每到這個時候,各大權威英文詞典都要做一下“年終總結”,總結出當年的年度熱詞,
而今年三大詞典——牛津、柯林斯、劍橋根據用戶評選和數據分析發佈的年度詞彙( Word of the Year 2019)
雖然各不相同,卻如出一轍地反映出了同一個社會關切——環境保護和氣候變化問題。
先來看一下:牛津的2019代表字:
C limate emergency
氣候緊急狀態
The Oxford Word of the Year is a word or expression shown through usage evidence to reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the passing year, and have lasting potential as a term of cultural significance.
牛津詞典通過用戶的使用度評選出它的年度詞彙,用以反映過去一年的社會特質、群體情感以及大眾對社會事件的看法,具有長久的文化意義。
而今年的牛津年度詞彙是climate emergency——氣候緊急狀態。
Climate emergency is defined as 'a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it.'
氣候緊急狀態,即為減少或停止氣候變化,以及避免由氣候變化引發的潛在且不可逆轉的環境破壞,而必須進行的緊急行動狀態。
到2019年9月,“氣候緊急狀態”一次的使用率急劇增加,是上年的100倍以上。
2019年對於全球環境來說可謂是“多災多難”,巴西亞馬遜雨林大火、澳大利亞山火只是氣候變化帶來災難的冰山一角,極端天氣的增加也是我們親身可感的一點。全球持續變暖,由此導致的極地冰川消融和海平面上升越來越讓島嶼國家和沿海城市身受其難。物種多樣性問題、由自然環境惡化引發的農業和畜牧業的爭議、肉類的現代化生產對環境造成的破壞,以及塑料污染對海洋環境造成的危害……所有這些問題都在近幾年越來越受到大眾的關注。
而大眾對於climate emergency以及相關詞彙使用率的增加,和這些環境問題不無關係。
而除了climate emergency,還有一些詞彙也入圍了今年的年度熱詞,讓人意外的是,所有入圍詞彙也無一例外地和環境有關:
Climate action
氣候行動
Actions taken by an individual, organization, or government to reduce or counteract the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, in order to limit the effect of global warming on the earth's climate.
個人,組織或政府為減少或抵消二氧化碳和其他溫室氣體的排放而採取的行動,目的是限制全球變暖對地球氣候造成的影響。
Climate crisis
氣候危機
A situation characterized by the threat of highly dangerous, irreversible changes to the global climate.
全球氣候變化造成的高度危險且不可逆轉的威脅局勢。
Climate denial
氣候否認
The rejection of the proposition that climate change caused by human activity is occurring or that it constitutes a significant threat to human welfare and civilisation.
氣候變化反對者的觀點:不認為由人類活動引起的氣候變化正在對人類福祉和文明構成重大威脅。
Eco-anxiety
生態焦慮
Extreme worry about current and future harm to the environment caused by human activity and climate change.
極端擔心人類活動和氣候變化對當前和未來環境造成危害。
Ecocide
生態破壞
Destruction of the natural environment by deliberate or negligent human action.
人類有意或無意的行為對自然環境造成的破壞。
Extinction
滅絕
The fact or process of a species, family, or other group of animals or plants becoming extinct.
物種、家族或其他動植物族群滅絕的事實和過程。
Flight shame
飛行恥辱
A reluctance to travel by air, or discomfort at doing so, because of the damaging emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants by aircraft.
由於飛機有害的溫室氣體和其他污染物的排放,拒絕乘飛機旅行或對此行為感到不適的現象。
Global heating
全球熱化
A term adopted in place of 'global warming' to convey the seriousness of changes in the climate caused by human activity and the urgent need to address it.
代替“全球變暖”的術語,用於表達由人類活動引起的氣候變化的嚴重性以及解決這一問題的迫切性。
Net-zero
淨零耗能
A target of completely negating the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activity, to be achieved by reducing emissions and implementing methods of absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
通過減少排放量和實施從大氣中吸收二氧化碳的方法來實現完全消除人類活動所產生的溫室氣體量的目標。
Plant-based
(基於植物的)健康食品
(Of food or a diet) consisting largely of vegetables, grains, pulses, or other foods derived from plants, rather than animal products.
