中式英语之鉴 读书笔记：关于重复 1

2020-03-14 P90-94 关于重复

"Maxim Against Redundancy": No idea should be expressed twice about the same thing

说好听点是重复，其实就是啰嗦，只是没有经过专门的训练，这种重复意识有时候还意识不到，写下来看着就有点明显了，比如这句：

we must arrive at the station on time and be punctual

还有不太那么明显的，比如类似的事情这么说：这是一种隐含的重复

we must arrive at the station on time in order to catch the train

说实话，在学校的时候真的就这么写过的，没感觉有什么问题啊，

直译中文貌似这样的：（为了）赶上火车,我们必须准时到达车站, 好像挺别扭的。平时我们正常说话怎么说来着，比如你磨磨蹭蹭的，你妈急的催你：早点去车站，别让火车等你啊，按时去车站赶火车啊。其实重点就是 On time, 而 "on time" 本身就暗示能 'catch the train‘。

还有一种重复就是反着说，比如 “要当心啊” 反过来说就是 “别不当回事啊”，同一句话中先肯定，然后再反过来说一遍，便也是重复了。

we should pay close attention to the formulation of annual plan and not neglect it.

其中 pay close attention to 与 not neglect it 是一回事。

小结一下上面三种重复的现象：

• 简单~（Simple Reinstatement）
  • 两个部分表达的是同一个事情
• 自证~（Self-evident statement）
  • 隐含了后面表达的意思
• 镜像~（Mirror-image statement）
  • 先肯定，然后又反着说一遍

书中的几个例句，摘录下来，看看找出重复的地方：

• temparory in nature
• new innovation
• help and assistance
• unprecendented interest rates that set an all-time record.
• he thanks stockholders for having assisted us with their help
• he reports that his institution has continued to maintain success since the outset of our entry into the computer field
• A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls
• if we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure
• We must practice economy and reduce unnecessary expenditures
• We must be clear whether a mistake has really been made and if it has, we must be able to tell whether it is a major or minor one and whether it is serious or not
• in industrial production we must maintain a policy of safety first, with prevention of accidents as our main concern
• we must further strengthen the building of national defense in order to enhance our defense strength
• it is essential to control environmental pollution so as to protect the environment
• By renovating and expanding a number of chemical fertilizer plants, we shall increase the output of standard fertilizer by 15 million tons in the five-year period...Meanwhile, to increase soil fertility, we should promote widespread scientific application of fertilizer and greater use of farm manure.
• we should reduce taxes on enterprises so as to allow them to retain more of their profits and thus increase their financial capacity
• China's socialist system of law has now been basically established, so that the situation in which there were no laws has changed
• We should pay close attention to the formulatiion of annual plans and not neglect it
• we must maintain our vigilance and never be off guard
• financial expenditures should be arranged in order of priority, rather than be given equal status.