第十二课：英文中的略读

文本编辑：Jade

文本校对：Doris

文本翻译：Kate

重点词汇：Thea

Hi, this is MT English, I’m Joe. Today we’re going to be focusing on reduced forms in English. So what are reduced forms? When native English speakers speak, they usually speak quite quickly and it’s very difficult for foreigners to understand, and especially at first when you learning a new language, this is because we often use certain intonation or stress or reduced forms.

 

你好，这里是MT英语，我是Joe。今天我们将主要学习英语中的弱读。那么什么是弱读呢？以英语为母语的人在说话时，他们通常说得非常快，外国人很难听得懂，特别是当你第一次学习一种新的语言时，这就是因为我们平常都用了特定的语调或重读、略读。

 

So, for example, if you start to learn English, you will say each word very carefully and speak slowly, which is okay, but it just doesn't sound very natural. So if you go to another country maybe people feel a bit tired listening to your English or they think your English level is quite low. So often what we do is, when there’re words that aren’t so important, we reduced them, we make them shorter or we blend them into other words, so that we can say a sentence faster but the listener can still understand.

 

比如，当你初学英语时，你会非常认真地、非常慢地念每个单词，这可能没什么，但它听起来不是很自然。假如你到了另外一个国家，人们也许会觉得听你的英语有点累，或者认为你的英语水平比较低。所以我们通常会做的是，当遇到某些不是很重要的单词，我们弱读它们，我们把它们变短一些，或者把他们掺入其他的单词里，这样即使我们把一个句子说的非常快，听的人也依旧能明白意思。

 

So some very common examples, “I’m going to the shop.” “I' m gonna go to the shop.” So “going to” becomes “gonna”. “I’m gonna go to the shop.” “I’m going to go to the shop.” It’s very slow, we don’t really need to say it so clearly. “I’m gonna go to the shop.” “Going to” becomes “gonna”. “Want to”, “I want to go to the shop.” “I wanna go to the shop.” “I wanna go to the shop.” So these are very common reduced forms, and most people know them and even very low level students, because you know they’ve heard them in films or they’ve heard other people talking like this.

 

一些常见的例子，“I’m going to the shop.（我要去商店。）” “I' m gonna go to the shop.” 所以这里 “going to”变成“gonna”. “I’m gonna go to shop.” “I’m going to go to the shop.”非常地慢，（但）我们不需要说的那么清楚。“I’m gonna go to the shop.” “Going to”变成“gonna”. “Want to”, “I want to go to the shop.（我想要去商店。）” “I wanna go to the shop.” “I wanna go to the shop.” 这些都是非常常见的弱读式，而且很多的人都知道他们，即使是（英文）水平比较低的的学生，因为他们（可能）在电影里听过它们，或者听其他人这样讲过。

 

Reduced forms follow patterns, so for example the words the modal verbs （情态动词）,would ,could, should. We can often just put if it’s “would you”, it will become “would ja”, so “Would you like a biscuit? Would ja like a biscuit?” So, I can say this a little bit faster but it doesn't really change the meaning for the listener. “Could ja(could you) pass me the salt?” “Should ja(should you) write your name here?”

 

弱读式遵循一定的“套路”，比如一些情态动词“would” , “could”, “should”。如果是“would you”的话，我们可以这样做，把它变成“would ja”。“Would you like a biscuit？(想来块饼干吗？)” “Would ja like a biscuit?” 我可以说得比较快，但是对于听的人来说并不改变其中的意思。“Could ja(could you) pass me the salt?（可以递些盐给我吗？）” “Should ja(should you) write your name here?（你应该把你的名字写在这吗？）”

 

“Don't you” can become “don’t ya”, or “don’t ja”, so maybe “don't ja” a bit more American. “Don't ja know” or “don't ya know”. “I don't know.” “I dunno”. So these all very common reduced forms. “Let me”, “give me”, “sort of”, “kind of”, all of these can be reduced. “let me see”, “lemme see”, so “let me” becomes “lemme” , “letme see”, “letme see”. “Give me the paper”, “Gimme the paper”, “give me” becomes “gimme”. “kind of”, “sort of”, “lots of”,(become) “kinda”, “sorta”, “lotsa”.

 

“Don't you” 可以变成“don’t ya”, 或者“don’t ja”, “don't ja” 可能会更像美国人。“don't ja know”, “don't ya know”. “I don't know.” “I dunno”.这些都是非常常见的弱读式，“let me”, “give me”, “sort of”, “kind of”, 这些都可以弱读。“let me see”, “lemme see”, “let me” 变成“lemme” , “letme see”. “Give me the paper”, “Gimme the paper”, “give me”变成“gimme”. “kind of”, “sort of”, “lots of”, (变成) “kinda”, “sorta”, “lotsa”.

 

So, for example, “Yeah, I think she' s kinda nice.” “she' s kind of nice.” “It's a sort of pie.” “It's a sorta pie.” “There are lots of people.” “There are lotsa people.”, “lotsa people.” Another common reduced forms is if we use two nouns, with “and” in the middle, so something like “rice and peas” will become “rice n peas”, so the “s” in the end of rice blends with the “and”, “rice n”, “rice n peas”. If we say rice and peas”, it’s a bit, you know, it’s a bit difficult to say, it takes longer. “cats and dogs”, very difficult to say because you have two “ds”, “cats, and, dogs”, so that would take much longer than “cats n dogs”. So “cats n”, it’s almost like it’s one word “catsn dogs”. “Red and green”, “red and green” becomes “red n green”. So any two nouns with “and” in the middle, we can blend the “n” sound into the first word, and we don't need to pronounce the “d” in “and”.

