Unit 10
Check Your Understanding
State whether each of the following statements is TRUE or FALSE.
a. F / b. F / c. Fd. F / e. F
In-Class Activities
1.
(1) Can you find more English proverbs which contain sexist signs?
a. Frailty, thy name is woman. (Shakespeare)
b. Woman was God’s second mistake. (Nietzsche )
c. A woman’s hair is long, but her sense is short. (Thiselton-Dyer)
(2) Is there any sexist sign in Chinese proverbs? Can you make a comparison between these Chinese proverbs and English proverbs?
a. 女子无才便是德。
b. 嫁出去的女，泼出去的水。
c. 女人头发长见识短。
2.
(1) Can you figure out the gender of each speaker who makes these utterances?
female utterances : a, b, d, e, g;
male utterances: c, f, h
(2) What evidence in terms of lexical choice do you have to support your judgment?
d. Oh,(interjection) centuries and centuries, so (intensifier) long that I’m sure I’m dead and buried, and this dear old place ( weak expletive) is heaven. (Edith 1968:18)
e. It is all very (intensifier) strange. So suddenly to be gone! … and last night he was with us so happy, so cheerful, so affectionate? And now, after only ten minutes notice — gone too without intending to return! (Austen)
f. The hell (strong expletive) he is. The hell he’s ever been a good fellow (slang). (Hemingway: Fifty Grand, p229)
g. I used to care immensely (intensive adv) too: my life was full of such things.. (Edith 1968:108)
h. They’re all a little (hedger) vexed with me for setting up for myself — poor Granny especially. (Edith 1968:77)
i. You’ll be a damn (strong expletive) sight sicker when Walcott gets through with you. (Hemingway: Fifty Grand, p228)
j. I think (hedger) we should (modal verb) go and help to make it a success. I think I should go with Melly because — well, (interjection) I think it would look better for us both to be there instead of just one. Don’t you think so, Melly? (Mitchell 1974:163)
k. His old man (slang) got the dough (slang) for him all right.
3.
(1) What occupations do they refer to?
a. sanitation engineer ( garbage man/垃圾工人)
b. press operator (press man/印刷工人)
c. taste technician (shopping counsel /购衣参谋 )
d. garbologist ( garbage man/垃圾工人)
e. weldor ( welder/电焊工人)
f. dining-room attendant (waiter/餐厅招待 )
g. chimney consultant (chimney cleaner /烟囱清洁工)
h. wild animal trainer (wild animal trainer/驯兽员)
(2) What morphological devices are used to uplift the humble occupations?
There are two morphological devices used here:
a. To change one morpheme of the compound from pejorative to neutral or from neutral to commendatory;
b. To use words ending with Latin suffixes such as “-ician”, “-or” and “-ologist” which sound more decent;
4.
(1) unisex restroom 男女通用公厕
(2) Chinese learners are also very likely to misunderstand the following euphemisms. Do you know their true meanings?
a. comfort station 公共厕所
b. social disease 性病
c. French letter 避孕套
d. pay day 死亡之日
e. deep six 坟墓
f. nature stop （停车）上厕所
g. gypsy’s kiss 小便
h. sport house 妓院
i. inner city 城市中的贫民区
5. The birth, development and death of a euphemism usually follow two rules: the Gresham’s Law and the Law of Succession. According to the former law, for a word with both a favorable and an unfavorable meanings (in some cases, a neutral meaning), the unfavorable meaning will ultimately drive the other meaning out of use. According to the latter law, after being used for a period, a euphemistic word may lose its meaning partly or totally. Then a new euphemistic word will take its place. The same may happen to the second word, the third word …… which forms a chain of succession.
The following is quoted from what a young female Afro-American said:
I used to think that I was poor. Then they told me that I wasn’t poor, I was needy. They told me that it was self-defeating to think of myself as needy, I was deprived. Then they told me deprived was a bad image, I was underprivileged. Then they told me underprivileged was overused, I was disadvantaged. The social work told me I belong to the low-income brackets. I still don’t have a dime, but I have a great vocabulary.
All the underlined words are euphemisms for “poor”, but they are popular in different periods.
ASK:
(2) Can you translate this passage into Chinese? Can you keep the euphemistic favor in your translation?
