英语报刊语言特点.doc

Unit 4 Language features of English News Publication（45 minutes）报刊英语是一种特殊的文体, 主要受以下五个因素的影响和制约: 大众性,节俭性, 趣味性, 时新性和客观性。报刊是大众传媒,写作必须适合广大读者的阅读水平, 语言必须通俗易懂。报业十分珍惜版面, 要求新闻写作人员在有限的篇幅内尽可能提供大量丰富的信息。读者看报珍惜时间, 希望在短暂的时间里得到所要了解的信息,这就迫使新闻写作人员养 成文字简洁精练的风格。西方新闻界一向注重趣味性, 报刊又面临电视、广播、网 络传媒的巨大挑战,要想稳住报业市场就得增强趣味性, 因而新闻报道必须写得生动有趣。时新性是新闻价值之一。新闻报道在提供最新消息的同时也传播了相关的新词。此外, 不少新闻写作人员为了增强文章的吸引力, 在语言上刻意创新, 因而新闻英语具有新颖活 泼的特色。客观性是纯新闻报道所遵循的原则,没有客观性, 报道就要失去可信性,也就会没有读者。客观性要求新闻报道文字准确具体,避免情感用语和夸张手法。1. 报刊英语常见语法现象报刊英语的特点是准确、简练和浅显 , 具有新闻特性、符合新闻报道要求,适应新闻信息传播需要,不能使用文学作品 中夸张修饰或矫揉造作的手法。另外,记者还必须尽可能多 快好省地赶在截稿时间之前 , 借助各种行之有效的语法手段,在有限的版面内为读者展现真实清晰的新闻内容。因此 , 随 着时间的推移 , 报刊英语形成了一些区别于一般英语的显著 特征。就语法现象而言, 报刊英语主要具有以下几个特点 :1) 标题中的省略从语法上讲， 报刊英语的标题为了节省版面，通常只保留实意词，而把诸如动词“be”和冠词“the, an, a ”等一类没有实际意义、只有语法功能的虚词省略，因而就出现了标题中的形容词短语、动词不定式和动词分词（v+ing和v+ed）短语构成的“没有动词的谓宾结构”的特殊用法。a) 形容词短语单独作谓语在一般情形下，依照传统的英语语法规则，单独一个形容词或形容词短语是不能在句子中作谓语的，它必须与动词“be”或其他系动词连起来用。但在标题中却常常省略系动词以达到简略的目的。例如：Results Impressive away from Merger Mayhem Although it may seem otherwise, not every US pharmaceutical company has joined in the merger mayhem this quarter-and most of those that stayed above the fray have quietly turned in impressive results.(From Financial Times, January 27, 2000)b)分词短语作谓语按照常规的英语语法，动词“be+分词短语（包括现在分词和过去分词）或含有动词的现在或将来完成时、不同时态的被动式结构被用来作谓语。现在分词结构是表示正在进行或主动的语态，而过去分词短语结构作谓语表示的是已经完成的时态或被动语态。在新闻标题中的分词短语作谓语其实是省略了动词“be”。 为了理解方便，我们在阅读时若加上这个动词，标题的谓语就会符合常态下的语法习惯。例如：Identities of Hijack Suspects Released在美国的世界贸易中心和五角大楼于2001年9月11日被恐怖分子劫持的飞机撞击后，金融时报用上面貌、5个英文词作标题，刊登了一则有关劫机疑犯的消息。其中released就是was released的省略形式。 这样既命名文字表达简洁、紧凑，又使版面看上去更有冲击力的震撼力。c) 动词不定式作谓语不定式短语“be (intend, plan, be determined etc.)+to do”作谓语常常用来表示即将发生的事件。 在标题中，这些不定式前通常也省略了“be”等动词。例如：Japan to Help Elderly JoblessJapan said yesterday it would begin subsidizing business start-ups by elderly entrepreneurs in an effort to deal with rising unemployment among people in their early 60s.(From Financial Times, January 27, 2000)d)介词短语作谓语由于在标题中要节约空间，本来由动词“be”或其他动词+介词短语作谓宾结构的形式常常以介词短语的形式单独出现。例如：U.S. Airborne Units on Afghan Frontier Preparing to strike2) 宾语从句中引导词的省略新闻常常都要说明消息来源,也就是要说明信息或消息的出处。从语法上讲,在新闻英语中,主句常常是信息或消息的来源或出处,而它后面的宾语从句则是信息或消息的内容。比如 :China Daily said that中国日报报道 , ; Officials said .官方人士称 , 等。但是, 在英语新闻的报道中, 引导宾语从句的 that 被省略的情况比较常见。请看下面 这段新闻 :Microsoft Offers $1B to Schools By AllisonlinnFurniss said the proposed deal does not provide enough money to sustain the school programs and therefore would have no red long- tem benefits. He also said it provides no real punishment for Microsoft, which has cash reserves of some $32billion- (From Associated Press, November 21, 2001)在上面的这段新闻中, 两处的 said 之后都省略了 that 。 有时引导宾语从句的that也不省略, 引导词是否省略与新闻媒体各自不同的风格有关。3) 比较松散的句子结构新闻报道的句子大都比较长, 往往一段只有一句话。记者力求使用尽量少的篇幅, 报道尽量多的事实, 提供尽量广的知识。加之写稿发稿仓促, 往往想到新的情况和背景材料, 来 不及改动就随即增添或补插进去。