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Today, we will keep talking about the idea of a language evolving. Last week, I talked about how war changes a language because one culture can dominate another and infuse aspects of its language into a new language. Today, I will talk about another way a language can be changed. It is... can anyone guess? Yes, it's technology.
My example will be, hmm, a cell phone. Cell phones have changed and are currently changing the way we communicate with each other. Only 50 years ago, phone conversations were considered private affairs. For example, if I was at your house, and your phone rang, I would leave the room so that you could have a private conversation. With cell phones, people have conversations everywhere, at restaurants, on dates, umm, even on public transportation you can see people chatting away.
Now people are talking about what was considered private in public. We will talk about work, people we hate, our relationships, and plans in front of complete strangers. The things we now talk about on the phone would have been considered extremely rude to say in public 50 years ago. Back then, you would be slapped by someone for talking about your boyfriend or girlfriend or a party you went to the night before.
Umm, what else? We are changing how we talk as well. We all get phone bills, so talking on the phone means you are using money. So, the faster you talk the less money you use. This means we often start and end our phone conversations quickly. Before, we would take our time on the phone, ask someone how they are doing, chit chat for a bit, and then get to the point. We would slowly end the conversation, often saying bye two or three times. Now, we just say the point then maybe a goodbye, and the conversation is over. That would have been so rude only years ago.
Question 20. What did the speaker talk about last week?
Question 21. What would the people living 50 years ago think of today's phone conversations?
Question 22. Why do we often start and end our phone conversations quickly?
今天，我們會繼續討論語言的演變。上周，我已經說過戰爭會如何改變一門語言，因為一種文化會統治另一種文化并浸透它語言的方方面面，從而產生一種新語言。今天，我會講到另一種改變語言的方式。它是...有人能猜猜嗎？是的，是技術。
我的例子會是，嗯，一部手機。手機已經改變并且依然在影響著我們的交流方式。50年前，電話通話還是一件很私密的事。比如，如果我在你家，你的電話響了，我得離開房間，方便你進行私人通話。有了手機以后，人們隨地都在打著電話，在飯店、約會時，嗯，甚至在公共交通工具上你也能看到人們在用電話聊天。
現在人們在公共場合會討論曾經被認為是很私密的話題。我們會在陌生人面前談論工作、討厭的人、情感關系以及計劃。我們現在在公共場合用電話談論的內容在五十年前看來會是十分不禮貌的。那時候，如果你在公共場合下談論你的女朋友或男朋友或者你前一天晚上去參加的聚會，你會被別人抽耳光。
嗯，還有什么呢？我們的說話方式也在改變。我們都有電話費，所以在電話上聊天意味著你在花錢。所以，你說的越快你花的錢就越少。這就意味著我們要快速地開始和結束電話通話。以前，我們會慢慢打電話，問別人過得怎樣，隨便聊聊天，然后才轉到正題。我們結束對話也很慢，通常會說兩三遍再見。現在，我們會直奔主題，然后一句再見，電話就掛了。幾年以前如果你這樣做，會顯得極其不禮貌。
問題20 發言人上一次討論的話題是什么？
問題21 50年以前的人們會如何看待今天的電話通話？
問題22 為什么我們打電話開始的快結束也快？
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