实用英语语法大普及:英语同音词的成因

http://www.sina.com.cn 2007年11月28日 11:33   英语周报大学版

  英语的词汇比汉语大得多,而英语中的同音词要比汉语少得多,这是一个值得研究的课题。本文想仅就造成同音词的原因做一下抛砖引玉式的分析,以期引起人们对这一“被遗忘的角落”的关注。

  一、专有名词与普通单词发音相同。

  这些专有名词在汉语中有相应的音译词语,已经为国人所熟悉,学起来读易好记,轻松有趣。写在横线前面的系专有名词,后面的为普通单词。

  Korea—career, Gaul(高卢人)—gall, Chile—chilli—chili–chilly, Greece—grease, Dane—deign, Finnish—finish, Bonn—bonne, Bern—burn, Cannes—can, Nice—niece, Seoul—soul—sole, Rome—roam, Bali—barley, Wales—whales—wails, Gana—garner, Kashmir—cashmere, Latin—lattin, Hyde—hide—hied, Maine—main—mane, Venus—venous, Klan—clan, Martin—marten, Oder—oder, Seine—sane—sain, Kant—cant

  二、缩略词与普通名词发音相同。

  I’d—eyed, I’ll—isle—aisle, aren’t—ant—aunt, he’ll—heel—heal, we’ll—wheel—wheal—weal, we’re—weir, we’d—weed, where’s—wares, he’d—heed, Miss.—miss, AIDS—aids

  三、名词的复数形式或动词的单数第三人称与普通单词发音相同。

  Locks—lox, laps—lapse, nays—neighs—naze, haves—hose, ewes—use, brows—browse, corps—cause, cocks—cox, days—daze, claws—clause, flecks, mews—muse, paws—pause, rays—raise—rase –raze, rows—rouse, tacks—tax, ova—over, feet—feat, wacks—wax, arms—alms

  四、动词的过去式或过去分词与普通单词发音相同。

  这些动词的过去式有:

  Blew—blue, flew—flu, gilt—guilt, knew—new, saw—sore—soar, threw—through, wore—war, wrote—rote, rode—road, were—whir.

  这些动词的过去分词有:

  Seen—scene, grown—groan, done—dun, thrown—throne, been—bean, born—borne—bourn, sought—sort, caught—court, taught—taut, heard—herd, won—one, sent—cent—scent, led—lead, fought—fort—forte.

  五、前缀与普通单词发音相同。

  Anti—vs. ante, bi—vs. by—bye—buy, vice—vs. vise

  六、因相邻字母重复与其它单词发音相同。

  有些是因为词尾的两个字母重复造成的同音词,如

  add—ad, butt—but, bee—be, boss—bos, canvass—canvas, inn—in, nill—nil, wee—we, too—to, frizz—friz, redd—red, mandrill—mandril

  有些是因为单词中间的两个字母重复造成的同音词,如

  dessert—desert, cannon—canon, femme—feme

  七、 “ r ” 音节造成的同音词。

  重读“ r ” 音节造成的同音词。

  Birth—berth, curn—kern—kirn, curb—kerb, firn—fern, surf—serf, surge—serge, mar—ma, spar—spa, farther—father, hart—heart, worn—warn, forth—fourth, for—fore—four—faugh .

  非重读“ r ” 音节造成的同音词。

  alter—altar, seller—cellar, lumber—lumbar, manor—manner, razor—razer, minor--miner, prior—prier, sensor--censor , fakir—faker, sucker—succor, rumor—roomer, hanger—hangar, calendar—calender , trooper--trouper, meter—meter , steeler—stealer, waver—waiver,

  leaver—lever, weever—weaver.

  八、因不同的字母组合发音相同而构成的同音词。

  1.当字母组合—ea—, —ee—, —ie—读作[ i :]时:

  beat—beet, beach—beech, cheap—cheep, lea—lee, creak—creek, leak—leek, leach—leech, pea—pee, peal—peel, seam—seem, meat—meet—mete, breach—breech, steal—steel, team—teem, flea—flee, weak—week, sea—see, seal—seel—ceil, weald—wield, leaf—lief, lean—lien, mean—mien

  2。当字母组合—a—, —ai—, —ay—, —ea—读作[ei]:

  steak—stake, gate—gait, plait—plate, break—brake,, faint—feint

  3.当母组合—ear—, —eer— , —ere—, —ier—读作[ i ] 时:

  sheer—shear, steer—stere, tear—tier, dear—deer, peer—pier, beer—bier, hear—here

  4.当字母组合—air—, —ear—, —ere—读作 [ ε ]

  pear—pair—pare—pere, tear—tare, fair—fare, mare—mayor, hair—hare, glair—glare, flair—flare

  5.当字母组合 —ou—,—ow—读作 [au]

  foul—fowl, praw—prau, flour—flower

  6.当字母组合—al—, —au—, —aw—, —or—, —oor—读作 [ :] 时:

  all—awl, ball—bowl, hall—hawl , mall—maul, flaw—floor, chaw—chore, paw—pore—pour, lawn—lorn, laud—lord, pawn—porn, raw—roar, stalk—stolk

  7.当字母组合o—, —oa—, —ow— 读作 [ ou ] 时:

  melo—mellow, lo—low, hollo—hollow, loan—lone, flow—floe, so—sow—sew, brooch--broach

  8.当字母组合—ou—, --oo--, --u-- 读作[ u: ] 时:

  stoop—stoup—stoep, goop—goup, groom—grume

  9.当字母组合 —al— 、—el— 在词尾读作[ l]

  principle—principal, dial—diel, bridal—bridle, naval—navel, dual—duel, mutual—mutuel

