評論
打印
Your words are all that we, your friends, have to know and judge you by. You have no other medium for telling us your thoughts — for convincing us, persuading us, giving us orders.
你的詞匯就是我們——你的朋友——借以了解和判斷你所具有的全部。你沒有別的媒介用來告訴我們你的思想——用來說服我們，規勸我們，命令我們。
Words are explosive. Phrases are packed with TNT. A simple word can destroy a friendship,land a large order. The proper phrases in the mouths of clerks have quadrupled the sales of a department store. The wrong words used by a campaign orator have lost an election. For instance, on one occasion the four unfortunate words, “Rum,Romanism and Rebellion” used in a Republican campaign speech threw the Catholic vote and the presidential victory to Grover Cleveland. Wars are won by words. Soldiers fight for a phrase. “Make the world safe for Democracy.” “All out for England.” “V for Victory. ” The “ Remember the Maine” of Spanish War days has now been changed to “Remember Pear Harbor. ”
言詞具有爆炸性。短語里裝滿了梯恩梯烈性炸藥。一句簡單的話可以摧毀友誼，也可以獲得一大筆定單。店員們口中得體的話語使一家百貨商店的銷售額增加了三倍。一位競選演說家用詞不當致使競選失敗。例如，有一次，在一篇共和黨的競選演說中使用不當的四個詞“朗姆酒、天主教和反叛”就使天主教教徒的選票投給了格羅弗·克利夫蘭，使他贏得了總統選舉的勝利。戰爭往往依靠言詞取得勝利。士兵們常為了一個短語而戰?！盀榱嗣裰鞔虺鲆粋€ 安全世界?！薄叭φ扔⒏裉m。”“V代表勝利。”西班牙戰爭時期的“牢記‘緬因號’事件”而今已改為“牢記珍珠港事件”。