因此, 插入成分较多, 句子结构显得比较松散。例如 :Microsoft Offers $1B to Schools By Allisonlinn The funding, to be disbursed over five yeas, would pay for teacher training, technica1support, refurbished computers and copies of Microsofts Windows and Office, to about 14spokesmen Mat PiLla said.(From Associated Press, November 21, 2001)这段新闻只有一句话: 微软公司决定向美国14% 的学校提供资助。句中 to be disbursed over five Years, 是动词不定式 作定语修饰前面的 funding, 这给新闻提供了背景材料。同时作者将 said 引导的宾语从句放在句首, 来强调重要的信息。整个句子结构松散, 明显是口语化的句子, 读起来短促有力。英语新闻中, 记者经常利用状语、定语、同位语、介词短语、名词短语等为新闻提供背景材料或对新闻的内容作进一步的说明 , 这就是新闻英语的句子结构显得松散和插入成分较多的原因。4) 直接引语标点符号的运用在新闻英语中, 直接引语用引号标明并在适当的地方加上消息来源 某某人、机构、书报说 。 某某说 放在直接引语之前、之后, 或者放在引语中间。 某某说 之前或之后可用冒号、逗号和句号。请看下面的例子 :a) 冒号之后接直接引语Cromer Resign as Seattle Weekly PublisherSchneideman said:” It really wasnt strategic; it was really style of leadership. We worked on it, we tried, but we just could1t see eye to eye on what to do about it.(From Associated Press, December 7,2001)在某某人说之后用冒号, 后面的直接引语可能是一句话, 也可能是几句话, 但必须是完整的句子。引号内的引语第一个字母大写, 句子结尾用句号。实际上, 直接引语放在 said 之后 , 这种情况在消息报道中用得并不多。b) 直接引语放在 said 之前3 Americans die in AfghanistanBy Robert BurnsAP Military Writer.This is one of the potentially most hazardous type of missions that we use as a military tactic ,sad Rear Adm John Stufflebeem, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.(From Associated Press, December 5,2001)直接引语放在前面, 提供消息内容的消息来源放在后面, 这是新闻英语的一个习惯表达方式。在新闻英语中, 这种安排是很常见的, 也突出了新闻的特点, 就是让读者尽早读到最重要的新闻内容。在上面的两段中, 引号内的原话虽然是一 个完整的句子, , 按照英语的习惯, 在没有交代清楚是谁说的之前, 它的句子仍不算完整。所以, 引语的末尾仍然用逗 号, 消息来源某某说后面才使用句号。c) 直接引语中间插入 saidNew Law Lets U.S. Nab Foreign Hackers By D .Ian HopperWe havent done that vet, because its an affront to the way the Internet works, Rasch said-But now were criminalizing anything that happens over the Internet because traffic passes through the United States-(From Associated Press, November 22, 2001)我们从上面的例子看到, 他说 插入在两个完整的句子 之间。第一个句子结尾用的是逗号, 在 他说 之后用句号 ; 这种情况与上面第二部分 直接引语放在 said 之前 的情况相同。 他说 后面接着的 But now were criminalizing anything. 是另一个完整的句子 , 所以用大写字母开头。但是, 必须注意这个句子仍然是前面 他 所说的内容。5) 被动语态的特殊用法 报刊英语尽管与一般英语文体相似, 在大量的篇幅中使用动词的主动语态形式, 但是, 被动语态的形式也时常出现 , 且频率多于其他文体。记者有时为了突出强调新闻事实或动作的接受者比执行者更重要时, 尤其是诸如一场灾难、战争、冲突、骚乱中的伤亡人员、人数, 犯罪案件中的被害者等读者迫切想要了解的事实时, 往往采用被动语态。例如 :MOSCOW (Reuters)-Chechnyas Moscow-backed president and the commander of Russian forces in the restive region have been killed by a bomb blast in a packed stadium during annual celebrations of Victory Day”, the Interfax news agency reports.(From The Reuters, May 9, 2004) 6) 不拘规则的时态呼应在传统英语语法中, 主句的谓语动词时态会影响宾语从句中谓语动词的时态,即时态的一致或呼应 (Sequence Tenses).同样, 将直接引语改为间接引语时动词时态也要作相应的变化。绝大多数的新闻报道都是关于刚刚发生或正在发生的事情, 因此记者总是尽量使用一般现在时态和现在完成时 态 , 以示 新 和 快 ; 为了把消息绘声绘色地传达给听众, 进行时态使用得也比较普遍。然而, 实际 , 报刊英语的时态呼应除基本遵循传统语法规则外, 还时常按照新闻事实发生的 时间变化与先后顺序酌情使用时态, 用法比较灵活。