说说老外们的幽默感
日期:2009-10-11 12:01

(单词翻译:单击)

句法结构双关

  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in the nude在句中不同功能的理解,即作定语或作状语。
语义双关

  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 gain some INTETRST. If free Friday, would you care to DEPOST yourself beside me at a movie? I have taken into ACCOUNT that you maybe previously engaged; if so I will WITHDRAW my offer and hipe Saturday. At any RATE, your company would much enjoy, and I hope you 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 and dogs"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。

语音双关

 3 语音双关

  语音双关例一:The things my wife buy at auctions are keeping 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 impressed from her school first day at school. Asked how she got on, she replied:" Every morning, we all have to sit at our desk and when the 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。

  语音双关例三:--"You're not eating your fish," the waitress 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 no see"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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重点单词
  • impressedadj. 外加的;印象深刻的;了不起的;受感动的
  • prisonern. 囚犯
  • engagedadj. 忙碌的,使用中的,订婚了的
  • withdrawvt. 撤回,取回,撤退 vi. 退回,撤退,走开
  • sincerelyadv. 真诚地,真心地
  • assessv. 估定,评定
  • previouslyadv. 先前,在此之前
  • checkn. 检查,支票,账单,制止,阻止物,检验标准,方格图案
  • dislikev. 不喜欢,厌恶 n. 不喜爱,厌恶,反感