英语延伸阅读丨靠嘴皮子屹立不倒的不列颠

特蕾莎·梅，江湖人称嘴炮queen。议会吵架马克沁机关枪，工党领袖科尔宾每周都做枪下鬼。本文将对演讲全文摘录，略作点评，分享给诸位：

I have just chaired a meeting of the Government’s emergency committee, COBRA, following the sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our Capital this afternoon.

开篇第一句先做安民告示，政府已经高度介。COBRA的全称是Cabinet Office Briefing Room A (直译成中文就是：内阁办公室A号简报间)，cobra小写时可是大名鼎鼎的眼镜蛇，可见英国政府也是借用了这一谐音体现出政府紧急事态委员会的机警、敏捷与凶猛。随后，特蕾莎·梅对此次恐袭的定义是sick and depraved(sick：令人不齿、作呕;depraved：道德败坏至极)。

英国人的演讲用词不仅是在语义上做足了功夫，还要在读音上让听众感受到情绪。sick是清齿龈有咝擦音(voiceless alveolar sibilant)，高频率的湍流从牙齿与舌尖面射出，从声音听觉的角度给人一种愤怒之感。depraved一词重音落在第二个音节，a字母读双元音ei，平衡了前一个sick的急促高音，庄严有力。

特蕾莎·梅的读音是典型的RP，对于爆破音读的一丝不苟，depraved的d清晰可听。这其实就回应了一个语音误区，是不是爆破音就一定要失去爆破，答：不是的。越是严肃场合的说话，爆破音越是清晰，尤其是英式英语，这也是英国人在衡量一个人说话教养的标准之一。

The full details of exactly what happened are still emerging. But, having been updated by police and security officials, I can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking across Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring many more, including three police officers.

This attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards Parliament where he was confronted by the police officers who keep us-and our democratic institutions-safe. Tragically, one officer was killed. The terrorist was also shot dead.

这两段概述了整个事件的经过，简明扼要。我们经常听到新闻发布会中“根据现在掌握的情况”这样的说辞，在此又可以找到一个英文的表达：the full details of exactly what happened are still emerging. full, details, exactly, still, emerging 这几个词用得极准。

下一句中appalling(令人震惊的)一词重读，对应上文的sick and depraved. 不放过一次抨击恐怖主义的机会。including three police officers 这个部分语速比前文放缓，一方面是要表扬警队官兵奋不顾身的英雄主义，另一方面是要控制讲话的节奏，预示这个部分即将告一段落，为下文进入前的自然停顿做好过渡。

当恐怖分子冲向议会大楼的叙述，语速回归正常，停顿处在us和and之间，重点要强调议会作为英国价值观的地标遭受袭击的影响。and重读的情况不多，如果出现往往是为了强调后文。Tragically这句，利用了副词开头，改变句子节奏，后句放缓，向烈士致敬。最后一句平铺直叙，告知对恐怖分子的处置情况。

演讲和新闻稿不同。我手机上bbc的新闻却有新闻行文的一贯作风，连续三条推送，言简意赅。尤其是中间一条：police officer stabbed at UK Parliament and alleged assailant shot dead. 两个名词结构而已。

The United Kingdom’s threat level has been set at severe for some time and this will not change. Acting Deputy Commissioner Rowley will give a further operational update later this evening.

这一段主要叙述政府后续介入的步骤和负责人，同时告知民众，危险仍然存在，但是这样的危险等级已经持续很长一段时间了。这样的说辞为后续事件发展的不确定性留足了空间。一方面安抚群众，另一方面告知危险。和飞机上的广播很类似，颠簸中告诉你系好安全带，但是告诉你没有事儿，就是有点颠，飞机不会掉，但是你乱走就有可能摔倒。

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected – to the victims themselves, and their family and friends who waved their loved ones off, but will not now be welcoming them home.

For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe.

这个部分对于死难者和其家属表示哀悼。在our thoughts and prayers之后有短暂停顿，为后续句子沉重的节奏做好铺垫。victim一词中tim的发音非常英式。后续一句，虽然文字简单，却刻画出日常的再见竟然成了永生的诀别。此次受害者都是普通民众，谁能料到招此横祸。

再看此段，句子以断句为主，无尽哀伤。who, wave, love, off, will, now, welcoming, them, home 多是w,v,f,m的辅音，泣不成声，哽咽在喉。home一词既是温暖的意象，音韵中是ou音，好似压抑许久的悲愤终于化作一声哀嚎。后段向警队表示慰问，平淡不惊，作为情绪的过渡调整。exceptional一词为下文打好伏笔。

Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way.

On behalf of the whole country, I want to pay tribute to them-and to all our emergency services -for the work they have been doing to reassure the public and bring security back to the streets of our Capital City.

That they have lost one of their own in today’s attack only makes their calmness and professionalism under pressure all the more remarkable.

前句波澜不惊，是为了此句波涛汹涌。once again today，引起强调，用exceptional一词承接上文，然后用最简单的英文描述出了当时这些警员们英勇的样子，这些警员并不异于常人，直面危险之际，也不会有什么豪言壮语，他们只会run towards the danger, 以及encourage others to move the other way. towards一词重读，壮士赴死之景，跃然纸上。

The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our Capital City, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech.

These streets of Westminster-home to the world’s oldest Parliament-are engrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our Parliament represents-democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law-command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere.

That is why it is a target for those who reject those values.

But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before: any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure.

此段开始讲出恐袭选择的地点绝不是偶然，因为这是世界上最古老议会的所在地。engrained with 意为深深扎根，等同于deeply rooted. 全球自由世界的议会制度基本上都来源于英国，此处颇有“得道多助失道寡助”的意味。

这段虽然慷慨激昂，但从本质上政治言说的老套路，重复重复再重复。能被记下的应该只有democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law 之类的价值观，并且celebrate values, reject those values, attempt to defeat those values 都是重复表达。最终引向观点：doomed to failure.

Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal.

And Londoners-and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great City-will get up and go about their day as normal.

They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives.

And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart.

最后一段尽显英国国民性格，即bite the bullet (咬紧牙关)天塌下来，舞照跳，马照跑，茶照喝。不会因为一点小恐怖主义的讹诈就龟缩，堂堂大英帝国，希特勒都没有能将他们如何，还惧怕现在的小恐怖吗?as normal连续出现，紧跟一段是具体描述，乘火车，出街，过生活。

好像这句老话说的：Be like a duck: Above the surface, look composed and unruffled; below the surface: paddle like hell.

总结一下特蕾莎·梅的演讲：

1. 简明扼要

2. 语音传情，类似sick and depraved

3. 节奏变化丰富

4. 白描刻画足以打动人

来源丨网络

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