英語修辭與寫作·13.2　四辭格的使用

13.2　四辭格的使用

13.2A　四辭格與諺語、名句的關(guān)系

1） 在上述四種辭格中，前兩種都同人們熟知的諺語、成語密切相關(guān)：仿化是變換其中的詞語，序換是變換其中的詞序。試比較：

（a） Lib and let lib.

這是一句口號：自己解放，也讓別人解放。它是由下面這個諺語仿化而來：Live and let live. 自己活，也讓別人活。

（b） A dead ass is better than a living lion. 一頭死驢勝過一頭活獅。

這是Arthur Zeiger對諺語A living ass is better than a dead lion.的序換說法。

2） 回環(huán)實(shí)際上是一種重復(fù)結(jié)構(gòu)，它雖然不是在人們熟知的語句上做文章，卻是構(gòu)成名言警句的常見手段，有很強(qiáng)的生命力。例如：

A place for everything, everything in its place.

When you have nothing to say, say nothing.

（Charles Colton）

Better to know everything of something than something of everything.

（Bacon）

Flowers are lovely; lovely is flower like.

（Coleridge）

蟬聯(lián)辭格這種重復(fù)形式帶有正式、莊重的語氣，在經(jīng)典名著中屢見不鮮。例如：

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of deep.

（Holy Bible, King James' Version: Genesis）

Hippolyta: Four days will quickly steep themselves in night;

Four nights will quickly dream away the time, ...

（Shakespeare）

A smile would come into Mr. Pickwick's face: a smile extended into a laugh; the laugh into a roar, and the roar became general.

（Dickens）

Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show,

That she, dear she, might take some pleasure of my pain.

Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know,

Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain.

I sought fit words to pain the blackest face of woe.

（Sidney）

13.2B　四辭格的修辭特色

1） 這四種辭格都以文字技巧為特點(diǎn)，有時(shí)近乎文字游戲，使用得當(dāng)時(shí)能妙趣橫生，取得很好的幽默、諷刺效果。例如：

仿化：— You gallop with a loose rein.

　　　— Pace gives life, was the riposte.

　　　— I shall write it in my diary tonight.

　　　— What?

　　　— That a burnt child loves the fire.

（Oscar Wilde）

Children may cry wolf, and so do parents.

（CNN Program Forecast, March, 1993）

序換：Life has taught me to think, but thinking has not taught me to live.

（Alexander Herzen）

蟬聯(lián)：For glances beget ogles, ogles sighs, sighs wishes, wishes words, and words a letter.

（Byron）

回環(huán)：How much better is it to weep at joy than to joy at weeping.

（Shakespeare）

2）仿化和序換來自人們熟悉的語言形式而又有所變化，因而給人們“舊貌翻新”的感覺，既相識，又陌生，既親切，又新穎，十分引人入勝，有利于引導(dǎo)聽者/讀者接受勸導(dǎo)、說理。這在前面的例句已有體現(xiàn)，現(xiàn)再舉幾例說明：

仿化：So will these unattractive and mysterious objects lead to a new world economic order, or will the game be played according to the unusual industrial rules: from each according to his ability, to each according to his investments?

（張漢熙：Advanced English, Book I）

In economics all roads lead to socialism.

（Bernard Shaw）

馬克思主義創(chuàng)始人卡爾·馬克思提出的社會主義和共產(chǎn)主義的分配原則分別為“各盡所能，按勞分配”（from each according to his ability, to each according to his work — the socialist principle of distribution）和“各盡所能，按需分配”（from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs — the communist principle of distribution），這里經(jīng)過仿化，出現(xiàn)了“按資分配”，一字之改，道出了資本主義經(jīng)濟(jì)的私有制本質(zhì)。

序換：A dead ass is better than a living lion.

上述序換由原來的諺語“A living ass is better than a dead lion.”而來，于是“一頭活驢勝過一頭死獅”變成“一頭死驢勝過一頭活獅”。表面看來不符合情理，甚至讓人費(fèi)解，但Arthur Zeiger正是利用這種形式諷刺了那種直到某人死后才肯承認(rèn)其能力和成就的人和社會現(xiàn)象。

3） 前面7.4B講到英語中的重復(fù)結(jié)構(gòu)時(shí)，說明重復(fù)的兩種基本修辭目的，或者說修辭作用：加強(qiáng)連貫或突出強(qiáng)調(diào)。本章討論的蟬聯(lián)和回環(huán)，稱作“尾首反復(fù)”（或“鏈形反復(fù)”）和“逆序反復(fù)”，同樣具有重復(fù)結(jié)構(gòu)的兩種基本修辭功能。例如：

Something hurried me through memory, too, but I can't pause to remember, for a guilt past memory or dreaming, much darker, impels me on. I pray but my prayer climbs up like a broken wisp of smoke ... Peyton, Me? Myself all shattered, this lovely shell?

