So a word without its source is like a cut flower.
一個沒有來源的詞就像一朵被剪下來的花。
You know, it's pretty to look at for a while, but then it dies. It dies too fast.
看一會還可以,不久就蔫了。蔫得太快了。
So, this whole time I've been saying, "The dictionary, the dictionary, the dictionary, the dictionary."
我一直在說,“字典,字典,字典,字典。”
Not "a dictionary," or "dictionaries."
而不是“一本字典”,或“很多字典”。
And that's because, well, people use the dictionary to stand for the whole language.
這是因為,人們用字典去代表整個語言。
They use it synecdochically.
這是一種借代(以點代面)的說法--
And one of the problems of knowing a word like "synecdochically" is that you really want an excuse to say "synecdochically."
知道“synecdochically”會引起的問題是,你真的很想找個理由去說synecdochically
This whole talk has just been an excuse to get me to the point where I could say "synecdochically" to all of you.
這整個演講也就是個借口,為了能讓我可以有機會跟你們說synecdochically這個詞。
So I'm really sorry. But when you use a part of something -- like the dictionary is a part of the language,
真對不起。但如果你用一樣事物的一部分,例如字典是語言的一部分,
or a flag stands for the United States, it's a symbol of the country -- then you're using it synecdochically.
或者用國旗代表美國作為一個國家的象征--那樣你在用借代。
But the thing is, we could make the dictionary the whole language.
不過,我們可以讓字典成為語言的全部,
If we get a bigger pan, then we can put all the words in. We can put in all the meanings.
如果我們有個大一點的鍋,那我們就可以把所有的單詞都放里邊了,還可以把所有的單詞解釋都放里邊。
Doesn't everyone want more meaning in their lives?
每個人不都想人生更有意義嗎(英語里,意義和單詞解釋是同一個單詞)?
And we can make the dictionary not just be a symbol of the language -- we can make it be the whole language.
那樣,我們就可以讓字典不僅僅是語言的象征,我們就可以讓字典涵蓋整個語言。
You see, what I'm really hoping for is that my son,
你看,我真希望到我兒子的時候--
who turns seven this month -- I want him to barely remember that this is the form factor that dictionaries used to come in.
這個月他就滿7歲了--我想他只記得這是過去的字典的形式,
This is what dictionaries used to look like.
這是過去的字典的樣子。
I want him to think of this kind of dictionary as an eight-track tape.
我想他把這種字典當成8軌錄音帶類似的東西,
It's a format that died because it wasn't useful enough. It wasn't really what people needed.
是種已經過時的形式,不再適合人們的需求。
And the thing is, if we can put in all the words,
如果我們可以涵蓋所有單詞,
no longer have that artificial distinction between good and bad, we can really describe the language like scientists.
不再人為的區分好詞壞詞,我們就可以像科學家那樣的描述語言,
We can leave the aesthetic judgments to the writers and the speakers.
我們可以把審美判斷留給作家和演講者。
If we can do that, then I can spend all my time fishing, and I don't have to be a traffic cop anymore.
如果我們可以做到這點,那我就可以把我所有的時間花在捕魚上,用不著再當交警。
Thank you very much for your kind attention.
謝謝,感謝您的關注。