【雅思课外精读】懂王特朗普如何用“特言特语”成功追梦

　　【雅思课外精读】懂王特朗普如何用“特言特语”成功追梦   *注：本文摘自8月8日《经济学人》

　　Donald Trump’s language offers insight into how he won the presidency

　　特朗普的语言习惯帮助我们了解他是如何当上总统的

　　His linguistic quirks reveal the salesmanship that has made his career

　　特朗普的语言习惯表明，正是他高超的推销技术成就了他的总统事业

　　1. Everyone knows how to do a Donald Trump impersonation. In speech, adopt his raspy timbre, bellowing volume and start-stop rhythm. In writing, throw in “bigly”, capitalise Emotional Noun Phrases and end everything with an exclamation mark. Such quirks of enunciation and spelling make Mr Trump easy to mimic, but they do not easily explain his political success. The way he constructs sentences, however, does offer some insight into how he captured the presidency.

　　每个人都知道如何模仿唐纳德·特朗普。也就是在演讲中，学着用他那沙哑，低沉的声音和他那抑扬顿挫的节奏。在写作中，学会夸大其词，每一个情感名词/短语都要大写，每个句子都以感叹号结尾。特朗普这种奇怪的口头表达和写作风格很容易模仿，但这并不是他取得政治成功的原因。然而，通过分析他遣词造句的方式确实能够帮助我们了解他是如何赢得总统职位的。

　　2. Underpinning Mr Trump’s distinctive language is an extreme confidence in his own knowledge. Like Steve Jobs—who inspired his colleagues at Apple by making the impossible seem possible—Mr Trump creates his own “reality distortion field”. One of his signature tropes is “not a lot of people know…” He has introduced the complicated nature of health care, or the fact that Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president, as truths that are familiar only to a few. A related sound-bite is “nobody knows more about...than I do”. The fields of expertise Mr Trump has touted this way include campaign finance, technology, politicians, taxes, debt, infrastructure, the environment and the economy.

　　支撑特朗普这种独特语言风格的是他对自己的极端自信。乔布斯通过将不可能变为可能来激励苹果的员工，同样，特朗普创造了自己的“现实扭曲场。”他的标志性表达之一是“（这事）没几个人知道”。比如他介绍了医疗保健系统的复杂性，林肯是美国第一位共和党总统这些少有人知道的事实。一个相关的录音片段是“关于…没有人知道得比我还多。”特朗普以这种方式吹嘘的内容包括竞选融资，技术，政治人物，税收，债务，基础设施，环境和经济等。

　　3. His critics have often attributed this to narcissism, but a complementary explanation is that it is also one of his strengths—salesmanship. In Mr Trump’s framing, he is in possession of rare information. He is therefore able to cut a customer a special deal “not a lot of people know” about. Should you be tempted to take your business to a competitor, he will remind you that “nobody knows more about” what is on offer than he does.

　　他的批评者将这一切归因于自恋，但需要注意的是，这其实也是他的长处之一，那就是推销力。在特朗普的运筹帷幄之中，他掌握着重要信息，因此，他能够为客户带来一笔“少有人知道”的特殊交易。如果你想将自己的生意交给他的竞争对手，他会提醒你，没有人比他更了解。

　　4. And how does he convince listeners he really does know what he’s talking about? His language constantly indicates self-belief. Consider Mr Trump’s predecessor. Barack Obama was known for long pauses, often filled with a languid “uh…” He gives the impression of a man thinking hard about what to say next. But Mr Trump rarely hesitates and hardly ever says “um” or “uh”. When he needs to plan his next sentence—as everyone must—he often buys time by repeating himself. This reinforces the impression that he is supremely confident and that what he’s saying is self-evident.

　　他是如何说服听众相信他对自己所说的一切都十分了解的呢？答案是，他的语言经常表现出他的绝对自信。以奥巴马为例。巴拉克•奥巴马演讲中停顿时间长是出了名的。他的演讲中充斥着让人厌倦的“呃…”“嗯…”，给人一种努力思考接下来要说什么的感觉。但是特朗普很少犹豫，也很少说 “呃”或“嗯”。当他想要讲下一个句子时（每个人都必须这样做），他经常通过重复表达来争取时间。这加强了他在人们心中的印象：绝对自信，而且所说的东西也是不言自明的。

　　5. Perhaps the most striking element of Mr Trump’s uncompromising belief in his sales technique can be glimpsed in an unusual place: his mistakes. Mr Trump is often presented as a linguistic klutz, saying things that make so little sense that his detractors present them as proof of major cognitive decline.

