第 4 节
作者:指点迷津      更新:2024-05-15 20:29      字数:9322
  and the inventor of them ought to have been killed。
  They are compound words with the hyphens left out。
  The various words used in building them are in the dictionary;
  but in a very scattered condition; so you can hunt
  the materials out; one by one; and get at the meaning
  at last; but it is a tedious and harassing business。
  I have tried this process upon some of the above examples。
  〃Freundshaftsbezeigungen〃 seems to be 〃Friendship
  demonstrations;〃
  which is only a foolish and clumsy way of saying 〃demonstrations
  of friendship。〃 〃Unabhaengigkeitserklaerungen〃 seems
  to be 〃Independencedeclarations;〃 which is no improvement
  upon 〃Declarations of Independence;〃 so far as I can see。
  〃Generalstaatsverordnetenversammlungen〃 seems to be
  〃General…statesrepresentativesmeetings;〃 as nearly as I
  can get at ita mere rhythmical; gushy euphuism for
  〃meetings of the legislature;〃 I judge。  We used to have
  a good deal of this sort of crime in our literature;
  but it has gone out now。  We used to speak of a things as a
  〃never…to…be…forgotten〃 circumstance; instead of cramping
  it into the simple and sufficient word 〃memorable〃 and then
  going calmly about our business as if nothing had happened。
  In those days we were not content to embalm the thing
  and bury it decently; we wanted to build a monument over it。
  But in our newspapers the compounding…disease lingers
  a little to the present day; but with the hyphens left out;
  in the German fashion。  This is the shape it takes:
  instead of saying 〃Mr。 Simmons; clerk of the county and
  district courts; was in town yesterday;〃 the new form put
  it thus: 〃Clerk of the County and District Courts Simmons
  was in town yesterday。〃 This saves neither time nor ink;
  and has an awkward sound besides。  One often sees a remark
  like this in our papers: 〃MRS。 Assistant District Attorney
  Johnson returned to her city residence yesterday for the season。〃
  That is a case of really unjustifiable compounding;
  because it not only saves no time or trouble; but confers
  a title on Mrs。 Johnson which she has no right to。
  But these little instances are trifles indeed; contrasted
  with the ponderous and dismal German system of piling
  jumbled compounds together。  I wish to submit the following
  local item; from a Mannheim journal; by way of illustration:
  〃In the daybeforeyesterdayshortlyaftereleveno'clock Night;
  the inthistownstandingtavern called 'The Wagoner' was downburnt。
  When the fire to the onthedownburninghouseresting Stork's
  Nest reached; flew the parent Storks away。  But when
  the bytheraging; firesurrounded Nest ITSELF caught Fire;
  straightway plunged the quickreturning Mother…Stork into
  the Flames and died; her Wings over her young ones outspread。〃
  Even the cumbersome German construction is not able to
  take the pathos out of that pictureindeed; it somehow
  seems to strengthen it。  This item is dated away back
  yonder months ago。  I could have used it sooner; but I
  was waiting to hear from the Father…stork。 I am still waiting。
  〃ALSO!〃 If I had not shown that the German is a
  difficult language; I have at least intended to do so。
  I have heard of an American student who was asked how he
  was getting along with his German; and who answered
  promptly: 〃I am not getting along at all。  I have worked
  at it hard for three level months; and all I have got
  to show for it is one solitary German phrase'ZWEI GLAS'〃
  (two glasses of beer)。 He paused for a moment; reflectively;
  then added with feeling: 〃But I've got that SOLID!〃
  And if I have not also shown that German is a harassing
  and infuriating study; my execution has been at fault;
  and not my intent。  I heard lately of a worn and sorely
  tried American student who used to fly to a certain German
  word for relief when he could bear up under his aggravations
  no longerthe only word whose sound was sweet and
  precious to his ear and healing to his lacerated spirit。
  This was the word DAMIT。  It was only the SOUND that
  helped him; not the meaning; '3' and so; at last; when he
  learned that the emphasis was not on the first syllable;
  his only stay and support was gone; and he faded away
  and died。
  3。  It merely means; in its general sense; 〃herewith。〃
  I think that a description of any loud; stirring;
  tumultuous episode must be tamer in German than in English。
  Our descriptive words of this character have such
  a deep; strong; resonant sound; while their German
  equivalents do seem so thin and mild and energyless。
  Boom; burst; crash; roar; storm; bellow; blow; thunder;
  explosion; howl; cry; shout; yell; groan; battle; hell。
  These are magnificent words; the have a force and magnitude
  of sound befitting the things which they describe。
  But their German equivalents would be ever so nice to sing
  the children to sleep with; or else my awe…inspiring ears
  were made for display and not for superior usefulness
  in analyzing sounds。  Would any man want to die in a
  battle which was called by so tame a term as a SCHLACHT?
