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The World of Political Correctness 「政治正确」英语

课文朗读

课文讲解 

 繁體中文譯本

Watch what you say, or the PC police will get you! OK, that may be a slight exaggeration, but these days, it’s easy to get caught saying the wrong thing. Thanks to the “political correctness ” movement, the list of appropriate terms has been changing. For example, the word “Indian,” which was once used to refer the first inhabitants of North America, has been replaced by the PC equivalent “Native American.” And despite strong opposition from grammar experts, the plural “they” instead of “he” is used to refer to “everybody,” as in “everybody is entitled to their own opinion.”

说话要小心，否则政治正确警察会找上你！好吧，这样说可能有点夸张，但这年头动不动就会被冠上「用词不当」的罪名。在「政治正确」运动的推波助澜下，被视为恰当的用语一直在变动。举例来说，「印第安人」曾用来称呼北美最早的住民，现在已被政治正确的同义词「美洲原住民」取代。此外，尽管文法专家强烈反对，在英文中，复数的「他们」已取代「他」，用来指称「每个人」，像是「每个人都有权表达他们的意见。」

The contemporary use of “political correctness” originates in a Communist term describing authorized policies. In the 1970s, Leftists employed PC to dismiss views that were deemed too rigid or orthodox. Today, people use PC to depict language or behavior which provides minimum offense.

当今「政治正确」一词源于描述权威政策的共产党术语。1970年代，左翼份子以政治正确来讽刺僵化或守旧的观点。如今，人们则以政治正确指称最不会冒犯人的语言或行为。

To keep from hurting people’s feelings, the proper use of language is necessary. Some words that are politically incorrect deal with race. As an example, “oriental” is today considered offensive to people from Asia, so the word “Asian is preferable. The same principle applies to Americans of African descent. In times past, it was common for them to be called “blacks” or “Negroes,” but the current PC term is “African American.”

为了顾虑他人感受，适当的遣词用字有其必要性。有些政治不正确的字眼，与种族有关。譬如，「东方人」现在被认为会冒犯来自亚洲的人，因此「亚洲人」一词较妥当。同一原则适用于来自非洲的美国人。过去他们常被称为「黑人」或「黑色人种」，目前政治正确的说法则是「非裔美国人」。

Words that are gender specific are also no longer PC. Thus, “fireman” becomes “firefighter,” “policeman” becomes “police officer,” and “chairman” becomes “chairperson.” With gender equality at the forefront of any political agenda, it is not PC to assume that gender is a prerequisite for any job.

含特定性别的字眼也不再政治正确。因此，消防员由fireman变成firefighter，警察由policeman变成police officer，主席由chairman变成chairperson。由于任何政策重视两性平等，因此工作若照性别来择才，便算不上政治正确。

Vocabulary

单词发音

exaggeration [ɪg͵zædʒəˋreʃən] n. 夸张，夸大

appropriate [əˋproprɪ͵et] adj. 恰当的; 合适的

plural [ˋplʊrəl] adj.【文】复数的

authorize [ˋɔθə͵raɪz] v. 授权; 批准; 许可; 委任

depict [dɪˋpɪkt] v. 描述

offense [əˋfɛns] n. 冒犯

descent [dɪˋsɛnt] n. 血统

at the forefront of 处于最前列; 进入重要地位（或主要地位）

political agenda  政治意图；政治活动

More Information

单词发音

get caught 被抓到

inhabitant [ɪnˋhæbətənt] n.（某地区的）居民，居住者

entitle [ɪnˋtaɪt!] v. 给……权力（或资格）

leftist [ˋlɛftɪst] n. 左派分子；左翼分子

dismiss [dɪsˋmɪs] v.（从头脑中）去除; 不考虑; 抛弃

orthodox [ˋɔrθə͵dɑks] adj. 正统的；传统的

offensive [əˋfɛnsɪv] adj. 冒犯的

preferable [ˋprɛfərəb!] adj. 更合适的; 更可取的

Negro [ˋnigro] n.【过时】黑人〔现在被视为具有冒犯性〕

assume [əˋsjum] v.（想当然地）认为

prerequisite [͵priˋrɛkwəzɪt] n.【正式】先决条件﹐前提

课文讲解 

Some terms have different levels of political incorrectness. For instance, “retard” is still used, but the more PC terms are “mentally disabled” and “mentally challenged.” Another example is “handicapped.” Nowadays the more courteous terms are “disabled” and “physically challenged.” This is because words in the English language have subtle shades of meaning, some of which are more negative than others.