  10.当字母组合—o—, —u—读作[ ∧ ]时:

  son—sun, some—sum, sonny—sunny, none—nun

  11.当词尾的—y—和—ie— 发[ i ] 时:

  talky—talkie, girly—girlie, roomy—roomie,

  12.当 ‘y’ 和 ‘i’ 在相对应的位置上时:

  hyp—hip, gybe—gibe,

  13.当字母组合 —ay—, —ey—都发[ei ]时,如:

  pray—prey

  14.当字母‘c’ 在 ‘i, e, y’ 前读 [ s ] , 或 ‘c’ 在其他情况下读 [k ] 时:

  ascent—assent, cereal—serial, practice--practise

  字母‘c’读[k ]时更多些:

  pic—pick, sic—sick, bloc—block, spec—speck, specs—specks, bank—banc, torc—talk, yack—yak, scag—skag, scull—skull, cash—cashe, cast—karst, cart—kart, craft—kraft, colonel—kernel

  15. —a—, —ar—, —er— 在词尾发[ ]音时:

  canna—canner, quota—quoter, tabula—tabular

  九、因不发音的字母或字母组合造成的同音词。

  1. “a”在词尾不发音:

  cocoa—coco

  2. b” 在以“—mb” 结尾的词中不发音

  climb—clime, lamb—lam, plumb—plum, jamb—jam, coomb—coom, subtle--suttle

  3. “ c” 不发音:

  schort—short, schorl--shawl

  4. “ d” 不发音:

  handsome--hansom

  5.“e” “ a”在词尾不发音:

  ore—or—oar—awe, grate—great, brake—break, parol—parole, griff—griffe, prose—pro, dyeing—dying, sale—sail, pale—pail, male—mail, lute—loot, pane—pain, base—bass

  6.“n” 前的“g”常常为无声字母:

  reign—rein, gnaw—nor, sign—sine, feign—fain—fane, gneiss—nice

  7.不发音的“h” 常常在 “w”, “ t”, “c”, “a”, “g”之后

  while—wile, when—wen, whack—wack, whale—wale—wail, whit—wit, whet—wet, whiz—wiz, wheal—weal--wheel, thyme—time, chord—cord, choral—coral, minah—miner—minor, donah—dona, ghyll—gill

  8.“k”在“ n”前常常不发音:

  knot—not, know—no, knit—nit, knight—night—nite, knap—nap, knob--nob, knock—nock, knobble—nobble, knay—nay, knave—nave

  9.无声字母 “l” 多在 “n”, “m”前:

  halm—harm, holm—home, balm—barm,yolk—yoke

  10.以字母组合mn结尾的单词“n” 不发音时造成的同音词:

  damn—dam, hymn—him, limn—limb

  11.声字母“p”

  corps—core—cow, psych—sike

  12.无声字母 “r”

  iron—ion

  13.无声字母 “s”

  islet—eyelet, hors—hoar

  14.“t” 在“ch” 前或在词尾不发音时造成的同音词:

  retch—reach, letch—lech, witch—which, batch—bach, tchick—chick, trait—tray, mot—mo—mow

  15.“w”在 “r” , “h”前不发音:

  write—wright—rite—right, wring—ring, wrick—rick, wrest—rest, wrap—rap, wrack—rack, wreck—reck—rec, wretch—retch, whole—hole, whoop—hoop, wholly—holy

  16.“u” 在“ b”, “g”后不发音

  buy—by—bye, buoy—boy, buyer—byre, guilt—gilt, guild—gild, guerilla—gorilla, guelder—gelder

  17. “q” 后面的 “ue’ 不发音

  clique—cleek, casque—cask, masque –mask, coque—cock, pique—peak—peek—peke

  18.字母组合“gh”不发音

  eight—ate, might—mite, sight—site—cite, sought—sort, straight—strait,bought—bort, slight—sleight, through—threw, bough—bow, sleigh—slay, weigh—way—whey, aweigh—away, high—hi—hie, weight—wait

  十、英语单词与外来词同音

  在快速走向国际化的进程中,英语对其他民族的语言慷慨“拿来”。有些外来词恰好与某个英语词汇发音相同。

  1.诺曼底人统治英伦长达百年,不少法语单词直接参与了英语的交流。每组词汇中前为法语:

  franc—franck, clou—clew—clue, grippe—grip, parti—party, petit—petty, aide—aid, salle—sal, eau—owe, timbre—timber, revue—review, remarque—remark, revers—revere

  2.

二战后,美国在经济、军事上“高悬霸主鞭”,作为“上层建筑”的语言文化美语呈现出后来居上、咄咄逼人的态势。(前为美语)

  Baron—barren, gene—gin, kook—cook, doc—dock, pokey—poky, check—cheque

  3. 印度曾为英国的殖民地,印度英语是印度化了的英语(前为印度式英语)。

  outcaste—outcast, ryot—riot, dak—dark, lakh—lark

  1.德语和英语同属印欧语系的西日耳曼语支,同音词的队伍中偶尔可见德语的身影: Heir—hare—hair, Lied--lead

  通过对英语单词成因的分析,我们会从崭新的方面增加对语音学的了解,有些字母组合的发音是相同的,有些字母又往往是不发音的,一种发音有时对应多个单词,这样,你听英语时就该特别注意了;同音单词一起记,会提高你记忆的兴趣,减轻你的心理压力;同音法和谐音法又往往是

幽默小品、诗文歌曲的创作手段,为我们走向英语道路夯实基础。

  注: 在8条的3,9,13中,应下落一点。(文/艾临)

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