(針對食物或飲食)主要由蔬菜、穀物、豆類或其他源自植物而不是動物製品組成的食物。
climate strike (ˈklaɪmɪt ˌstraɪk) noun:
a form of protest in which people absent themselves from education or work in order to join demonstrations demanding action to counter climate change
氣候罷工:
一種抗議形式,人們罷課或罷工,參加遊行示威,要求採取行動應對氣候變化。
'Climate strike' was first registered in November 2015 when the first event to be so named took place to coincide with the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, but it is over the last year that 'climate strikes' have spread and become a frequent reality in many of the world's largest cities.
“氣候罷工”於2015年11月出現,當時正值聯合國氣候變化大會在巴黎舉行,第一次“氣候罷工”活動也由此誕生。直到去年“氣候罷工”活動在全球擴散,在世界許多主要城市成為經常性的活動。
尤其是瑞典環保少女格蕾塔·桑伯格(Greta Thunberg)抗議各國政府消極應對氣候危機的態度和行動再次引發了“氣候罷工”的爆發。
格蕾塔·桑伯格當選《時代》雜誌2019年度人物
Collins' lexicographers observed a one-hundred-fold increase in its usage in 2019. And news stories and images such as those seen in the BBC's Blue Planet II are steeply raising public awareness of the issue.
柯林斯的詞典編纂者發現,“氣候罷工”一詞2019年的使用量比2018年增加了一百倍,當之無愧成為今年的“年度詞彙”。而新聞報導和圖片,包括BBC在《藍色星球II》中的宣傳,也大大提高了公眾對該問題的認識。
同時其他幾個比較有意思的入圍詞彙還有:
influencer (ˈɪnflʊənsə) noun:
a person who uses social media to promote lifestyle choices, commercial products, etc to his or her followers
影響者:
通過社交媒體向粉絲宣傳生活方式、種草帶貨等行為的人。
有點類似於我們的大V、KOL、帶貨網紅等等……
nonbinary (ˌnɒnˈbaɪnərɪ) adjective. Also spelt non-binary:
relating to a gender or sexual identity that does not conform to the binary categories of male or female, heterosexual or homosexual
非二元者:
性別和性取向上不同於男性或女性這樣二元類別的人群。
和這一詞彙相關的“they”也入圍了韋氏字典的“年度詞彙”。
rewilding (riːˈwaɪldɪŋ) noun:
the practice of returning areas of land to a wild state, including the reintroduction of animal species that are no longer naturally found there
恢復野生狀態:
將土地恢復成野生狀態的行為,包括重新引入在當地無法自然發現的動物物種等。
柯林斯辭典入圍詞彙
U pcycling
升級回收
This word was chosen based on the Word of the Day that resonated most strongly with fans on the Cambridge Dictionary Instagram account, @CambridgeWords.
劍橋線上詞典的首頁有一個固定的欄目,叫做“每日一詞(Word of the Day)”,而今年年度熱詞的選取,就是根據“每日一詞”做出統計的結果。
Upcycling一詞經劍橋詞典的Instagram發佈,便引起了粉絲的強烈共鳴。
Defined as the activity of making new furniture, objects, etc. out of old or used things or waste material, the word upcycling received more likes than any other Word of the Day (it was shared on 4 July 2019).
“升級回收”一詞是指將老舊的、用過的,甚至是廢棄的材料加以回收,製成新的家具或物品的行為。這一詞彙是今年7月4日分享出來的,其點贊量超過其他所有的“每日一詞”。
We think that our fans resonated with upcycling not as a word in itself but with the positive idea behind it. Stopping the progression of climate change, let alone reversing it, can seem impossible at times. Upcycling is a concrete action a single human being can take to make a difference.
這一年度詞彙不僅僅是一個單純的字眼,更體現了大眾對詞彙背後所展現的積極態度。阻止氣候變化,甚至扭轉不良態勢在當前看起來實難進行,但“升級回收”卻是我們每個人都可以做到的實實在在的行動,我們都可以從自身做起,為環境保護做出貢獻。
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