过去我认为我穷。可是他们告诉我，我不是穷，而是有需求。他们又说认为自己是有需求的，这很伤自尊，我应该是被剥夺的人。不久，他们又告诉我被剥夺的人形象不好，我应该是丧失应有权利的人。然后他们又说“丧失应有权利”这种说法已经过时了，我应该是弱势群体一分子。社工说我属于低收入一栏。我依旧一文不名，但却学到了一大堆新词。
6.
(1) These sentences differ in euphemistic degree. Can you arrange them from the most euphemistic to the least?
c→a→e→b→d
Post-Class Tasks
1.（略）
2. Read the following pairs of sentences. Can you find the sexist implications hidden behind the words?
a. It is anything but easy to remold a woman of easy virtue.(轻浮的)
Mr. Smith is an easy teacher. （宽容的）
b. He was told to avoid loose woman. （行为不检点的）
His loose manner in the class always annoyed teachers. （自由散漫的）
c. He is an old woman. (他是个婆婆妈妈的人)
Is he man enough to play the role? （有男子汉气概的）
d. At nights, the street crawled with thieves and tramps. （妓女）
The tramp slept on the park bench. （流浪汉）
e. George is a fast friend. （可靠的）
Jennie is a fast woman. （放荡的）
f. He treats all women like professionals. （妓女）
Only professionals are qualified for this boxing match. （职业选手）
3. What follows is taken from The Life of King Henry the Eighth written by Shakespeare. Try to find the honorific expressions in it.
The underlined words and expressions in what follows are honorifics.
(Act I Scene I)
Enter BRANDON; a Sergeant-at-Arms before him.
BRANDON: Your office, sergeant; execute it.
SERGEANT: Sir, My Lord the Duke of Buckingham, and Earl of Hereford, Stafford, and Northampton, I arrest thee of high treason, in the name of out most sovereign king.
BUCKINGHAM: Lo you, my lord, the net has fall’n upon me! I shall perish under device and practice.
BRANDON: I am sorry to see you taken from liberty, to look on the business present. ‘Tis his highness’ pleasure you shall to the Tower.
(Act I Scene II)
Enter QUEEN KATHARINE, …… she kneels. The KING riseth from his state, takes her up, kisses, and placeth her by him.
QUEEN KATHERINE: Nay, we must longer kneel. I am a suitor.
KING HENRY: Arise, and take place by us: half your suit never name to us; you have half our power; the other moiety, ere you ask, is given. Repeat your will, and take it.
QUEEN KATHERINE: Thank you majesty. That you would love yourself, and in that love not unconsidered leave your honour, nor the dignity of your office, is the point of my petition.
KING HENRY: Lady mine, proceed.
QUEEN KATHERINE: I am solicited, not by a few, and those of true condition, that your subjects are in great grievance. There have been commissions sent down among them, which hath flawed the heart of all their loyalties: wherein, although, my good Lord Cardinal, they vent reproaches most bitterly on you, as putter-on of these exactions ……
4. Pick out the euphemisms in the following sentences and translate them into Chinese.
a. 成千上万的人涌进医院向这位影星的遗体（the remains）致敬。
b. 他的女儿头脑不大灵（weak）。
c. 我们参观了敬老院（House for Adults）。
d. 你太当真了。非婚生子（love child）也没什么丢人的。
e. 我们应运用主动防御（active defense）打垮塔利班。
5. (略)
6. Euphemisms are used out of different motivations. Look at the following sentences. Can you find euphemistic expressions in these sentences? What do they refer to? Can you tell the motivations lying under these euphemistic expressions? Can these motivations be generalized as functions of the euphemisms?
euphemistic expression / referent / motivationa. at rest / death / to avoid a taboo
b. nursing homes for golden agers / rest home for the old / to sweeten the unpalatable or round the hard edges
c. electric cure / electrocution / to cover the hard reality
d. pay a call of nature / go to the toilet / to replace vulgarism with refined wording
e. the deceased / the dead / To avoid a taboo
f. collateral damage / civilian casualties / to sweeten the unpalatable or round the hard edges
g. exceptional child / retarded child / to sweeten the unpalatable or round the hard edges
h. has broken wind / fart / to replace vulgarism with refined wording
Unit 11
Check Your Understanding
State whether each of the following statements is TRUE or FALSE.
a. F / b. T / c. Fd. F / e. F
In-Class Activities
1. (略)
2.