（William Styron）

這段描寫很有“意識流”的味道。通過一系列蟬聯(lián)的使用，把小說主人Peyton受刺激后痛不欲生時(shí)的紛亂思緒貫連了起來。又如：

The same that off-time hath

Charm'd magic casement, opening on the foam

Of perilous seas, in fairy lands forlorn.

Forlorn! the very word is like a bell.

To toll me back from thee to my sole self.

（Keats）

詩中的“尾首重復(fù)”更加突出了perilous，sole等詞語帶來的孤獨(dú)、凄涼氣氛。

13.2C　四辭格使用中應(yīng)注意的問題

1） 仿化、序換、蟬聯(lián)和回環(huán)四辭格都具有開放性，被人們在不同場合靈活地加以使用。這一點(diǎn)在英語和漢語中情況相同。

例如，英語里蕭伯納首創(chuàng)superman一詞之后，人們仿化出許多新詞，如superwoman, super critic, supersecrecy, superpower，等。隨著1972年尼克松的Watergate事件，出現(xiàn)了Billygate, Debategate, Irangate（或hostagegate）等許多仿化詞語。

在電影《紅高粱》唱出了“妹妹你大膽地往前走”之后，國家體改委陳主任號召“廠長們大膽地往前走”，《中國城市導(dǎo)報(bào)》載文呼吁“上海建筑業(yè)你大膽地往前走”，等。

又如，漢語里“要活必須吃飯，吃飯不是為了活著”的說法，同英語里的一句回環(huán)式名言相類似：

Other men live to eat while I eat to live.

（Socrates）

又如Lord Samuel把“A friend in need is a friend indeed.”加以仿化：A friend in need is a friend to be avoided，這樣，“患難中的朋友是真正的朋友”成了“患難中的朋友是一個為眾人所躲避的朋友”。寥寥數(shù)字，把人情冷淡，世態(tài)炎涼的社會現(xiàn)實(shí)刻畫得淋漓盡致。

這些辭格在廣告語言中十分常見。例如：

（a） Give a Timex to all, to all a good time.

這是一則手表廣告，其中使用了蟬聯(lián)。

（b） I Came Back

I came back to softness and comfort.

I came back to Dr. White's.

And I wonder why I ever went away.

Because only Dr. White's gives me two kinds of comfort. The super-comfort of their cotton-wool

content that makes them so much softer. And the comfort of a safer, more absorbent towel, with a

flush away design, too, for even more convenience.

I tried the rest, but I came back.

Isn't it time you came back to Dr. White's?

Dr. White's Two kinds of comfort.

（Women, April 1977）

在這則婦女衛(wèi)生巾廣告中，有不同形式的反復(fù)，特別是開頭的“首語反復(fù)”（Anaphora）和末尾的“尾首反復(fù)”，當(dāng)然還可以發(fā)現(xiàn)“擬人法”，“并列結(jié)構(gòu)”，“修辭設(shè)問”（Rhetorical Question），等。

（c） Not all cars are created equal.

這是日本三菱汽車公司向美國開拓市場的廣告。它可以看作是英語中一條著名諺語的仿擬。該諺語為：Not all that glitters is gold.

更可以看作是《美國獨(dú)立宣告》第一句的仿擬。該句為：All men are created equal.

這種以家喻戶曉的名言為基礎(chǔ)仿擬出的廣告語句特別惹人注意，能不脛而走，迅速產(chǎn)生巨大的影響力，實(shí)際上這句廣告語對日本汽車打開美國市場的確發(fā)揮了很大作用。

2） 在文字表達(dá)中，為了生動起見，總要刻意求新，換個說法，常常通過一字的變化引出一個全新的意境。這一點(diǎn)在英語和漢語中相同。同樣，也都要把握一條原則，即力求形式與內(nèi)容的統(tǒng)一，不可脫離使用場合與上下文去片面求新求變。

例如，像“佛頂山頂佛，云扶石扶云”和“Woe to them who call evil good and good evil.”那樣的形式固然工整，但實(shí)際使用中卻需要像13.1D2講到的那樣靈活變化，否則會造成八股，妨礙意思的有效表達(dá)。

在Language Play中有“Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”的數(shù)種仿化形式：

Old burglars never die; they just steal away.

Old mailmen never die; they just lose their zip.

Old piano players never die; they just lose their tinkle.

Old teacher never die; they just lose their class.

