TED演讲：谈语言和思想(4)

 　　Now, many events can be subject to either construal,  许多时候我们都有理解偏差

　　kind of like the classic figure-ground reversal illusions,  类似于经典的“形象-背景”颠倒的幻术

　　in which you can either pay attention to the particular object, 你要么吧注意力放在某个物体上

　　in which case the space around it recedes¹ from attention,  使周围的空间从注意力中退去

　　or you can see the faces in the empty space, in which case the object recedes out of consciousness. 要么你集中注意观察空间的构造，这样前景中的物体就从意识中退去

　　How are these construals reflected in language?  这些理解如何反应在语言当中？

　　Well, in both cases, the thing that is construed³ as being affected⁴ is expressed as the direct object, the noun after the verb. 在两种情况里，那个被解释为受影响的东西被表达成了直接宾语：动词之后的名词。

　　So, when you think of the event as causing the muffin to go somewhere --  当你想到“使蛋糕去某处”时

　　where you're doing something to the muffin -- you say, "Give the muffin to the mouse." 当你对蛋糕实施动作时，你说：“Give the muffin to the mouse.”

　　When you construe² it as "cause the mouse to have something," you're doing something to the mouse, 当你理解成“使老鼠拥有某物”，你对老鼠实施动作

　　and therefore you express it as, "Give the mouse the muffin."  所以你把它表达成：“Give the mouse the muffin.”

　　So which verbs go in which construction -- the problem with which I began -- 所以，在哪个构式里用哪个动词，我一开始提出的问题

　　depends on whether the verb specifies⁵ a kind of motion or a kind of possession change. 取决于动词是否指出某种运动，或者某种所有权的变化

　　To give something involves both causing something to go and causing someone to have. "给出某物“当中包含"使某物前往"，也包含”使某人拥有“

　　To drive the car only causes something to go, because Chicago's not the kind of thing that can possess something. 开车只能使某物走开，因为芝加哥不是那种能拥有某物的东西。

　　Only humans can possess things.  只有人才能拥有东西。

　　And to give someone a headache causes them to have the headache, “令人头痛”使人具有头痛

　　but it's not as if you're taking the headache out of your head  但你并不会把头痛从手里给出去

　　and causing it to go to the other person, and implanting it in them. 让它到另一个人那里去，然后再放进对方脑袋里。

　　You may just be loud or obnoxious⁶, or some other way causing them to have the headache. 你只可能是说话太大声，或者讨人厌，或者用其他的方法使对方头疼。

　　So, that's an example of the kind of thing that I do in my day job. 所以，这是我工作内容的一个例子。

1 recedes   

v.逐渐远离( recede的第三人称单数 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• For this reason the near point gradually recedes as one grows older. 由于这个原因，随着人渐渐变老，近点便逐渐后退。 来自辞典例句
• Silent, mournful, abandoned, broken, Czechoslovakia recedes into the darkness. 缄默的、悲哀的、被抛弃的、支离破碎的捷克斯洛伐克，已在黑暗之中。 来自辞典例句

2 construe   

v.翻译，解释

参考例句：

• He had tried to construe a passage from Homer.他曾尝试注释荷马著作的一段文字。
• You can construe what he said in a number of different ways.他的话可以有好几种解释。

3 construed   

v.解释（陈述、行为等）( construe的过去式和过去分词 )；翻译，作句法分析

参考例句：

• He considered how the remark was to be construed. 他考虑这话该如何理解。
• They construed her silence as meaning that she agreed. 他们把她的沉默解释为表示赞同。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 specifies   

v.指定( specify的第三人称单数 )；详述；提出…的条件；使具有特性

参考例句：

• The third clause of the contract specifies steel sashes for the windows. 合同的第三款指定使用钢窗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The contract specifies red tiles, not slates, for the roof. 合同规定屋顶用红瓦，并非石板瓦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 obnoxious   

adj.极恼人的，讨人厌的，可憎的

参考例句：

• These fires produce really obnoxious fumes and smoke.这些火炉冒出来的烟气确实很难闻。
• He is the most obnoxious man I know.他是我认识的最可憎的人。