評論
打印
This is a picture of Maurice Druon,
照片里的人是Maurice Druon
the Honorary Perpetual Secretary of L'Academie francaise, the French Academy.
L'Academie francaise的榮譽終身秘書長--也就是法蘭西學院
He is splendidly attired in his 68,000-dollar uniform, befitting the role of the French Academy
穿著價值六萬八千美元的豪華制服，對法蘭西學院來說倒很適合
as legislating the correct usage in French and perpetuating the language.
因為它規范著法語的正確用法，使這門語言永世長存
The French Academy has two main tasks: it compiles a dictionary of official French.
法蘭西學院有兩個主要任務，它編纂官方的法語詞典
They're now working on their ninth edition, which they began in 1930, and they've reached the letter P.
他們目前在編第九部，從1930年就開始了，現在編到了P字頭。
They also legislate on correct usage,
他們還規范正確的用法
such as the proper term for what the French call "email," which ought to be "courriel."
比如，電子郵件（email）在法語里的正確說法應該是"courriel"
The World Wide Web, the French are told, ought to be referred to as
他們告訴法國人，萬維網應該被叫做
"la toile d'araignee mondiale" -- the Global Spider Web -- recommendations that the French gaily ignore.
"la toile d'araignee modiale"--“環球蜘蛛網”--諸如此類法國人民欣然忽略的建議
Now, this is one model of how language comes to be: namely, it's legislated by an academy.
這是語言產生的眾多模型之一：也就是說，由一個學院來進行規范
But anyone who looks at language realizes that this is a rather silly conceit,
但任何懂得語言的人都意識到這是愚蠢的自負
that language, rather, emerges from human minds interacting from one another.
語言產生于人類心靈間的互動
And this is visible in the unstoppable change in language --
而在語言的不停變化中，這是顯而易見的
the fact that by the time the Academy finishes their dictionary, it will already be well out of date.
事實上，當法蘭西學院完成他們的詞典時，它早已經過時了。
