Neil: And I'm Neil.

而我'是尼爾。

So Alice, can you think of an example of how the English we speak is changing?

那麼愛麗絲，你能不能舉個例子，說明我們說的英語是如何變化的？

Alice: Yes, I can.

是的，我可以。

Teenagers saying 'like' all the time.

少年們說'喜歡&39;的時候。

Neil: Oh, that's, like, really like annoying, like?

哦，那'的，像，真的像煩人的，像？

Alice: Well, the subject of today's show is how and why the English language is changing.

愛麗絲。好了，今天的主題'的節目 是如何以及為什麼 英語語言正在發生變化。

And teenagers definitely have their own code

而青少年絕對有自己的準則

including text speak when they're on the internet or using their phones.

包括當他們'在互聯網上或使用手機時的文字說話。

Fomo, bae, plos

Fomo, bae, plos

do you have any idea what those terms mean, Neil?

你知道這些術語是什麼意思嗎，尼爾？

Neil: I've got no idea what you're talking about, Alice.

我不知道你在說什麼，愛麗絲。

They're pretty baffling – and that means 'hard to understand'.

他們'很令人費解--這意味著'難以理解'。

But that's the idea, isn't it? We oldies aren't supposed to understand!

但這就是我們的想法，不是嗎？我們這些老傢伙不應該理解!

Alice: Yes, exactly! Apparently, 'plos' means 'parents looking over shoulder'

愛麗絲是的，沒錯！很顯然，'plos'的意思是'父母在肩上看&39。

which proves your point!

這證明了你的觀點

Text speak is a lot to do with inventing cool new terms – and these change quickly.

文字講究的是發明酷炫的新名詞--而這些名詞變化很快。

In a year, or even six months time, words that were once popular, have disappeared completely.

一年，甚至半年的時間，曾經流行的詞語，已經完全消失了。

Neil: OK, I have a quiz question forming in my mind, Alice

尼爾：好的，我的腦海裡形成了一道問答題，愛麗絲。

so I hope you're feeling up to the challenge, Alice.

所以，我希望你'感覺到了挑戰，愛麗絲。

Can you tell me, what kinds of words are slow to change?

你能告訴我，什麼樣的詞變化慢？

Is it... a) nouns? b) pronouns?

是......a）名詞？ b）代詞？

Or c) adjectives?

或c）形容詞？

Alice: I think it's a) nouns.

愛麗絲：我認為是'a)名詞。

The way we name things probably doesn't change that quickly.

我們命名事物的方式可能不會那麼快就改變。

Neil: We shall find out if you are right or wrong later on in the show.

尼爾：你說的是對是錯，稍後的節目中我們會知道。

But let's think about English grammar for a minute, and what changes are occurring here.

但我們先來思考一下英語語法，這裡發生了哪些變化。

Alice: I noticed you said 'shall' there, Neil.

愛麗絲：我注意到你說了'應&39;有，尼爾。

And to my ear, that sounds pretty old fashioned.

而在我聽來，這聽起來很老套。

Neil: And you're very right, Alice.

尼爾：而且你&#39；很對，愛麗絲。

The modal verb 'shall' is on the way out – meaning it's disappearing.

情態動詞'shall'正在消失--意思是它'正在消失。

Why do you think that is?

你覺得為什麼會這樣？

Alice: Well, perhaps it's because 'will' sounds more natural these days.

愛麗絲。好吧，也許是因為'意志&39;現在聽起來比較自然。

Let's listen to linguist Bas Aarts,

讓我們來聽聽語言學家巴斯-阿特的意見。

talking to writer and presenter, Michael Rosen on the BBC Radio 4 programme Word of Mouth, for his explanation.

在BBC廣播4臺節目《口碑》中與作家兼主持人Michael Rosen交談，請他解釋。

Michael Rosen: Why would we lose 'shall'?

邁克爾-羅森。為什麼我們會失去'應&39;？

I mean, if especially as we hold it in the interrogative.

我的意思是，如果特別是當我們把它放在問句中。

We say, you know, 'Shall we go swimming'?

我們說，你知道，'我們去游泳吧'？

Bas Aarts: Well, because it's in competition with 'will'.

巴斯-阿特。因為它與'意志&39;競爭。

If you have two words that more or less express the same meaning,

如果你有兩個或多或少表達相同意思的詞。

one of the two is going to be pushed out of the language.

兩者之一將被推出語言。

And in this case, it's 'shall'.

而在這種情況下，它'的'應'。

Neil: Bas Aarts there. And interrogative means 'a question'.

尼爾：巴斯阿特有。而問句的意思是'一個問題'。

So it's not just in nature that we get survival of the fittest – you know,

所以，不只是在自然界，我們得到適者生存--你知道的。

the struggle for life – it happens in language too.

生命的掙扎--這也發生在語言中。

Similar words are competing with each other, and some lose while others win out

相似的詞語相互競爭，有的人輸了，有的人卻贏了。

or succeed after a fight.

或戰鬥後成功。

Do you know of any other modal verbs that are on their way out, Alice?

你知道有什麼其他的情態動詞正在被淘汰嗎，愛麗絲？

Alice: Yes – 'must' is declining rapidly.

愛麗絲。是的--'必須&39;正在迅速下降。

Neil: Why's that?

尼爾：為什麼'是這樣？

Alice: Well... 'Must' sounds authoritarian, and people are choosing to express obligation

愛麗絲。嗯......'必須'；聽起來很專制，而人們選擇表達的義務

or having a duty to do something – in different ways.

或有責任做某事 -- -- 以不同的方式。

Neil: OK, authoritarian means 'demanding that people obey you'.

