改错练习

In an effort to explain how most of language, which is not so directly relatable to meaning, derived from an onomatopoeic beginning, the discipline of etymology began. Through studying the derivational history of words (etymology) the naturalists tended to demonstrate that the origin of all of language was ultimately relatable to words which directly reflected the meanings of their referents.(1)____
The first philosophical forum on language eventually was developed into a discussion on the regularity of language patterns.(2)____ Two basic theoretical positions merged as explanatory frameworks for language, that which opted for irregularity and that which insisted that language was essentially regular.(3)____ From the pre-eminence of latter position it became popular to explain the irregularities of language on the basis language somehow became corrupted with proper usage through time; this theoretical position regarded the older forms of language to be the pure forms.(4)____(5)____(6)____(7)____
By the Nineteenth Century there was a severe reaction to the highly speculative nature of the philosophizing about the original language of man which had characterized much of the study of language up until then. The interest was still historical, and the goal was not so idealistic.(8)____ It was a romantic era of a rediscovery of the national past; the mother tongues of nations and families of nations rather than the mother tongue of the whole human race became the focus of attention. The romantic nationalism was a definite influence, but perhaps a more basic cause of the more real goal was the reaction to previously unscientific speculations.(9)____(10)____

答案解析

文章大意
本文讨论的是语言的起源。为了解释语言是由模拟自然界的声音开始的，词源学诞生了。通过研究词的起源，博物学家试图证明语言的起源与那些直接反映其所指物意义的词相关。第一个语言哲学论坛最终演变成对语言形式规则性的讨论，产生了语言是不规则的和规则的两大理论观点。19世纪人们对人类语言起源高度推测性的理论研究产生了强烈的反应，人们重新探索国家的过去、关注国家的母语，而不是整个人类的母语。
答案详解
1．tended→intended词汇错误。tend to do表示“倾向于做……”，intend to do表示“想要，打算做……”，此处要表达的意思是“博物学家想要证明语言的起源与那些直接反映其所指物意义的词相关。”故应把tend改为intend，符合上下文语义。
2．was→was语法错误。此句的主语核心词forum与谓语动词develop之间是主动关系，应该用主动语态，意为“第一个语言哲学论坛最终发展成了对语言形式规则性的讨论”，故要把was删掉。
3．merged→emerged词汇错误。merge意为“合并，相融”，emerge意为“形成，出现”，此处要表达的意思是“形成了解释语言框架的两大基本理论观点。”故应该用merge的形近词emerge，符合上下文语义。
4．∧latter→the词汇错误。前句提到了两种基本的理论观点：语言是规则的和不规则的，此处指第二种观点，表示两者之中的“后者”前面需要加上定冠词the。
5．basis∧→that语法错误。此处是同位语从句，从句中不缺少任何成分，故需要用从属连词that引导，且不能省略。
6．proper→improper语篇错误。此句前面说到语言会逐渐出现错误(corrupted)，而此处则说恰当的用法，前后语义矛盾，故应改为反义词improper，与前面语义保持一致。
7．pure→purer词汇错误。本句前面用了比较级the older forms．相应地此处也应该用比较级，表示“这种理论观点认为越旧的语言形式越纯正。”故应把pure改为purer。
8．and→but语篇错误。由上下文语义判断，本句与前半句之间应该是转折关系，不是并列关系，前半句指出人们的兴趣仍然是从历史的角度解释语言，本句则指出目标不是理想主义的，前后形成对照，故应改为表转折关系的连词but。
9．real→realistic词汇错误。real意为“现实的，真实的”，强调真实存在的，realistic
意为“实际可行的，现实主义的”，此处和上文的idealistic goal（理想主义的目标）相对，故应该用realistic，表示“现实主义的目标”。
10. previously→previous词汇错误。previously为副词，意为“事先，先前”，此处若用来修饰unscientific，则语义不对，故应改为形容词形式previous（先前的，以前的），作定语，和unscientific一起修饰speculations 。