(1) Can you give more examples of this type from both English and Chinese?
One father is more than a hundred school masters. 父亲一人，胜过师长百位。
He is ten times the man you are. 他比你高明得多。
(2) (略)
(3) In Chinese numerical idioms, numbers often appear in pairs, such as 一清二楚 and 七上八下. Is there any similar numerical idiom in English?
by ones and twos
It takes two and sevens
At sixes and sevens
3.
(1) (略)
(2)
一模一样 / as like as two peas in a pod / partly equivalent半斤八两 / six of one and half a dozen of the other / partly equivalent
张三李四 / every Tom, Dick and Harry / not equivalent
百闻不如一见 / Seeing is believing. / not equivalent
一锹挖不成一口井 / An oak is not fallen at one chop. / completely equivalent
脚踏两只船，早晚要落水 / Between two stools one falls. / completely equivalent
一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草绳 / A burnt child dreads the fire. / not equivalent
4.
（1）
a. 十三点：不明事理、傻里傻气的人
b. 百年之后：人死之后
c. 七三八四：乱七八糟，不顺耳的话
d. 二五眼：差劲（的人）
e. 第三者：没有丈夫或妻子的合法权利而占据此位置的人
f. 二百五：傻头傻脑而又莽撞倔强的人
（2）
a. 30
b. a forty-four
c. five-by-five （矮胖的）
d. a two-by-four （色情杂志）
e. eighty-six （将酒鬼赶出去）
f. five-fingers （小偷）
g. fifth wheel （多余的人或东西）
h. three-letter man (男同性恋者)
5. (略)
6.
(1) a land of butter and honey/鱼米之乡；
make bricks without straw/无米之炊；
spring up like mushrooms/雨后春笋;
(2) (略)
(3) neither fish nor flesh (alliteration)
as poor as a church mouse (simile)
cold fish (metaphor)
out of sight, out of mind (parallelism)
A great ship asks deep water. (personification)
Post-Class Tasks
1. Find out the connotative meaning of color words in the following English or Chinese idioms:
a. show a yellow streak (cowardice) / b. 命赴黄泉 (death)c. yellow ribbon (hope) / d. 黄袍加身 (royalty)
e. in a black mood (sadness) / f. 黑户口 (illegal)
g. as black as thunder (anger) / h. 黑风孽海 (evil)
i. blue blood (nobility) / j. 白璧无瑕 (purity)
k. blue chip (outstanding) / l. 红得发紫 (popularity)
m. red hands (bloodiness) / n. 红白喜事 (wedding)
o. in the red (debt) / p. 看破红尘 (secularity)
q. green hand (new; inexperienced) / r. 脱白挂绿 (power)
s. green power (money) / t. 绿帽子 (humiliation)
2. A Twin Formula refers to an unchanged pair of words that are joined by a conjunction or a preposition, often with alliteration or assonance (e.g. black and blue; near and dear). Find out the interrelationship of the two components in each of the following twin formula (For example, in by and by, the elements are identical).
a. 同义
b. 连接
c. 重复
d. 对立
e. 同义
f. 连接
g. 修饰
h. 对立
3. Proverbs contain the cream of national wisdom and serve as a window to the target culture. Find out the Chinese counterparts of the following English proverbs.
a. It never rains but it pours. 祸不单行
b. To look for a needle in a haystack. 大海捞针
c. You cannot eat your cake and have it. 鱼和熊掌不可兼得
d. Money makes the mare go. 有钱能使鬼推磨
e. Even Homer sometimes nods. 智者千虑也有一失
f. Don’t gild the lily. 不要画蛇添足
g. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. 初生牛犊不怕虎
h. Better to rein in hell than serve in heaven. 宁为鸡首，毋为牛后
4. As introduced in pre-class reading, history, literary works and religion are main cultural constraints of English idioms. Find out the historical, literary or religious origins of the following idioms.