例如 :UNITIED NATIONS, New York一President George Bush wants 15 the former attorney general, Dick Thomburgh to take a new post at the United Nations ,overseeing the organization s budget and administration, UN and US officials say.Secretary General Butros Ghali asked Mr. Bush to find an American to fill this job when he attended the summit meeting of the Security Council here last month and the president then offered the job to Mr.Thomburgh, the official said.The new post, undersecretary-general for administration and management, involves overall responsibility for budget and personnel matters and is one of eight deputy positions created by Mr.Butros Ghali in a restructuring of the Secretariat announced on Friday, the officials said.(From The International Herald Tribune, February12, 1992) 7) 种类繁多的前置定语一般而言, 英语句子中的前置定语多为单词 , 但是, 在英语新闻写作中, 记者往往不拘泥于这种传统语法现象, 而是灵活地使用多重前置定语, 即同时使用两个或两个以上的单词甚至于一个句子来修饰某个词。例如 :The releases of Steen and American Joseph Cicippio, freed on Monday, indicated that seven-year-old hostage saga was speeding to an end. (From The New York Times, December 3, 1991)American journalist Terry Anderson, the longest-held American hostage , ,and Germans Thomas Kemptaner and Heinrich Struebig, are the last remaining Western captives in Lebanon.(From The Guardian, December 4, 1991)以上列举的这类大多由连字符连接的超长定语一目了然, 既简化了句子的结构, 又节省了文章的篇幅, 避免使用短语或从句的复杂用法, 既使于记者赶稿, 又能帮助读者加快阅读速度。当然, 尽管这类定语在一般英语写作中也偶尔出现, 却远不如报刊英语中那么常见。此外, 这类超长定语同中文的定语用法颇为相似, 对于中国读者来说, 比较熟悉, 容易 接受。从构成方式分析, 这类多重前置定语形式多样 , 常见的主要有以下十来种, 例如 :a) 名词 + 现在分词Yesterday, the troops were seen off by flag-waving, cheering crows, their tanks strewn with flowers.(From The Guardian, August 22, 1991) 类似的常见词语还可举出不少, 例如 :breath-taking scenery 令人赞叹不已的景色cancer-causing drugs致癌药物energy-saving device节能装置law-abiding resident守法居民peace-keeping force维和部队policy-making body 决策机构Pulitzer Prize-winning author 普利策奖获奖者time-consuming negotiation耗时的谈判b) 形容词 + 现在分词Although a 10 percent drop in the number of high-spending Americans will depress takings, they were more than compensated for by a 14 percent increase in European visitors this summer.(From The Australian, February 4, 1992) 这类词语还可举出一些 , 例如 :easy-going president待人随和的总统far-seeing diplomat 卓有远见的外交官high-ranking official 高级官员wide-spreading AIDS 四处蔓延的艾滋病c) 名词 + 过去分词Once freed, Mr.Gorbachev telephoned Boris Yeltsin, the Russian president who launched a spear-headed resistance to the coup.(From The Times, August 22, 1991) 这类词语还可举出许多 , 例如 :bottle-necked road瓶颈路段college-bred clerk受过大学教育的职员crisis-ridden economy 危机四伏的经济disaster-hit area灾区money-oriented politics金钱政治tongue-tied spokesman张口结舌的发言人d) 形容词 + 过去分词In light of this rush of cooperation, a high-powered delegation form Paris is likely to visit Beijing this year, escorted by a cluster of representatives from medium and small French enterprises, Guan said.