  Or would not a comsumptive feel too much bundled up;
  who was about to go out; in a shirt…collar and a seal…ring;
  into a storm which the bird…song word GEWITTER was employed
  to describe? And observe the strongest of the several
  German equivalents for explosionAUSBRUCH。  Our word
  Toothbrush is more powerful than that。  It seems to me
  that the Germans could do worse than import it into their
  language to describe particularly tremendous explosions with。
  The German word for hellHo〃llesounds more like HELLY
  than anything else; therefore; how necessary chipper;
  frivolous; and unimpressive it is。  If a man were told
  in German to go there; could he really rise to thee
  dignity of feeling insulted?
  Having pointed out; in detail; the several vices of
  this language; I now come to the brief and pleasant task
  of pointing out its virtues。  The capitalizing of the nouns
  I have already mentioned。  But far before this virtue stands
  anotherthat of spelling a word according to the sound of it。
  After one short lesson in the alphabet; the student can tell
  how any German word is pronounced without having to ask;
  whereas in our language if a student should inquire of us;
  〃What does B; O; W; spell?〃 we should be obliged to reply;
  〃Nobody can tell what it spells when you set if off by itself;
  you can only tell by referring to the context and finding
  out what it signifieswhether it is a thing to shoot
  arrows with; or a nod of one's head; or the forward end of a
  boat。〃
  There are some German words which are singularly
  and powerfully effective。  For instance; those which
  describe lowly; peaceful; and affectionate home life;
  those which deal with love; in any and all forms;
  from mere kindly feeling and honest good will toward
  the passing stranger; clear up to courtship; those which
  deal with outdoor Nature; in its softest and loveliest
  aspectswith meadows and forests; and birds and flowers;
  the fragrance and sunshine of summer; and the moonlight
  of peaceful winter nights; in a word; those which deal with
  any and all forms of rest; respose; and peace; those also
  which deal with the creatures and marvels of fairyland;
  and lastly and chiefly; in those words which express pathos;
  is the language surpassingly rich and affective。  There are
  German songs which can make a stranger to the language cry。
  That shows that the SOUND of the words is correctit
  interprets the meanings with truth and with exactness;
  and so the ear is informed; and through the ear; the heart。
  The Germans do not seem to be afraid to repeat a word
  when it is the right one。  they repeat it several times;
  if they choose。  That is wise。  But in English; when we
  have used a word a couple of times in a paragraph;
  we imagine we are growing tautological; and so we are weak
  enough to exchange it for some other word which only
  approximates exactness; to escape what we wrongly fancy
  is a greater blemish。  Repetition may be bad; but surely
  inexactness is worse。
  …
  There are people in the world who will take a great
  deal of trouble to point out the faults in a religion
  or a language; and then go blandly about their business
  without suggesting any remedy。  I am not that kind
  of person。  I have shown that the German language
  needs reforming。  Very well; I am ready to reform it。
  At least I am ready to make the proper suggestions。
  Such a course as this might be immodest in another; but I
  have devoted upward of nine full weeks; first and last;
  to a careful and critical study of this tongue; and thus
  have acquired a confidence in my ability to reform it
  which no mere superficial culture could have conferred
  upon me。
  In the first place; I would leave out the Dative case。
  It confuses the plurals; and; besides; nobody ever knows
  when he is in the Dative case; except he discover it
  by accidentand then he does not know when or where it
  was that he got into it; o