英语新闻语篇的用词特点

谭卫国 （上海师范大学 )

Key words:

English news, features of diction, texts, registers

Abstract: Words and phrases used in English news texts are rich and varied. This paper discusses the main features of diction in English news texts: proper nouns and numerals emerge in large numbers;

abbreviations and news-style words appear frequently;

modals and reporting verbs apply properly; new words and phrases come out in a steady stream; vivid and graphical words are quite appealing; colloquialisms and formal words & phrases co-exist harmoniously; omission of words often occurs; news registers are of various kinds. The paper illustrates these diction features, explains the reasons of their appearance and points out their functions.

一、专有名词和数字数词大量涌现 1 ． 1 专有名词处处可见

（ 1 ） KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug.25----Dayna Lesli Curry and Heather Mercer are the two American aid workers whom the Taliban claim to have caught “red handed,” foisting their Christian faith on Afghan Muslims in a conspiracy to entice them away from Islam. ( New York Times , Aug. 26, 2001)

（ 2 ） Bonn had also told Damascus it did not intend to impound the banks and expressed a desire to settle the issue cordially... ( New Zealand Herald, Feb.5, 1992)

(3) Notwithstanding Afghanistan, notwithstanding the Olympic Games, Carter needs to talk to Brezhnev.… (Fredrickson. English By Newspaper. Newbury House. P.56)

1 ． 2 数字数词大量涌现 （ 4 ） During the term of this governm

ent, we have issued a total of 510 billion yuan of treasury bonds. With issuance of treasury bonds, we have managed to mobilize capital from the banks and other sectors. As a result, over two trillion yuan has been spent on various projects, including over 25,500 km of highways, of which 8,000 km are expressways.

We have also built 4,000 km of trunk railways. If we also include the figures for the electrified railways and upgraded railways to make them double track, then the total mileage exceeds 7,000km. We have also upgraded power grids in rural areas. The number of subscribers of fixed lines and mobile phones has reached 320 million. (Beijing Review, March 28, 2002, Bilingual Club, p. 2.)

二、缩略词和新闻体词广为运用 2 ． 1 缩略词频频出现 2.1.1 按原形读的单词缩略词 homo =homosexual; flu =influenza; sc

ope = microscope, radarscope, telescope; Feb. = February, Jan. = January. b = billion; m = million; pc = percent; mgr. = manager; jr.= junior; sr = senior.

2.1.2 按字母分别读出的首字母缩略词 BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation; GMT =

Greenwich Mean Time ； UFO = Unidentified Flying Object

2.1.3 按音节读的首字母缩略词 APEC = Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperatio

n; NATO = the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; UNESCO = the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

2. 2 新闻体词比比皆是

英语媒介常用 bid 代替 attempt or effort, 用 probe 代替 investigate ， 用 cut 代替 reduce or reduction, 用 chief 或 head 代替 commander, director 或 governor, 用 deal 代替 bargain 或 transaction

（ 5 ） Swiss Ban on Chinese Poultry Imports Lifted Under Conditions. (Beijing Review. April 25, 2002, p.29)

（ 6 ） Sino-U.S. Ties Winding Ahead. (ibid. Feb. 21, p. 7)

（ 7 ） How should we curb corruption ? (ibid. Feb. 14, p.22)

（ 8 ） Tornado Hits Florida (New York Times, Jun. 23, p. 4)

下面是一些长短不一的成对同义词。新闻工作者往往选短的，尤其是选用短的做新闻标题。

accord—agreement, aide—assistant, foil—thwart, hike—increase, kill—murder, pact—agreement, parley—negotiate, plot—conspire, post—position, quit—resign, raze—destroy, rift—separation, row—argument, shakeup—reorganize, slay—murder, tourney—tournament, vow—pledge/promise, drive—campaign

三、情态词和引述动词使用恰当 3 ． 1 情态词使用颇多 （ 9 ）“… bad infrastructure will let you down. U

nreliable servers, insufficient storage systems and disparate software applications can wreak havoc on your electronic business…. ”

（ 10 ）“… The plan should include three key elements. It must allow emissions trading in order to reduce costs and induce all nations to participate. It must ask developing countries to adopt a ceiling against which their reductions can be measured….”