顯然，這些仿化形式雖不失幽默，但不宜隨便套用，否則會成為對長者的一概否定。

近年來在漢語的廣告語言中大量出現(xiàn)成語“換字術(shù)”，相當(dāng)于英語中的“仿擬”或“飛白”（見14.2），如“飲以為榮”，“天嘗地酒”，“一明驚人”，等等。這些固然會產(chǎn)生新穎、別致的效果，但若使用多了，也叫人感到膩煩，而且會在青少年中造成誤解，影響到漢語的純潔性。

從英、漢兩種語言的特點(diǎn)看，在漢語中進(jìn)行成語仿擬或在英語中使用重復(fù)，都須謹(jǐn)慎從事，務(wù)求得體或恰到好處。最近某培訓(xùn)公司在招生廣告中把上海世博主題“Better city, better life”仿擬為“Better English, better life”雖然很討巧，也有一定道理，但把莊重的主題實(shí)用化了，還是不宜提倡。

練習(xí)十三　（Exercise Thirteen）

I. Preview Questions:

1. Can we say that Parody is derived from proverbs, sayings, idioms, etc. that are already known to people?

2. Is Parody only associated with the change of a certain word?

3. Reverse is similar to as well as different from Parody, isn't it?

4. Regression is formed by repeating the former words in inverted order, isn't it?

5. What's the difference between Regression and Anadiplosis?

6. Can you cite examples to indicate how Parody, Reverse, Regression and Anadiplosis are used in our life today?

II. Tell which proverb, saying, idiom, quotation, etc. each of the following sentence or underlined parts is derived from:

1. A friend in need is a friend to be avoided.

2. Quality breeds success.

3. All roads lead to Holiday Inn.

4. Not all video recorders are created equal.

5. Give me Green World,

　Or give me yesterday.

6. Billi slimming cream — Using is believing.

7. They came, they saw, they bought out.

8. While visiting a friend who was in the hospital, I noticed several pretty nurses, each of whom was wearing a pin designed to look like an apple. I asked one nurse what the pin signified.

　“Nothing,” she said with a smile. “It's to keep the doctors away.”

9. Not so loud, you fool — remember — even people have ears.

10. So will these unattractive and mysterious objects lead to a new world economic order, or will the game be played according to the usual industrial rules: from each according to his ability, to each according to his investments?

III. Read the following passages and then do the multiple choices:

1. Parody as a figure of speech is to imitate any of the well-known sayings, idioms, proverbs, etc. in main structure while changing one or more words so as to achieve certain effects — humorous, sarcastic, more persuasive, etc.

2. A parody is a mocking imitation of a style of speaking or writing. As a weapon of persuasion, parody shifts the focus from matter to manner: it ridicules not so much what is said as how it is expressed.

3. Parodies of styles of prose fiction, such as Gothic novels, sea stories, and mysteries, have been popular for many years. James Joyce parodied just about every imaginable style in Ulysses. In 1981 Erica Jong, well known for her novels about contemporary women, wrote Fanny, using the style and heroine of the eighteenth century novel Fanny Hill.

4. Similar to Parody, the figure of speech “Reverse” is also derived from sayings, idioms, proverbs, etc. However, it is not formed by changing some wording but reversing certain word orders, though with more or less the same rhetorical effects.

5. Regression and Anadiplosis are both figures of speech formed by repeating one or more words of the previous phrase or clause at the beginning of the next. These two figures are not derived from sayings, idioms, or proverbs as Parody and Reverse, but many of them tend to become popular sayings themselves.

6. These four figures of speech are all open figures, i.e. new ones can be created when necessary. On the other hand, however, misuse or overuse should always be guarded against.

7. Young hen: How is it, Mum, that you're able to live so long?

Old hen: Well, my child. The secret is: an egg a day keeps the axe away.

Young hen: I see, Mum, If you don't lay eggs, you'll get the axe.

Old hen: What do you mean?

Young hen: Lose your job!

Multiple choices:

1. A parody is a figure of speech that refers to____________.

A） a well-known saying, idiom, proverb

B） any written or spoken text associated with a skillful change of expression similar to a famous saying, idiom, proverb, etc.

C） a mocking imitation of a style of speaking or writing which shifts the focus from what is said to how it is expressed.

D） prose fiction as Gothic novels using the style and heroine of the 18th century

2. The old hen's secret in life means that____________.

A） if the hen lays an egg every day, she won't lose her job

B） if a hen doesn't want to get the axe, she has to lay an egg each day

C） when a hen is unable to lay eggs, she'll be killed （and cooked）.

D） When a hen doesn't like to have eggs, her life'll be in danger unless she changes her mind.

3. Identify from A, B, C, and D the statement which is INCORRECT.

A） Reverse is a figure of speech similar to parody in the fact that both are derived from sayings, idioms, proverbs, etc.

B） Regression and Anadiplosis are not derived from existing sayings, idioms, or proverbs, but they themselves tend to become new sayings.

C） As Parody, Reverse, Regression and Anadiplosis are all open figures of speech in English, any one can use them at will.

D） The old hen's secret is a parody of the proverb “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

參考答案

Ⅱ. 1. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

2. Familiarity breeds contempt.

3. All roads lead to Rome.

4. All men are created equal.

5. Give me liberty, / Or give me death. (Patrick Henry)

6. Seeing is believing.

7. I came, I saw, I conquered.

8. An apple a day keeps the doctors away.

9. Walls have ears.

10. ... from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

Ⅲ. 1. B　2. C　3. C