(From China Daily, March 1, 1992) 下面再附列一些这类的常见词语 , 例如 :clean-cut analysis明晰的分析far-fetched explanations 牵强附会的解释long-faced job-loser愁眉苦脸的失业者quick-frozen food速冻食品short-lived coup短暂政变e) 副词 + 过去分词The ceremony Saturday was a hard-worn milestone in a mostly invisible yet intense diplomatic struggle to maintain control over the worlds largest array of long-range nuclear weapons as the Soviet Union splintered into many parts.(From The International Herald Tribune, May 25, 1992) 这类词语还可举出许多 , 例如 :dimly-lit room光线昏暗的房间highly-polished table擦得铮亮的桌子richly-paid job薪水丰厚的工作sparsely-populated area人口稀少的地区well-informed circles消息灵通人士f) 名词 + 形容词Only nine months after giving birth to her first child, Liz Mcolgan yesterday ended Britains week-long wait for a gold medal at the world championships.(From The Times, August 31, 1991)这类词语还可举出一些 , 例如 :capital-intensive country资本密集型国家city-wide competition全市性比赛inflation-proof deposit保值储蓄interest-free loan元息贷款year-long efforts整整一年的努力vehicle-free promenade步行街g) 名词 + 名词Numerous facts show that the North-South relations are going to deteriorate further instead of turning for the better,” he said, referring to the disparity between developed and developing country (From China Daily, January 31, 1992)这类词语还可举出许多 , 例如 :Arms-reduction taIks裁军谈判Hunger-strike sit-down 绝食静坐Korea-Japan trade朝日贸易snail-pace progress缓慢的进展world-class match世界水准的比赛year-end report 此年终报告h) 形容词 + 名词Mr.Gorbachev was immediately slighted by the former foreign minister Eduard Shevardndze, who refused to serve on his new-look security council, and yesterday Gavril Popov, the mayor of Moscow and Aleksandr Yakovlev, regarded as the father of perestroika, also rejected the presidents overtures.(From The Times, August 31, 1991) 这类词语还可举出一些 , 例如 :fair-trade agreement互惠贸易协定long-term loan长期贷款open-door policy门户开放政策red-carpet welcome隆重欢迎top-level talk 最高级会议i) 数词 + 名词The leaders walked briskly to the platform and read out the three-page document which spelt the end of the unitary Soviet state. (From The Guardian, September 4,1991)这类词语还可举出许多, 例如 :100-meter dash100赛跑one-egg twins 单卵性双胎one-shot criminal 初犯two-party system 两党制 two-way street 双行道路j) 名词 +to+ 名词 KANDAHAR,Aighanistan,Dec.18(Reuters)-Two U.S military transport planes came under fire over the southern Afghan desert on Tuesday in the first known ground-to-air missile attack since the United States launched its war on the Taliban and Osama bin Laden.(From The Times, December18, 2001) 这类词组还可以举出许多 , 例如 :Coast-to-coast protest 全国性的抗议dusk-to-dawn curfew彻夜宵禁face- to-face talk面晤hand-to-hand fighting臼刃战k) 连词 and 连接词组The Marines will be supplemented by units from the Navy Seals and shadowy Delta Force, specially trained for search-and-destroy missions.