“中年帅气大叔”的英文为什么是“silver fox”？

双语君最近查词典发现一个新词：silver fox，这个词除了表示狐狸某个阶段的皮毛颜色以外，还有一个意思：

n: an attractive middle-aged man having mostly gray or white hair

这不就是指中年帅气大叔吗！

实际上这个词是韦氏词典今年年初添加到词典里的520个新词之一，那么英语词典里收录什么词是由谁决定的呢？单词的定义又是从何而来的呢？一起来了解一下吧！

英语词典发展历史

最开始编纂英语词典的原因一方面是为了普及文化知识，让普通人也可以阅读《圣经》，另一方面是当时英语在拼写上没有确定的规则，使用有所不便。

The movement to produce an English dictionary was partly prompted by a desire for wider literacy, so that common people could read Scripture, and partly by a frustration that no regularity in spelling existed in the language.

说到英语词典的历史，有四本英语词典不得不提。

第一本是1604年诞生的第一部纯英语字典，由Robert Cawdrey编纂，收录3000个单词。 The first purely English dictionary was Robert Cawdrey's A Table Alphabetical (1604), treating some 3,000 words.

第二本是现代英语时期的《约翰逊字典》（A Dictionary of the English Language/ Johnson's Dictionary），是一本由英国大文豪Samuel Johnson编撰的全功能英语字典。这本在1755年首次出版的权威字典，在很大程度上规范化了英语词汇的拼写和用法。

第三本是19世纪Noah Webster所编纂的词典American Dictionary of the English Language。

Webster有个宏伟的目标：让美国有属于自己的英语语言。他认为作为一个新的国家，美国需要自己独特的英语形式来维护自己从英国争取来的独立。

It reflects his principle that spelling, grammar, and usage should be based on the living, spoken language. It was instrumental in establishing the dignity and vitality of American English. 这本词典表现了Webster的原则：单词的拼写，语法和用法应该以生活中所使用的活的语言为基础。这本词典对于确立美国英语的尊严和生命力非常重要。

第四本是集结了众多词典编纂家和读者心血的《牛津英语大辞典》（Oxford English Dictionary）。

OED是一部受广泛认可的权威英语词典，一部绝佳的参考资料，为过去和现在英语地区使用的60多万个英语词汇的释义、历史和发音给出指导。

词典收录什么由谁决定

大家可能已经发现了，上述所列的前三本词典都是由个人编纂而成，这种词典难免就会带有浓厚的个人色彩，收录什么单词以及单词如何定义都由编纂者自己决定。

At that time, many dictionaries were written by individual authors who chose what to include or exclude. They not only defined words, they openly showcased their creators' opinions.

比如《约翰逊词典》的编纂者Samuel Johnson。他博闻强记、妙语连珠，常在词条的解释中开玩笑，因此词典亦编写得有趣。

他在词典中对单词“lexicographer”下的定义：

1. 辞典的编辑 2. 无伤于他人的苦工。

Webster自己的观点也影响到他收录的单词以及所给的定义。

He excluded slang words from Black communities because he didn't consider them proper. And when he defined "woman", he added that "women are soft, mild, pitiful, and flexible". 他排除了来自黑人群体的俚语，因为他觉得它们不适合收录在词典里。而且他对“wife”一词下定义时还注释道“女人是柔软、随和、可怜而灵活的”。

Webster的词典版权后来被George Merriam和Charles Merriam两兄弟购买，他们和Webster的女婿一起对词典进行修订。

此后词典的编撰便不再由一个人主导，而是一群语言专家共同编纂。现在单词收录进词典的标准变为：单词能够广泛、持久且有意义的使用。

Since Webster's death, each new edition of the dictionary has been curated by a group of language experts rather than by a single authority. The current criteria for including a word in the dictionary are that it has "widespread, sustained, and meaningful use".

This clearly includes profanities, which were sometimes excluded from dictionaries in the past. Racial slurs also meet the criteria for inclusion, but some argue that including them might legitimize them. 这样就包括了一些过去有时候被排除在外的脏话。种族诋毁的词也符合收录标准，但是也有人认为收录它们有可能使它们合法化。

现在词典编纂者的工作主要就是收集新单词并对它们进行解释。他们会看书、杂志、行业杂志、网站、推特、脸书和博客来寻找词典中未收录但是被人们广泛使用的单词。

They're searching for new words missing from their dictionary, which can come from all different kinds of writing and speech.

所以谁决定词典收录了什么呢？如今答案一定是：我们决定的。我们所有人每天都会影响语言。当我们共同使用一个新词或者更改其定义的时候，最终这些单词和词义都会反映在我们的词典中。

So, who decides what's in the dictionary? More than ever before the answer is: we do. All of us shape language every day. When we collectively embrace one word or redefine another, eventually, those words and meanings are reflected in our dictionaries.

韦氏词典2020的年度单词是“pandemic”，介绍语中说道，有时候一个简单的单词可以定义一个时代，而对于2020这极度不平凡的一年来说，“pandemic”一词毫无疑问当选年度单词。

Sometimes a single word defines an era, and it's fitting that in this exceptional and exceptionally difficult year, a single word came immediately to the fore as we examined the data that determines what our Word of the Year will be.

语言来自于我们，又服务于我们，同时影响塑造着我们的思想，了解我们的语言也是了解我们自己。

编辑：焦洁

实习生：向静雅

来源：TED 维基百科 Britannica Merriam-Webster OED Splinternews

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