投资 · 西方古典

托斯丹·凡勃伦:有闲阶级论·摘录 165

托斯丹·凡勃伦《有闲阶级论》· The Theory of the Leisure Class · 投资

On this head of purity of speech, as at other points where a conventional usage rests on the canons of archaism and waste, the spokesmen for the usage instinctively take an apologetic attitude. It is contended, in substance, that a punctilious use of ancient and accredited locutions will serve to convey thought more adequately and more precisely than would be the straightforward use of the latest form of spoken English; whereas it is notorious that the ideas of today are effectively expressed in the slang of today. Classic speech has the honorific virtue of dignity; it commands attention and respect as being the accredited method of communication under the leisure-class scheme of life, because it carries a pointed suggestion of the industrial exemption of the speaker. The advantage of the accredited locutions lies in their reputability; they are reputable because they are cumbrous and out of date, and therefore argue waste of time and exemption from the use and the need of direct and forcible speech.

出处: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/833
定位:Excerpt 165 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录

白话

在言语纯正这类问题上,维护旧用法的人总带着辩解口气。他们说,严格使用古老公认的说法能更充分精确地表达思想,比直接用最新英语更好;可众所周知,今天的想法用今天的俚语表达最有效。古典言语的尊严是一种荣誉性优点,它让人注意和尊重,因为它是有闲阶级生活方案下公认的交流方式,暗示说话者免于工业劳动。公认说法的好处在于体面;它们体面,正因为累赘过时,从而证明浪费了时间、免于直接有力的表达。

上下文

凡勃伦《有闲阶级论》剖析古典言语的体面来自浪费与免于劳动,而非表达优势。

今日一问

你坚持某种“正式”表达时,是真的更清楚,还是怕显得不够体面?

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