(From Observer, November 25, 2001)这类词语还可举出一些 , 例如 :hit-and-run driver肇事逃逸司机life-and-death experiment生死攸关的实验touch-and-go affair一触即发的局势wait-and-see policy 坐守观望的政策up-and-down market上下起伏的市场此外, 美国报刊中的一些特有表达方式, 对我们来说也比较生疏 , 如称 长途旅行 为 odyssey, 合作共事者 为 team player等等. 类似的词汇现象都有待于我们在具体阅读实践中结合上下文加以仔细琢磨和推敲。这样 , 久而久之 , 就能灵活掌握大量有用的词汇与短语, 从而形成英语的语感。8) 插入语的酌情镶嵌记者有时基于各种考虑, 适当在报道中用破折号引出插入语 , 以示醒目.由于插入语在语义上有相对的独立性, 它既可补充说明所叙述的新闻事件, 提供更多的背景材料, 又可反映有关人员在新闻事件发生后的意见、看法、观点等。例如 :a) Consumer confidence is up. Employment is up. The economy is clearly accelerating. Are we in for Bill Market? Or, put another way, do WaII Streets love-or at least like- the new president? You could make the case so far, though some are working if checkout time is near in the honeymoon suits.(From Fortune, March 18,1993 )b) There were immediate suspicions that Bill Clintons decision last week to airdrop relief supplies over Bosnia-a step that had seemed like a low-risk humanitarian - might have been answered in thunder by the Serbs .(From Times, March 8, 1993) 9) 直接、间接引语的频繁使用 新闻报道在很大的程度上是直接叙述人们所说的话以及他们的说话方式。因此, 记者必须经常酌情甚至大量地在报道中以直接或间接的方式引用别人的原话。这既可增添报道 的真实性和生动性 , 减少文字沉闷感 , 同时又能展示记者的客 观立场 , 使报道具有 最大限度的客观性 (Maximum Objectiveness), 使读者确信记者并未掺杂个人倾向 (Personal Slant) 。在具体操作中, 无论是直接引语或间接引语, 记者一般都会交代这是某某人说的。这个 某某人说 一般放在引语之前, 而更多的则是按新闻报道习惯置于引语之后, 这是因为阅读时目光一般总是自左至右来回扫视, 最先映入眼帘的文字较易于引起兴趣和注意。相比之下, 引语的内容 ( 即消息来源 所说的话 ) 比消息来源本身显得更为重要。此外, 记者有时还将 某某人说 插入较长的引语之中。例如 :“He has never acted as anything but a candidate,” says a senior Western diplomat. “He has always been an outsider looking in.”(From Newsweek, March 1, 1993) 10) 修辞手段的灵活运用新闻写作需要在忠实的原则和前提下最大限度地吸引读者的注意力。随着生活节奏日益加快 , 记者若想吸引读者百 忙中的注意力 , 有时还得借助某些修辞手段 , 以期增加报道的可读性，生动感和吸引力，这已几乎成为当今传媒相互较量、展开竞争的技法之一。新闻报道（尤以标题为多）中常用的修辞手法主要包括：押韵、幽默、比喻、夸张等。例如：South Africa: Groping for Growth (押韵)Korea: Enter Mr. Reform (幽默)Arms Makers, YesArms Merchants, No (对照)It was the first time that Mr. Clinton, who is facing the most severe political crisis of his career, picked the Pentagon as the backdrop for a major address. (比喻)(45 minutes)2. 报刊英语主要词汇特色报刊英语集现代英语之大成，如总统的庄严声明，民众的轻松谈话，各学科的术语，各领域的行话，风土人情乃至市井俚语，新闻英语保罗万象，面面俱到。新闻报道旨在传播消息，使广大读者能够较省时省力地看懂新闻，因此，新闻英语写作中常用缩略语，节缩词和简短语，遣词造句力求言简意赅。另外，新闻英语词汇在长期的实践中还形成了以下几大特色。1） 外来词语的掺用报刊英语词汇的一个显著特色就是经常掺用外来词语，尤其在新闻报道中当记者提及外国的或新近出现的事物时, 用以引起读者的兴趣与注意, 突出新闻报道的文化内涵, 增加新奇感 , 或更贴切地表达某词语的内涵。外来语一方面可以反映外国出现的事物,另一方面也可以增加文章的时效性、趣味性、可读性。这些外来语有些已经英语化而被人们所熟悉。例如 :a) Mozgovi said he studied newly discovered archive material during his research for the role that showed him Lenin was paralyzed before his death. “Lenins private life was a secret before perestroika,” he said. (From Observer, November 18, 2001)这段新闻报道的是有关列宁死因的调查, 俄语词perestroika ( 改革 )的使用, 增添了异国情调的色彩, 营造了一个特定的文化氛围。 