某些用语的政治不正确程度不同。像是「智障」仍有人使用，但比较政治正确的说法是「智能有缺陷」或「智能受挑战」。另一个例子则是「残废」，如今较礼貌的说法为「有缺陷的」及「肢体受挑战」，这是因为英文字词间存有细微区别，有些字较其他字更具负面含意。

For this reason, attempting to be PC all the time can seem like walking through a minefield. How can we know for certain what will upset those around us? Try to take note of your surroundings, and choose your words as carefully as possible. However, don’t let the PC police stop you from living a linguistically free life.

因此，随时试图符合政治正确，就像穿越地雷区一样。我们哪有办法确定哪些字眼会惹恼别人？尽力留意周遭，措词尽量小心。不过别让政治正确警察让你无法过着语言自由的生活。

As humorless as political correctness might sound, there is some room to have fun with it. If someone says that you are short, you might respond, “I’m not short. I’m vertically challenged.” Or, if someone comments that you are putting on weight, and possibly becoming a little plump around the middle, you can say, “I’m horizontally gifted.” See it is possible to be witty and PC at the same time.

尽管政治正确听来很无趣，却还是有一些好玩的地方。若有人说你矮，你可以回说：「我不矮，是高度受挑战。」或是有人说你的肚子愈来愈大，你可以说：「我不是胖，是宽度上天赋异禀。」你看，既机智又政治正确是办得到的。

As you learn English, though, don’t be afraid to use politically incorrect terms. If a word you have chosen does turn out to be offensive, native speakers will usually forgive you and suggest a more appropriate term. It’s all part of the learning process, and it’s better to take the risk than to say nothing at all.

学英文时，不要担心用到不正确的字眼。若你选择的用语确有冒犯之处，以英语为母语的人通常会原谅你，并建议更恰当的字眼。这是学习的必经过程，冒险一试总比三缄其口好。

−by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

单词发音

disabled [dɪsˋeb!d] adj. 残废的；有缺陷的

courteous [ˋkɝtɪəs] adj. 有礼貌的

subtle [ˋsʌt!] adj. 微妙的

vertically [ˋvɝtɪk!ɪ] adv. 垂直地

horizontally [͵hɔrəˋzɑnt!ɪ] adv. 水平地

witty [ˋwɪtɪ] adj. 机智的,诙谐的

native speaker 说母语的人

take the risk  冒…的危险

More Information

单词发音

retard [rɪˋtɑrd] n.【俚】笨蛋〔冒犯用语〕

challenged [ˋtʃælɪndʒd] adj. 残障的（婉转说法）

handicapped [ˋhændɪ͵kæpt] adj. 有生理缺陷的，残障的

shade [ʃed] n. 细微的差别[C][（+of）]

minefield [ˋmaɪn͵fild] n. 布雷区

take note of 注意 observe with care or pay close attention to

linguistically [lɪŋˋgwɪstɪkəlɪ] adv. 语言（学）方面

humorless [ˋhjumɚlɪs] adj. 缺少幽默感的

plump [plʌmp] adj. 丰满的；胖嘟嘟的

Reading Questions

1.   What has the PC movement changed?

A.  The volume at which people speak.

B.  The words which are acceptable to speak.

C.  The tone people use when they are talking.

D.  The facial expressions people have when speaking.

2.   Which of the following would be considered PC?

A.  Referring to an African American as a “negro.”

B.  Calling someone from Japan an “oriental.”

C.  Referring to someone who fights fires as a “fireman.”

D.  Calling someone who fights crime a “police officer.”

3.   Why can it be difficult to be PC all the time?

A.  Because we never know for sure what will offend those around us.

B.  Because English is a language filled with offensive vocabulary.

C.  Because people are more sensitive about grammar today than they used to be.

D.  Because it has become agreeable to use extremely offensive words.

4.   What is the main purpose of this article?

A.  To warm the readers against becoming politically correct.

B.  To persuade people to be absolutely PC when learning English.

C.  To provide some examples of, and guidelines for, PC speech.

D.  To denounce the PC movement and call for its abolishment.

Answer