　　在特朗普对自己销售力的绝对信念中，最不同寻常的是他在演讲中犯的错误。特朗普经常被当成语言白痴，说的都是些废话，以至于批评特朗普的人一直认为，他已经出现了严重的认知衰退。

　　6. All people make some slips and stumbles when they speak: not just those known for them (say, George W. Bush) but those known for eloquence (Mr Obama, for example). Mr Trump regularly makes errors but his signature quality, by contrast, is to lean into them. Take a recent interview with Fox News, in which he talked about governors’ differing attitudes towards masks. Some are keener than others about requiring people to wear them to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Or, as Mr Trump put it, “they’re more mask into”.

　　不可避免的是，所有人说话都会有口误或者磕绊：不仅仅是那些以口误著称的人（如乔治·W·布什），还有那些雄辩之士的人（如巴拉克·奥巴马）。特朗普也经常犯错误，但是相比之下，他的标志性品质则是无视错误。最近接受福克斯新闻采访时，他谈到了州长对口罩的不同态度。有些州长热衷于要求人们佩戴口罩以减缓新冠病毒的传播。特朗普是这么说的： “他们更口罩喜欢”。

　　7. What is remarkable is not the mistake. It is easy for anyone to go down a syntactic blind alley. Many people will say something like “they’re more mask” and then realise there is nowhere to go. The sentence, in linguists’ terms, requires “repair”, which usually involves backtracking. Unless, that is, you are Mr Trump, in which case you confidently intone “into” and move on, giving no hint of trouble.

　　值得关注的并不是错误本身，每个人都会犯一些语法错误，很多人也会因为口误说出：“他们更口罩”这样的话之后才意识到自己说错了。用语言学家的话来说，这种情况下，这个句子需要修改，所以人们往往会纠正自己的错误。但是，特朗普不一样，在这种情况下，他会自信地在句子末尾加上“喜欢”这样的字眼，然后继续侃侃而谈，滔滔不绝，似乎什么也没有发生过。

　　8. This refusal to concede blunders shows up in more serious ways, of course, such as the president’s unwillingness to take responsibility for his administration’s missteps during the pandemic. It also helps explain two mysteries. The first is the odd disjunct between words that seem nonsensical on the page and a stage presence that enraptures audiences—it is Mr Trump’s assertive persona that convinces more than his words.

　　当然，在其它一些更重要的事情上，特朗普也拒绝承认错误。他不愿为新冠疫情期间政府的失职承担责任。这种行事方式也有助于解释两个谜团。首先，他的字里行间有很多毫无意义的词汇，但是他的舞台表现却总是让观众信服，这产生了一种奇怪的割裂感。特朗普的自信总是比他的文字更让人信服。

　　9. The second is how this works on his fans. In a recent survey conducted by Pew, Americans were asked to rank Mr Trump and Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, on a number of characteristics. The trait for which Americans give Mr Trump the highest mark is telling. Despite a notably light schedule and a stated disdain for exercise, the president’s incessant speaking style is almost certainly the reason he received a good score on one quality in particular: 56% of voters, and 93% of his supporters, describe him as “energetic”.