3. 2 引述动词恰到好处 …. PRESIDENT Jiang Zemin told visiting Frenc

h Defense Minister Charles Million on Monday that China will sign a major international treaty before the end of this year.

…Jiang said, China is ready to sign the UN’s international Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights… the Chinese Government has made efforts to achieve its people’s rights of subsistence and development, Jiang pointed out…

Million expressed pleasure at hearing that China intends to sign the international Covenant…

It’s normal and inevitable that different views on human rights exist in different countries…he observed….

Jiang emphasized that China has always held …. Noting that…Jiang said he hopes that France will

continue to play a constructive role… Calling it a wise and far-sighted decision, Jiang said it demonstrates that France has an ….

四、新词语源源不断 4 ． 1 旧词衍生新义 现列出英语新闻中一些旧词添新义的词语。其原义

( 放在括号内 ) 和新义分别给出： angel ( 天使 ) ， 难得碰上的事情； basket （篮子），一组问题（建议、决议）； bells （铃），喇叭裤； blue collar （蓝领），体力劳动； dove （鸽），温和派； exotic （舶来品），脱衣舞女； hawk （鹰），主战派，强硬派； hiccup （打嗝），股市短暂跌价； hijack （拦路抢劫），空中劫持； rap （敲击），抨击； sex symbol （性象征），性感演员； source （来源），消息灵通人士； topless （无顶的），袒胸露臂的； umbrella （雨伞），保护伞。

4 ． 2 旧词派生新词 anti-pollution drive 反污染运动， auto-timer 自动定时

器， disinformation 假情报， workaholic 工作迷， geo-hygiene 全球环境卫生 , hyper-media 大型传媒装置 , interurban bus 市内公共汽车 , intra-Nato affairs“ 北约”内部事物， multi-lateral diplomacy 多边外交 , neo-realism 新现实主义， non-government party 在野党 , pre-marriage cohabit 婚前同居， post-doctoral fellow 博士后研究员 , post-Mao China 毛时代后的中国， pro-hanging lawmaker 赞成绞刑的议员 , pro-reform leader 赞成改革的领导者， technomania 技术狂， conflict-ridden region 冲突四起的地区。

4 ． 3 新事催生新词语 比如， 1957 年 10 月 4 日，前苏联发射了世界

上第一颗人造卫星，开辟了人类探索宇宙的新纪元。新闻记者将之按俄文字母拼为 Sputnik 1 Satellite 。 接着，一系列以 -nik 为后缀的新词语应运而生 , 而且还在出现 （张健， 1994 ：183-85 ）。如： citynik 都市迷， computernik电脑专家， peacenik 热爱和平的人。又如， 1969 年 7 月 20 日，美国的阿波罗（ Apollo ）宇宙飞船登月成功，各国媒体竞相报道。这一重大事件导致了许多新词语问世。如： moonwalk 月面行走 , moon-craft 月球飞船， Space Age太空时代， space colony 宇宙空间移民区， space shuttle航天飞机。

下面列出一些散见于英语报刊的新词语

euthanasia安乐死 , eyelids-slicing operation 双眼皮手术 , vanity surgery美形手术 , economic blast-off经济腾飞 , fluctuating salary浮动工资 , Fourth World 第四世界 /贫困集团 , fringe benefit附加福利 , green card绿卡 , job-hopper跳槽者 , blanket-bombing 地毯式轰炸 , Blue Berets 联合国部队， contract marriage协议试婚 , honey trap美人计 , sex pervert 性变态者 , bullet train超高速火车 , flyover立交桥 , fringe time非黄金时间 , prime time黄金时间 , sound-and-light光幻音响。

五、生动形象的词语俯拾即是 5. 1 名词、动词用作形象词语 （ 12 ） Struggling Kim ready to shake up cabinet President Kim Young-sam embarked on a major cabinet resh

uffle yesterday to avoid being labelled a lameduck leader during his last year in office.

