老外们的幽默感
老外们喜欢幽默,日常生活中许多英语幽默来自于对语言的巧妙运用,尤其是对双关语的运用。老外们的幽默感通过双关语得到了淋漓尽致地发挥。1.句法结构双关
例句:
--"Do you ever draw picture in the nude?"
--"No, I usually wear a jacket."
对话中,提问的人是想问“你有没有画过裸体画”,而回答的人却理解为“你曾经光着身子画过画吗?”这则幽默中双关产生的原因是对inthe
nude在句中不同功能的理解,即作定语或作状语。
2.语义双关
语义双关例一:一个男孩子为了追求一个在银行窗口工作的女孩子,便在递交存折的同时附上了一张小纸条。
"Dear M:
I have been SAVING this question in the hope that I might gainsome
INTETRST. If free Friday, would you care to DEPOST yourselfbeside me at a movie?
I have taken into ACCOUNT that you maybepreviously engaged; if so I will
WITHDRAW my offer and hipeSaturday. At any RATE, your company would much enjoy,
and I hopeyou will not ASSESS this as too forward. Check you late。
Sincerely B."
如此有创意的求爱方式,女孩子能不为之心动么。男孩子巧妙运用银行术语(deposit, withdraw, account,assess,
check)与日常环境的不同意思,以独特的方式表达了自己的爱慕之情。
语义双关例二:英语习惯用语生动形象,用在一定的语境中,可以产生一语双关的效果。
--What weather does mice most dislike?
--When it is raining cats and dogs。
"Cats anddogs"是倾盆大雨的意思。这则幽默取其字面意思,猫狗都从天上掉下来了,老鼠自然不喜欢了。
3.语音双关
语音双关例一:The things my wife buy at auctions arekeeping me baroque。
这是一位男士利用baroque(形式怪样的)与broke(破产)的相近读音来表达对妻子花钱大手大脚的不满。
语音双关例二:Six year old Linda returned impressedfrom her school first day at
school. Asked how she got on, shereplied:" Every morning, we all have to sit at
our desk and whenthe teacher calls our names, we have to answer 'prisoner'
!"
当老师点名时,学生应该回答"present"。而Linda利用"prisoner"与"present"的相近读音,表达了对学校生活的不满。
"long time no sea"
语音双关例三:--"You're not eating your fish," thewaitress asked him, "Anything
wrong with it?"
--"Long time no sea," the customer replied。
"Long time no sea"鱼久不见海,肯定不新鲜。而"Long time
nosee"是朋友见面时所用的寒暄语,相当于老朋友久别重逢时说的“好久不见”。Sea与see是同音异形异义词,这位顾客巧妙地运用这一点,指出了鱼不好吃,不新鲜。
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