便可。近年来，许多新版本都和计算机及科技有关，2006年的版本中首度出现「间谍软件」及「酷狗」这类的词。首度发行几乎两百年后，韦氏辞典仍继续展现美国社会的变迁！

−by Michael Karanicolas

Vocabulary

单词发音

monumental [͵mɑnjəˋmɛnt!] adj. 巨大的

version [ˋvɝʒən] n.（同一作品的不同）版本

mortgage [ˋmɔrgɪdʒ] v. 抵押

profound [prəˋfaʊnd] adj. 深远的；深刻的

incorporate [ɪnˋkɔrpə͵ret] v. 包含；加上[（+in/into）]

ubiquitous [juˋbɪkwətəs] adj. 无处不在的

unified [ˋjunə͵faɪd] adj. 统一的；统一标准的

illustration [ɪ͵lʌsˋtreʃən] n. 插图

appealing [əˋpilɪŋ] adj. 有吸引力的; 有趣的

have to do with  与……有关

More Information

单词发音

scope [skop] n. 范围，领域

dialect [ˋdaɪəlɛkt] n. 方言，土话

regional [ˋridʒən!] adj. 地方的,地域性的

canyon [ˋkænjən] n.（既长又深，谷底常有溪流的）峡谷

vigilante [͵vɪdʒəˋlæntɪ] n.【英】治安维持会成员；自发组织的维持治安者

canoe [kəˋnu] n. 独木舟

raccoon [ræˋkun] n. 浣熊

foremost [ˋfor͵most] adj. 最重要的

spyware  间谍软件; 【计算机】暗中侦察软件（一黑客软件，用户利用此程序，在受害者上网联机时，在其不知情的状况下，将其个人资料传送至其指定的目的网站等）

evolving [ɪ'vɑlvɪŋ] adj. 进化的,展开的

Reading Questions

1.  According to the article, what can be said of the name Webster?

A.  To most people, it doesn’t mean anything.

B.  It is highly associated with American English.

C.  It has slowly lost its meaning over time.

D.  It is connected with the Revolution War.

2.  Which of the following is true about An American Dictionary of the English Language?

A.  It reflected America’s economic system.

B.  It was well received in its first edition.

C.  It standardized English spelling in America.

D.  It was based on aristocratic English.

3.  How has Webster’s dictionary been able to maintain its significance for so long?

A.  By creating regional dialects of different sections in America.

B.  By forcing the American public to buy copies of it.

C.  By constantly evolving with changes in the English language.

D.  By including great translations of other different languages.

4.  What can be inferred from the article?

A.  The Merriam brothers destroyed Webster’s initial version.

B.  Webster’s dictionaries are no longer a good source of American English.

C.  Sales of Webster’s dictionaries will continue to decline.

D.  Webster’s dictionaries have become a popular source of American English.

Answer