英语外刊阅读精讲：为什么说英语走向粗俗(原声音频)

2018-09-28 18:01:58来源：新东方在线

　　【语言文化】：为什么作者说现代英语走向衰落，英语走向粗俗

　　【新闻导读】：威廉.詹宁斯.布莱恩的演讲引经据典、而萨姆. 布朗贝克的演讲用词简洁，两个时代的语言风格，差异竟如此之大。作者为什么说现代英语走向衰落呢？此文选自《经济学人》2004年1月的一篇旧文，但是文雅和通俗兼顾，且听黄培辰老师的解读。更多双语阅读资料，可点击查看：《双语阅读：英语外刊阅读精讲汇总》

　　Evolution of English（节选自《经济学人》2004.1.）

　　In 1896, William Jennings Bryan, a three-time candidate for the American presidency, gave a speech on a relatively dry financial topic, criticizing the gold standard. But his rhetoric was for the ages: "You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold!"

　　Just over a hundred years later Sam Brownback, arguing for war against Iraq in a speech to the American Senate, said, "We go at Iraq and it says to countries that support terrorists, there remain six in the world that are as our definition state sponsors of terrorists, you say to those countries: 'We are serious about terrorism, we're serious about you not supporting terrorism on your own soil'."

　　What happened over the 20th century? Americans (and, to a lesser extent, Britons) no longer expect public figures, whether in oratory or in writing, to command the English language with skill and flair. Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counterculture as responsible for the decline of formal English.

双语阅读：英语外刊阅读精讲(附音频)