(1) Penelope’s web 永远做不完的工作 [源自古希腊诗人荷马的作品。当尤利西斯远征特洛伊时，其妻帕涅罗珀（Penelope）不断受到求爱者之扰，为了摆脱纠缠，她答应在做完公公的寿衣后选择一位。她白天做晚上拆，一直拖到丈夫回来把求爱者全都杀了。]
(2) beggar description 难以形容 [源自莎士比亚的《安东尼和克莉奥佩特拉》第二幕第三场，此词用来形容克莉奥佩特拉美丽绝伦 （For her own person it beggared all description.）]
(3) cast the first stone 首先攻击 [源自《圣经﹒新约﹒约翰福音》第八章第七节：耶稣从橄榄山回到圣殿，这时一些人带着一个妇人来，让她站在中间，然后对耶稣说这妇人是在行淫时被捉到的，并要求按照摩西法律，用石头将这妇人打死。耶稣却对他们说：“你们中间谁是没有罪的，谁就可以先拿石头打她。”（He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.）]
(4) the dancing monkey 原形毕露 [源自《伊索寓言》。一位王子训练几只猴子跳舞。猴子天生聪明伶俐，善于模仿人的动作。当它们穿上华丽的衣服，戴上面具跳舞时，无论与哪位大臣相比都毫不逊色。一次，一位大臣从衣袋里拿出一把坚果，向台上抛去，猴子一见就忘掉跳舞，拉下面具，扯破戏袍，为抢坚果互相撕斗，丑态百出。]
(5) golden fleece 历尽千辛万苦获得的宝物 [源自希腊神话。古希腊波俄提亚国王抛弃妻子，令求新欢。后母虐待前妻所生的一对儿女，准备杀了他们以祭宙斯。幸好赫尔墨斯给了他们一头长着翅膀、浑身是金毛的公羊。姐弟二人骑着羊飞向远方。当飞过欧亚交界的一个海峡时，姐姐赫勒看到下面波涛滚滚，吓得头晕目眩，坠海而亡。弟弟佛里克索斯骑着金羊，到了黑海东岸的科尔喀斯国。国王热情地款待了他，并把女儿许配给他。为了感谢神恩，佛里克索斯杀了金羊祭献宙斯，并把羊毛赠给国王。国王就把金羊毛皮钉在战神阿瑞斯的圣林中的一棵橡树上，由一条永不睡眠的巨龙守护着。后来，忒萨利亚王子伊阿宋为了觅取金羊毛，率领阿耳戈英雄历尽艰险到达科尔喀斯国。但国王要他们用火牛耕地，把龙牙种在地里，并战胜巨龙后才给金羊毛。由于公主美狄亚的帮助，伊阿宋从橡树上取下了金羊毛。]
(6) have stones in one’s mouth 口齿不清；口吃 [源自古希腊雄辩家狄摩西尼斯的故事。据说他小时候有严重的口吃，但他以顽强的毅力和充分的信心，嘴里含着卵石在海边练习演说，终于克服自己的口吃，成为一流的雄辩家。]
(7) Knowledge is power. 知识就是力量。[源自英国文艺复兴时期的著名哲学家和散文大师培根的《道德与政论文集》。]
(8) Stick one’s nose into other’s business. 过问与自己无关的事 [源自西班牙作家塞万提斯的话：I never thrust my nose into other men’s porridge. It is no bread and butter of mine; every man for himself, and God for us all.]
5.
a. dog eat dog 残酷无情的竞争
b. get cold feet 胆怯；萎缩不前
c. child’s play 容易干的事
d. a storm in a tea cup 小题大做
e. touch and go 情况危急
f. your guess is as good as mine. 我和你一样不知道。
g. or I’m a Dutchman. 我敢肯定。
h. ask me another. 我不知道。
6.
Name taboo also exists in English culture. It is one of Christian traditions, because the name of God is forbidden from direct reference. It is believed by Christians that anyone who calls God’s name in making an oath will irritate God and be severely punished. However, English people have a tradition of asking God to witness their oath. How to rid themselves of this dilemma? Hence came various euphemisms for God’s name. These euphemisms are formed by the following devices: ① phonetic device (e.g. God being mispronounced as Gad, Gosh or Godfrey); ② spelling device (e.g. God being misspelled as Dog; Jesus Christ as J.C. ); ③ semantic device (e.g. God being addressed as the Almighty / the Creator; Jesus Christ as the Redeemer / the Saviour).