|
|
最近，美国社会深陷肺炎停摆和解封的泥潭，美股却仍然涨啊涨，涨啊涨，于是main street和wall street 这一组对立的词又频频出现了。
英汉大词典(第2版)：
Main Street
[亦作m- s-] <美>
1 (小城镇的)大街,主街
2 [总称](以保守、狭隘等为特征的)典型小城镇居民
3 小城镇周围的乡村地区;以狭隘乡土观念和实利主义为特征的地方(或环境)
4 典型小城镇观念(或行为)(指保守、狭隘、实利主义等)
||Main Streeter
英汉大词典暗示义项2、3、4是个贬义词
朗文当代4:
2. [U] AmE ordinary people who believe in traditional American values 【美】 〔信仰美国传统价值观的〕普通大众，老百姓:
The President's new proposals won't go down too well on Main Street. 总统的新提议不太会受到普通老百姓的欢迎。
朗文和其他ESL词典却说这是个中性词，没有贬斥色彩，这是咋回事？打架了？
原来，ESL词典记录的意思是奥巴马时代用的新意思，Urban Dictionary：
main street
generic term for middle class America. Used extensively in the 2008 presidential election.
"Senator McCain just doesn't get it – he doesn't get that this crisis on Wall Street hit main street" quote Barack Obama
奥巴马用它指中产阶级老百姓，ESL词典喜新厌旧，老的意思就不收了。这才过了几年啊！
英汉大词典记录的意思是老意思，W3说：「influenced in meaning by Main Street (1920), novel by Sinclair Lewis died 1951 American novelist and playwright that portrays materialistic provincialism as a characteristic of American life in a small town」
Merriam-Webster Dictionary新老意思都有：
1
: the principal street of a small town
2
a : the sections of a country centering about its small towns
b : a place or environment characterized by materialistic self-complacent provincialism
c : middle america 3
2b是老意思，2c是新意思
如果只用ESL词典，这个问题不是问题，因为人家帮你把老意思藏好了（但是老一点的书能不能读懂是问题）。这个帖子给用了多本词典的朋友参考。
|
|
发表于 2020-5-11 08:32:56
