New world, new words 数码时代的新词汇
Vocabulary: brand new words 词汇: 全新词汇New words in the English language also include emoticons, like this one.
Have you learnt a lot of English words? Well, many more are being created right now! Neologisms appear all the time, especially linked to new technology. This not only represents more work for you but also annoys some native speakers of English.
Every age has its purists. Tom Chatfield, author of "Netymology: A Linguistic Celebration of the Digital World ", says that in the 16th Century, many people frowned upon neologisms with foreign influences. The poet Richard Willies said that they were "smelling too much of the Latin".
收听与下载
[*]
[*]
In the 19th Century, the English poet William Barnes suggested that the word "photograph" should be replaced by "sun print" in order to achieve proper "Englishness". It didn't catch on.
Now the debate about speech and writing is livelier than ever, says Mr Chatfield. He thinks the Digital Revolution is as significant as the Industrial Revolution, and there are many inventions and processes which have to be named.
From text messages and email to chat rooms and video games, technology has over the past few decades brought about an extraordinary new arena of verbal exchange. The controversy is not so much about foreign influence but informality and abbreviation. The Oxford English Dictionary acknowledged in 2011 the use of initials such as "oh my God" (OMG), "laughs out loud" (LOL) and "for your information" (FYI).
We are moving away from spoken words and towards the act of typing on to a screen. We've already grown so used to saying phrases like dotcom out loud that we forget we are speaking punctuation marks. And punctuation took a life of its own with emoticons.
The speed of communication today is matched by the speed with which new words are taken up. Bicycles, automobiles and telephones took decades to become a part of daily life as words and objects. With online offerings, new words are adopted in a matter of months. The verb "to google" has become a part of dozens of languages across the world.
Where habit leads, language follows. Only time will tell what endures. Meanwhile, as a student of the English language, you've got a lot of catching up to do.
Glossary 词汇表 （点击单词收听发音）
[*]
一个新词或旧词新意
[*]
一个说母语的人
[*]
语言纯正癖者
[*]
对某事物表现出不满
[*]
拉丁语
[*]
正式的、规矩的
[*]
开始流行
[*]
一个短信
[*]
一封电子邮件
[*]
一个聊天室
[*]
一个电子游戏
[*]
不拘礼节
[*]
缩写
[*]
“我的天”的英文缩写
[*]
“哈哈大笑”的英文缩写
[*]
“供参考”的英文缩写
[*]
网站
[*]
a punctuation mark一个标点符号
[*]
punctuation标点
[*]
an emoticon一个表情符
[*]
to catch up追赶上
页:
[1]