　　第二点是他是如何吸粉的。皮尤研究中心（Pew）最近进行的一项调查要求美国人对特朗普和民主党候选人乔·拜登按照一系列特征进行排名。特朗普评分最高的特质就是他的演讲能力。尽管特朗普日程安排显得很轻松，且对竞选活动嗤之以鼻，但他一贯的演讲风格肯定给他加分不少：56％的选民和93％的支持者称他“精力充沛”。

　　精读解析

　　篇章结构P1: 分析特朗普的语言风格有助于解释他为何能够赢得总统选举。P2—P4：特朗普语言风格的基础是他对自己的极端自信，还有这种自信背后强大的推销力。P5—P7：由于他的绝对自信，在演讲中，特朗普不回纠正自己的错误。P8—P9：特朗普的自信总是让人信服；他的自信使人相信他始终精力充沛。

　　重点单词Bigly特朗普说“我要减税”时这样说：“I’m going to cut taxes bigly.” 但是英语里面并没有这样一个词，语言学专家称，他想说的可能是big league，但是听起来就是bigly,现在网上大家都在用bigly讽刺特朗普了。

　　impersonation / im,pə :sə'neiʃən/ n. 扮演【同根】impersonate vt. 扮演；模仿, 假冒【例句】She's getting a little too good at impersonating Elena.她现在扮埃琳娜扮得越来越像了。

　　raspy /'rɑːspɪ/ adj. 刺耳的,焦躁的,易怒的【例句】Both men sang in a deep, raspy tone.  两个男子的歌调都很低沉、沙哑。

　　timbre /'tæmbə/ n. [音]音色；音质；音品【例句】Different methods to touch the keys will result in different representation of timbre.不同的触键方法，会产生不同的音色表现。

　　bellow /'beləʊ/ vt. 大声喊叫；大声发出n. 吼叫声；轰鸣声【例句】The walls fairly shook with their bellowing.他们的吼叫简直把墙都撼动了。

　　start-stop 起止;起止的;启动终止;开停【例句】An engine start-stop function and regenerative braking help nudge the fuel economy to a claimed 56 MPG city and 65 MPG on the highway.  发动机启停的功能和再生制动器能够更加节约燃料，城市可以达到65mpg，高速65mpg。

　　exclamation /ˌeksklə'meɪʃ(ə)n/  n. 呼喊, 惊叫【例句】Meg gave an involuntary exclamation.梅格不由自主地叫了起来。

　　enunciation /i,n ʌ nsi'ei ʃə n/ n. 清晰的发音；表明;宣言【同根】enunciate vt. 发音；阐明；宣布; vi. 阐明；清晰地发音;【例句】If sloppy enunciation is one of the most irritating speech habits, using excessive fillers while you speak is the most irritating speech habit.  如果说含糊的发音是演讲中最令人讨厌的习惯之一的话，那么使用大量的“填充词”可谓最令人讨厌的习惯，没有之一。

　　mimic /'mɪmɪk/ vt. 模仿，摹拟n. 小丑；仿制品；效颦者，模仿者adj. 模仿的，模拟的；假装的【例句】One of my brothers is a wonderful mimic.我的一个兄弟很善于模仿。

　　underpin /ʌndə'pɪn/ vt. 用砖石结构等从下面支撑(墙等);加固(墙等)的基础；为(论据、主张等)打下基础;加强;巩固n. 基础材料,基础结构；(学说、理论等的)基础；(人的)腿【例句】A powerful sense of mission underpins everything he does.一种强烈的使命感支撑他所做的一切。

　　sound-bite adj. 原声摘要的；简洁的vi. 简洁地说【例句】Mr Obama's request creates expectations that future enforcement will also be subject to the vagaries of congressional sound bites. That tends to weaken deterrence.奥巴马总统的请求产生了一种预期，即未来的执策也将会受限于国会变换莫测的决议。At town-hall meetings, he does not fob voters off with a single sound-bite; he lets them ask follow-up questions.  在市政厅会议上，他不是单用一句漂亮话来唬弄选民；他让它们提穷根究底的问题。

　　expertise /ˌekspɜː'tiːz/ n. 专门知识或技能【例句】MPs may lack the necessary expertise to scrutinise legislation effectively.议员可能缺乏严格审查立法所必备的专业知识。

　　cut a deal 达成协议，达成交易；最后达成决定性的协议【例句】Service providers could cut deals incentivizing users to opt for existing services instead of smaller rivals.互联网供应商或许会达成协议，鼓励用户选择现有服务，而不是规模较小的竞对服务。

　　narcissism /'nɑːsɪsɪz(ə)m/ n. 自恋，自我陶醉【例句】Grandiose narcissism is the most familiar kind, characterized by extroversion, dominance, and attention seeking.浮夸型自恋最常见，它的特点是外向、强势，和希望得到关注。