Earlier, his State Council ministers offered to resign to give him a free rein in carrying out the shake-up…. Leaders of the New Korea Party and top presidential aids offered to step down .…Mr Kim … who battled previous military rulers, took power in 1993, promising a corruption-free society. But the Government is lurching from one corruption scandal to another….

5 ． 2 形容词用作形象词语 (13)… Witnesses said Mr Yeltsin’s face looked waxen,

as if he were wearing make-up….( ibid. Feb.22, 1997) (14)… The conditions for China to introduce an inherit

ance tax are getting more mature…. ( AFP, Feb.14, 1997)

(15)… Tarim…is an inhospitable, desert region in the far northwestern province of Xinjiang….( ibid.Dec.12, 1996)

(16)… the most notable buildings on the block were a sweep of picturesque stables…

六、书面语与口语并行不悖 （ 17 ） The purchase of the turbines a

nd generators for the project is expected to trigger a major war among leading suppliers of hydro-generators around the world, Qin said.

If all goes according to plans, the turbines will start generating electricity in the year 2003….

（ 18 ）… tensions rose yesterday after Pakistan defiantly test-fired a ballistic missile…Yesterday’s test of a Ghauri ballistic missile was hailed as “ a great success” by President Pervez Musharraf. “God is great,” he said three times on national television. Pakistan is “ready for war”, he said: “ We do not want a war ， but we are not afraid. Let nobody have any misunderstanding about this….” ( Times, May 26, 2002)

七．词的省略习以为常 （ 19 ） 227 arrested in Chile as thousands take to

street ( = 227 people are arrested in Chile as thousands of people take to street) (20) Russia-Georgia Relations at Odds ( = Russia-Georgia Relations are at Odds) (21) They Have Reason to Smile (= They Have a Reason to Smile ) (22) U. S. Foreign Relations Act Unacceptable ( = The U. S. Foreign Relations Act is Unacceptable ) (23) NPC wants to make sure pupils attend school ( = NPC wants to make sure that pupils attend school) (24) U.S. , Japan In Pact on Electronics ( = U.S. and Japan Are in Pact on Electronics )

八． 新闻语域多种多样 （ 25 ） Features of the Three Chinese Spacesh

ips Shenzhou One was a prototype of a manned spa

cecraft on which , for the first time, China applied the new technologies of vertical assembly building and tests of the combined body of a spacecraft and booster rockets, vertical transportation of the combined body to launching site, and long-distance monitoring and control of the launching. Based on its existing Telemetry Tracking and Command ( TT&C ) network.

China established a new TT&C network consisting of TT&C ground stations and ships, which was up to international standards. It was also put into use for the first time during the Shenzhou One launch. After the Shenzhou One entered space, TT&C ground stations and four Yuanwang tracking ships stationed on high seas around the world tracked the spacecraft mission, while making a series of scientific tests…

（ 26 ） THE Morning Star sends May Day greetings to the working people throughout the world. This is the 100th anniversary of May Day as a labor movement festival … a world socialist system … the working class … state power… working people … Socialist countries … international differences … the heyday of imperialism… colonial or semi-colonial slavery… imperialism… political independence … colonialism … neo-colonialism … the third world … developed capitalist countries … the organized working class … multinational capitalism … publicly-owned industries … trade unions … class collaboration … right-wing Labor leaders … progressive left … the Communist Party … Marxism … social development … class struggle …organized working class…Socialism…disunity… capitalism’s problems … the road to socialism.

英语新闻用词丰富多彩，新闻语域各种各样。按词语分类是新闻语篇报道人物、表达思想的一个极为重要的有机成分，特别是在报道女性、年轻人、少数种族等社会群体的新闻语篇中，按词语分类构成区别他们的基础。  本文谈到了英语新闻的主要用词特点，还有指示词和外来词也运用频繁，字体和拼写富有变化等明显特点因篇幅有限不能在此一一论述。