b) Though he is losing his monopoly, the 79-3rear-old tycoon( 企业界的巨头) still wields considerable influence. (From The New York Times, December 20, 2001)2) 人、物名称的借用新闻英语的读者来自各行各业, 他们的文化水平高低悬殊、参差不齐, 这就要求记者在写作时尽可能使用大多数人都能容易理解而又生动形象的词语。其中较有效的手段之一就 是经常在新闻报道中借用各国首都等地名、著名建筑物名称 以及政府首脑姓名 , 以代替该国或其政府及有关机构; 有时还借用某个物名来表示某个意思, 这实属新闻英语的一个独创。例如 :a) The decision came under attack from missile defense advocates who said that the Pentagon needed to be developing protection against both long and short range missiles. (From The New York Times, December 6, 2001)Pentagon, 五角大楼（美国国防部大楼），常用作美国国防部的总称。b) Labours senior ex-minister, Tony Benn, warned that British troops could not continue doing humanitarian work in UN blue berets while United States pilots in blue berets launched the very air strikes which had triggered the hostage crisis. 新闻中的blue berets原是蓝色贝雷帽的意思，在这里指（头戴蓝色贝雷帽的）联合国维持和平部队。当然, 新闻英语中经常借用的人名、物名、建筑物名称乃至别名等专有名词多属司空见惯、为人熟知的。这类词语还可举出许多, 例如Big Apple 大苹果纽约Capitol (Hill)/Hill 国会山美国国会Chinese Wall 长城难以逾越的壁垒Downing Street 唐宁街英国政府Fleet Street 舰队街美国新闻界Ford 福特牌汽车Hollywood 好莱坞美国电影界Uncle Sam 山姆大叔美国人White House 白宫美国政府3) 大量表达 说 意的词汇英文新闻报道习惯上要表明消息来源。不但事实说明来源, 而且对于意见、观点、话语、言论 , 也写明来历, 以示客观。既然记者时常需要直率或含蓄地转述, 援引新闻人物或其他有关人士的谈话, 因而, 新闻报道中频繁出现表示 某某人说 的 说 (say) 。但是, 事实上, 新闻报道所涉及到的说话人的神态和语气却随着不同场合或氛围而产生相应的变化, 这是 say 这个中性词所元法确切表达的。为此, 英文记者有时酌情选用一些表达 说话 之意的近义词, 既可避免 say 一词的重复出现, 又能适当地增添报道的文采。例如在下面这篇有关南非种族问题的报道中, 就出现了多种有关 说 的近 义词 :Mandela Says Blacks Can Block Return to ApartheidJOHANNESBURG 一Nelson Mandela, the president of the African National Congress, said yesterday that South Americans blacks had the capacity to bring down any government that tried to bring back apartheid.Addressing foreign journalists here, he emphasized the ANC would not revert to violence if President De KIerk and his National party lost the coming referendum. He added that its primary concern was to pursue multi-party negotiations at the convention for a democratic South Africa (Codesa).However, the ANC would orchestrate mass civil disobedience if the Conservative party came to power and attempted to halt the reform process, warned Mr. Mandela. Whites can have an election if they wish, but we have the capacity to bring down my government that tried to bring back apartheid,” he went on, “The Nationalists abandoned apartheid not because pursues for reform. We will do the same to the Conservative party, if necessary.Mr. Mandela disclosed that he had recently been invited to tea by mayor of a conservative white town in the Orange Free State. They had had a cordial meeting, and Mr. Mandela said the event was significant.(From The Daily Star, March14, 1999)这类同义词在英语新闻报道中屡见不鲜, 值得读者在学习、辨析英语同义词时加以注意和收集。现再列出部分经常见诸报端表示 说 的近义动词, 供参考 : acknowledge承认add接着说 ; 又说admit承认affirm肯定 ; 确认allege宣称analyze分析announce宣布argue争辩;主张assert断言boast夸口说caution告诫说claim声称complain抱怨说concede承认concl