尼爾：好吧，專制意味著'要求人們服從你&39;。

For example: Alice, you must move on to the next point, now!

例如：愛麗絲，你必須馬上進入下一個點！

Alice: Oh, you scared me a bit there, Neil!

愛麗絲哦，你嚇到我了，尼爾！

Neil: Exactly. I can see why people are shying away from – or avoiding – 'must'.

尼爾：沒錯。我知道為什麼人們對'必須&39;望而卻步--或避而遠之。

It sounds nicer to soften obligation by saying things like,

說這樣的話來軟化義務，聽起來會更好。

'You might want to move on to the next point now, Alice.'

'你現在可能想繼續下一點，愛麗絲.&#39。

Alice: OK, then, I shall.

愛麗絲好吧，那麼，我會的。

Let's talk about tenses.

讓我們'來談談時態。

Progressive tenses – formed from the verb be and the suffix – ing – are usually used for ongoing situations,

遞進式時態--由動詞be和後綴-ing形成，通常用於正在進行的情況。

for example, 'I'm doing the show with Neil at the moment'.

比如，'我&39;此刻正在和尼爾一起做節目&39;。

But its use has been increasing rapidly.

但其使用量一直在迅速增加。

Let's listen to Michael Rosen and Bas Aarts again talking about this.

讓我們再來聽聽邁克爾-羅森和巴斯-阿茨談論這個問題。

BA: It started increasing dramatically in the 19th century

BA：19世紀開始急劇增加。

and has continued to rise in the present day.

並一直延續到現在。

MR: I think that's a cue for me to say, 'I'm loving it', is that right?

MR：我想這'是一個提示，讓我說，'我'很喜歡它'，是這樣嗎？

BA: Well, that is one of the constructions that is coming in,

BA:Well, that is one of the constructions that is coming in,

I mean, I sometimes call it the Big Mac progressive because of course McDonald's use that.

我的意思是，我有時會把它叫做巨無霸漸進式，因為當然麥當勞'的使用。

Neil: In this segment of the BBC Radio 4 programme Word of Mouth,

尼爾：在英國廣播公司第四臺節目《口碑》的這一段。

Michael Rosen quotes the progressive form 'I'm loving it'

邁克爾-羅森引用了進步的形式'我&39;很喜歡它&39。

a slogan used by an American fast-food chain in its advertising campaign.

一家美國快餐連鎖店在其廣告宣傳中使用的口號。

Alice: The verb 'love' is a stative verb.

愛麗絲。動詞'愛&39;是一個定語動詞。

It expresses a state of being

它表達的是一種狀態

as opposed to doing

與做

and is traditionally used in the simple form, for example, 'I love it'.

並且是傳統的簡單形式，例如，'我愛它'。

But these days, people are using stative verbs in the progressive more and more.

但如今，人們越來越多地使用定語動詞進位。

Neil: I'm hearing what you're saying, Alice!

我聽到你說的了，愛麗絲！我聽到你說的了。

Now, I think it's time for the answer to today's quiz question.

現在，我想是時候回答今天'的測驗題了。

I asked you: What kinds of words are slow to change?

我問你什麼樣的詞是變化緩慢的？

Is it... a) nouns, b) pronouns or c) adjectives?

是......a）名詞，b）代詞還是c）形容詞？

Alice: I said a) nouns.

愛麗絲：我說a)名詞。

Neil: And you were wrong, Alice!

你錯了，愛麗絲！

According to Professor Mark Pagel, evolutionary biologist at Reading University in the UK,

據英國雷丁大學進化生物學家馬克-帕格爾教授介紹。

pronouns like 'I' and 'you' and 'we' evolve slowly

代詞，如'我&39;和'你&39;和'我們&39;慢慢演變

a thousand years ago we would be using similar or sometimes identical sounds.

一千年前，我們會使用相似或有時相同的聲音。

Similarly, number words evolve very slowly

同樣，數字詞的發展也非常緩慢

our ancestors were using related sounds a thousand or perhaps even two thousand years ago.

我們的祖先使用相關的聲音 一千年甚至兩千年前。

Whereas nouns and adjectives get replaced quite rapidly

而名詞和形容詞則會很快被替換掉

and in five hundred years or so we'll probably be using different words to the ones we use now.

而在五百年左右的時間裡，我們'可能會使用與現在不同的詞彙。

Alice: Well, I got that completely wrong then!

愛麗絲好吧，我得到了完全錯誤的呢！

Who knew that one, two, three would have such staying power?

誰知道一二三會有這樣的持久力？

Neil: I suppose numbers are pretty fundamental to our day-to-day lives

尼爾：我想數字是我們日常生活的基本要素。

sort of part of who we are.

某種程度上是我們的一部分。

Alice: OK, let's hear the - hopefully - more permanent words we learned today.

愛麗絲。好了，讓我們聽聽我們今天學到的--希望是--更永久的詞。

Neil: There were:

尼爾：有的。

baffling

令人費解

on the way out

臨走

interrogative

疑問

win out

勝出

obligation

義務

authoritarian

專制

shying away from

畏縮

progressive

漸進

stative

定性

Alice: Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.

愛麗絲好了，這'是今天的結束'6分鐘的英語。

To recap, we're enjoying the progressive tense.

總結一下，我們'享受進步的時態。

Neil: And we're loving 'will' and 'should', but avoiding 'shall' and 'must'.

尼爾：而我們'愛著'會'；和'應該'，但避免'應'；和'必須'。

Don't forget to join us again soon!

不要忘了很快再加入我們的行列!

Both: Bye!

再見！