　　complementary /kɒmplɪ'ment(ə)rɪ/ adj. 互补的【例句】These two aims are not always mutually complementary: at times they conflict.有时它们相互抵触。

　　languid /'læŋgwɪd/ adj. 没精打采的；懒散的【例句】The men languidly put on their jackets.男人们疲倦地穿上夹克衫。

　　self-evident /'self'evidənt/ adj. 不证自明的;不言而喻的【例句】The dangers of such action are self-evident.  这样的行动，其危险是明摆着的。

　　uncompromising /ʌn'kɒmprəmaɪzɪŋ/ adj. 不妥协的；坚定的【例句】The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。

　　klutz /klʌts/ n. 〈美俚〉笨手笨脚的人,木头人,不善交际的人,傻瓜【例句】They're klutzes at sports and dweebs when it comes to the opposite sex.他们不擅长体育运动，在与异性交往方面也是呆头呆脑的。

　　detractor /dɪˈtræktə/ n. 诋毁者,贬低者【例句】That idea enrages many of her detractors.这激怒了许多她的批评者。

　　Make slips and stumbles 犯错误

　　eloquence /'eləkwəns/ n. 口才;雄辩【例句】Discretion in speech is more than eloquence.出言慎重胜过口若悬河。

　　lean into滑入；陷入【例句】When a bad mood strikes, it's tempting to lean into the emotions and just ride it out.坏心情袭来时，人容易陷入糟糕的情绪中，你要做的就是克服困难。

　　syntactic /sɪn'tæktɪk/ adj. 句法的【例句】Syntactic differences often present the learner with difficulties.句法的不同往往给语言学习者带来困难。

　　blind alley死胡同；没有前途的职业【例句】Our first experiment was a blind alley, but the second one gave us very promising results.我们的第一次试验毫无结果，不过第二次试验取得了十分可喜的结果。

　　backtrack /'bæktræk/ vi. 走原路, 由原路返回；改变主意, 取消诺言, 变卦, 出尔反尔【例句】Lily's bright green eyes were slits. Snape backtracked at once.莉莉明亮的绿眼睛变得狭长，斯内普不由得退了一步。

　　concede /kən'siːd/ vt. & vi. 承认；出让, 容许【例句】He conceded ten points to his opponent.他让给自己的对手十分。

　　blunder /'blʌndə/ n. (因无知、粗心等造成)的错误vi. 犯错误；踉踉跄跄地走【短语】blunder away 挥霍掉；抛弃【例句】I blundered on in my explanation.我笨嘴笨舌地解释下去。

　　take responsibility for对…负责【例句】Take responsibility for your own learning.对自己的学习负责。

　　misstep /mɪs'step/ n. 失足；过失；踏错；失策；vi. 失足；走上歧途【例句】For a mountain goat one misstep could be fatal.对石山羊来说，一失足便可能丧命。

　　disjunct /'dɪsdʒʌŋ(k)t/ adj. 分离的；[动]头、胸和腹部由缢缩分开的【例句】So, melodies can be conjunct or disjunct.旋律可以级进或者跳进。

　　nonsensical /nɒn'sensɪk(ə)l/ adj. 无意义的;荒谬的;愚蠢的【例句】

　　US district judge James Mahan called Brown's claim for civil rights violation nonsensical.

　　美国地区法官詹姆斯·马汉称布朗提出的侵犯公民权的诉讼没有意义。

　　enrapture /ɪn'ræptʃə/ vt. 使狂喜

　　【例句】

　　The audience was enraptured by her beautiful voice.

　　听众为她的优美歌声所陶醉。

　　presumptive /prɪ'zʌm(p)tɪv/ adj. 假定的

　　【例句】

　　The presumptive Republican nominee says his words were misconstrued.

　　共和党“假定”候选人称此言论遭到误解。

　　nominee /nɒmɪ'niː/ n. 被任命者；被提名的人；代名人

　　【例句】

　　The Director is awaiting the Board’s affirmation of his nominee.

　　董事长在等待董事会批准他提名的候选人。