英语单词大师：Talk to the Hand

 I'm Nancy Beardsley, filling in for Avi Arditti and Rosanne Skirble. This week on Wordmaster we'll talk about bad manners-and how they're reflected in what people are saying and not saying to one another these days.

Our guest is British writer Lynne Truss, whose new book is called Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody¹ Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door. She takes her title from the expression Talk to the hand, 'cause the face ain't listening, which captures some of the frustration² she describes in trying to interact with people in public.

Ms. Truss says there is a link between the subject of her latest book and her earlier best seller about punctuation³, called Eats, Shoots and Leaves.

LYNNE TRUSS: When we write e-mails to each other without punctuation, that is a bit rude, because the reader has to do all the work of working out what we were trying to say. So I did always think punctuation was in some ways a branch of manners. But whereas punctuation is all about rules, this (book) is about the illusion of rules -- if you hold the door open, someone should say 'thank you.'

And what we're beginning to realize is that other people don't accept that that's the rule. They have a different rule, which is never speak to anybody. And if anybody speaks to you, tell them in the roughest possible terms to go away.

NB: And neglecting to say things like 'please,' 'thank you,' or 'I'm sorry,' is the first example of bad manners you write about in this book. What makes those lapses⁴ so irritating?

LYNNE TRUSS: It's just so interesting that people don't notice the gap. It seems very straightforward⁵. They are only words, why don't people say them? Once you look into it, of course, you realize that politeness and being aware of other people is not just to make the other person feel better. It is to make one's self better. It is to give a sense the world is a safe place. If everybody obeys the same rules, then the world seems safe.

NB: And then there's the second example of rudeness in your book--all those push button choices and recorded messages we find whenever we try to do business these days. Aren't they supposed to make our lives easier?

LYNNE TRUSS: Yes, and they dress it up a lot, these automated⁶ switchboards. They often say you have all the control here. And of course what's happening is that businesses are taking advantage of the technology they have now to make us do all the work of getting in touch with them. We can't just call them up and ask for anything. We have to navigate⁷ their system.

NB: And that's followed by number three on your list of rude annoyances⁸, which you call 'My Bubble, My Rules.' What's that mean?

LYNNE TRUSS: That is people treating the outside as though it's inside, being out in public as though they are in private. And obviously having private phone calls in public places is the biggest example of that. And they're very defiant⁹. If you were to deliberately¹⁰ look at them as if to say, you are in public, they would look at you with complete shock that you should dare to impinge on their privacy.

NB: Which is your next complaint about inconsiderate behavior today: we don't dare tell people they're being rude for fear of encountering even more rudeness?

LYNNE TRUSS: Yes. For a while I did try to say things to people, and I was so shocked by the kind of response I got, because to them, breaking into their bubble is itself very rude, and they feel justified¹¹ in being very rude in return. People are not regarding themselves as a community. They just regard themselves all as individuals.

NB: And you also suggest there's a widespread lack of respect for age or authority or stature¹², which you refer to as booing the judges. Would you talk more about that?

LYNNE TRUSS: That's a really shocking thing. In the U.K., we're very disrespectful towards celebrities¹³, to the royal family and to judges and teachers. While we do want more egalitarianism, surely if you have that philosophy, then everyone should treat everyone with the same respect.

NB: And finally, the rude behavior you describe as someone else will clean it up. What does that mean when it comes to good manners?

LYNNE TRUSS: I think a lot of people feel that anything they do is not only their right to do, they also are not responsible for it. If they've done something bad, then you can blame somebody else, or you can blame the system. It's never 'I did it. I made the decision. I chose it.'

NB: Do you see any root causes for all this rude behavior?

LYNNE TRUSS: I think some of the root causes are probably very well intentioned. Parenting was meant to be kind, to give kids less discipline and less shame and fear, and so you end up with people who have got a lot of self respect, but they haven't got much respect for other people.

And we've also got a technology that encourages a rather lonely life of being on your own and in control. But we do have a responsibility to other people. We are part of the human race, and we do have to pull together sometimes.

NB: Lynne Truss is the author of Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door. And that's Wordmaster for this week. Our e-mail address is [email protected], and you can find all of our segments posted at voanews.com/wordmaster. Filling in for Avi Arditti and Rosanne Skirble, this is Nancy Beardsley.

1 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

2 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

3 punctuation   

n.标点符号，标点法

参考例句：

• My son's punctuation is terrible.我儿子的标点符号很糟糕。
• A piece of writing without any punctuation is difficult to understand.一篇没有任何标点符号的文章是很难懂的。

4 lapses   

n.失误，过失( lapse的名词复数 )；小毛病；行为失检；偏离正道v.退步( lapse的第三人称单数 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He sometimes lapses from good behavior. 他有时行为失检。 来自辞典例句
• He could forgive attacks of nerves, panic, bad unexplainable actions, all sorts of lapses. 他可以宽恕突然发作的歇斯底里，惊慌失措，恶劣的莫名其妙的动作，各种各样的失误。 来自辞典例句

5 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

6 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

7 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

8 annoyances   

n.恼怒( annoyance的名词复数 )；烦恼；打扰；使人烦恼的事

参考例句：

• At dinner that evening two annoyances kept General Zaroff from perfect enjoyment one. 当天晚上吃饭时，有两件不称心的事令沙洛夫吃得不很香。 来自辞典例句
• Actually, I have a lot of these little annoyances-don't we all? 事实上我有很多类似的小烦恼，我们不都有这种小烦恼吗？ 来自互联网

9 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

10 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

11 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

12 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

13 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目