 

所以，比如，“Yeah, I think she' s kinda nice.（没错，我觉得她很好。）” “she' s kind of nice.” “It's a sort of pie.（这是一种派。）” “It's a sorta pie.” “There are lots of people.（有很多人。）” “There are lotsa people.”, “lotsa people.” 另一种常见的弱读就是，如果两个名词之间用“and”连接, 比如“rice and peas”变成“rice n peas”, “rice”结尾的 “ce” 和“and”连在了一起, “ricen”, “ricen peas”. 如果我们念“rice and peas”, 就会有点难说，因为花的时间会比较长。

 

“Have to”, “has to”, “got to”, all can be reduced, “I have to go.” “I hafta go.” “She has to go.” “She hasta to go”, “hasta”. So almost becomes one word instead of two separated words, there’s no space. “got to go”, “I’ve to gotta go.”, “gotta go”, so “got to” becomes “gotta”, “gotta go”, fast.

 

“Have to”, “has to”, “got to”, 都可以弱读, “I have to go. (我必须走了。)”, “I hafta go.” “She has to go. (她必须走了。)”, “She hasta to go”, “hasta”. 两个分开的单词几乎变成了一个单词,（它们之间）没有多余的停留, “got to go”, “I’ve to gotta go”, “gotta go”, “got to” 变成“gotta”, “gotta go”, 快一点。

 

There are also many individual words or phrases that we can reduce, so something like “come on”, we don't usually say this, we usually because we usually in a rush, we will say “c’mon”, as if it’s one, very short word. “just” often becomes “jus”, “Oh, I’ve jus seen him”, we don’t say, “I’ve just seen him”, very laborious（费劲的） and difficult to say, so it’s easier to say “I’ve jus seen him.”

 

还有很多个别的单词和词组可以弱读，比如“come on”, 我们通常不这样念, 因为有时候我们会很匆忙, 我们通常会念成“c’mon”, 就像一个很短的单词一样。“just”通常变成“jus”, “Oh, I’ve jus seen him.(喔，我才刚见过他。)”, 我们不说“I’ve just seen him”,（这样）非常费劲,而且很难说，说成“Oh, I’ve jus seen him”会简单一点。

 

Often “what are you” becomes “what are ya” or “whatcha”, so for example, “what are you doing tonight?(今晚打算干什么呢？)”, “what are ya doing tonight?” Probably more in American or Australian English. And often in British English is, “watcha”, “whatcha you doing tonight?”, “what are you doing”. And “because” often we actually just remove the  “be”，just say “cause”, “He did it because he was angry.” “He did it cause he was angry.”

 

通常“what are you”变成“what are ya”或者“whatcha”, 比如“what are you doing tonight?(今晚打算干什么呢？)”, “what are ya doing tonight?” 可能会偏美式或者澳大利亚口音，, “watcha”, “whatcha you doing tonight?”, “what are you doing”. “because” 我们通常省去 “be”，只念“cause”, “He did it because he was angry.（他这么做是因为他很生气）” “He did it cause he was angry.”

 

Let's just have one more example, if we have a verb followed by a--noun, then we often shorten these by putting the “a” with the end of the verb, so for example, “he made a mess”. So made––verb, a mess—noun, “he mada mess.” So the “a” just joins in the “made”, the “d” at the end of made, “mada mess”, not “made a mess”. “read a book”, “reada book”, “He reada book.” “bought a car” becomes “boughta car”. So we reduce these by making the “a” part of the verb, “She wrote a letter.”, “she wrota letter, wrota , wrota letter.”

 

让我们再来看一个例子，如果我们遇到在动词后跟着“a”和名词的情况，我们通常把 “a”放在动词的结尾来缩短它们。比如 “he made a mess.（他弄得一团糟。）” 所以made—动词, a mess—名词, “he mada mess.” “a” 和“made”的结尾d连在了一起 “mada mess”, 不是“made a mess”. “read a book”, “reada book”, “He rada book.(他读了本书。)” “bought a car” 变成“boughta car” 就是把“a”变成动词的一部分来弱读它们。 “She wrote a letter.(她写了封信。)”, “she wrota letter, wrota , wrota letter.”

 

So there are some common reduced forms in English which you can practice, make some sentences and practice saying them. But do beware that reduced forms are for informal situations. So if you’re in a business meeting or you’re making a formal speech or any other formal situation, probably better to leave out reduced forms and say the full form. Thank you for listening and being patient, I’m Joe, MT English, see you next time.

 

英语中还有一些弱读式你可以通过造句的方法来练习它们。但是要注意的是，弱读式只适用于不正式的场合。所以如果你在一些商务会议或者演讲等正式的场合里，最好不要用弱读式，而是用完整的形式。感谢你的耐心收听，我是Joe，这里是MT英语，下次再见。

 

重点词汇：

1.blend  英[blend]

vt.混合;把…掺在一起;（使） 调和;协调;

vi.掺杂;结合;相配，相称;

n.混合;混合物;混合色，合成语;

e.g. Blend the butter with the sugar and beat until light and creamy.

把糖掺入黄油然后搅拌至滑软细腻。

 

2.modal verbs

n.情态动词;情态助动词;神态动词;

e.g. Modal verbs generally take the bare infinitive.

情态动词通常用不带to的不定式。

 

3.laborious   英[ləˈbɔ:riəs]

adj.费力的;辛苦的;勤劳的;

e.g. Keeping the garden tidy all year round can be a laborious task.

一年到头把花园拾掇得干净整洁也不是件轻松事。