邱葆珍

【摘 要】每个字词都有其词义和发音，英语中有些单词，当被用于不同行业时，发音发生变化。这些词汇的运用，须根据英语句意和上下文内容而定。本文探析这类单词的習惯用法，归纳单词的基本词义和发音，力求在词义、发音及拼写对比基础上，加深对这些词汇的认识。

【关键词】词义；语音；对比

0 引言

英语是一种词汇丰富的语言。词汇是某种语言里所使用的词的总称，单词和语音是组成语言的基本要素。人们要进行交流，须用言语表达思想和感情，要准确表达主观抽象思维、正确描述客观物质世界，须掌握单词正确发音，掌握词汇正确用法。

1 拼写相同，发音、词义不同的单词

英语词汇中有为数不少的单词，其拼写形式相同，但发音、和词义却完全不同，如：

1）My wife burst into tears when she heard the bad news.

The girl was in tears because she lost her mother.

在这两句中，tear 作名词，意为：眼泪。单词中元音的发音如同 ear。

This material tears easily， so be careful when you wear it.

He couldnt tear himself away from his book.

在这两句中，tear作动词，表示离开、撕裂的意思。单词中元音的发音如同air。

There is a tear in the coat. 名词：撕裂处

The train passed by at a tear. 名词：飞奔

2）New sewer pipes have been installed in the city.

sewer 作名词：下水道。单词发音可参考 fewer.

The sewer is mending the hole in the coat.

sewer 作名词：缝纫者。 单词发音可参考 lower.

3）Its only a few minutes walk from here to the station.

minute 作名词：分钟。单词发音为 /minit /

His handwriting is so minute that its difficult to read.

minute 作形容词：微小。 单词发音为 / mainju：t /

4）Everyone bowed as the Queen walked into the room.

We have to bow to fate and accept what cannot be avoided.

bow 作动词：鞠躬、弯腰、点头、屈服。单词发音可参考 how.

常用的词组有：bow and scrape 巴结、奉承

take a bow 鞠躬答谢

bow the knee to 屈服、低头

He put his bow on the violin.

She fixed her shoe-laces in a bow.

bow 作名词：弓、结。单词发音可参考 low.

常用词组有：have more than one strings to his bow 有几种办法可选择

draw a bow at a venture 碰运气

draw not your bow till your arrow is fixed 三思而后行

draw a long bow 夸口、说谎

2 发音相同，拼写、词义不同的单词

这一类单词发音相同，但拼写与词义不同，在听力方面易引起误解。

1）The cat has left her lose hairs all over my clothes.

My hair has grown long.

hair 作可数或不可数名词：毛、发单词发音可参考air.

常见用法：comb ones hair for sb. 申斥某人

get in ones hair 惹恼某人

lose ones hair 发脾气

a hair in ones neck 麻烦事

let ones hair down 不拘礼节

make ones hair curl 使人感到惊恐

The hare disappeared in the wood.

He hared off down the road.

hare 作名词：野兔。 hare 作动词：飞快地跑。 单词发音与 hair 相同。

常见用法：as mad as a March hare 像三月的兔子一样疯狂

start a hare 讨论提出枝节问题

hold with the hare and run with the hounds 两面讨好

make a hare of sb. 愚弄某人

hare brained 轻率的

2）Most people in our country can read and write.endprint

The thermometer reads 33 degrees.

read 作动词：读、显示。

常见用法：read somebody a lesson 教训某人

read somebody like a book 对某人非常了解

read somebodys thoughts 看出某人的思想活动

They have hidden their boat in the reed marshes.

They cut the reeds to make mats.

reed 作可数和不可数名词：芦苇。读音与 read 相同。

常见用法：broken reed 不可靠的人或物

lean on a reed 依赖不可靠的人或物

3）Life is dear to him.

He is my dear friend.

dear 作形容词：珍贵的、亲密的。发音与 deer 相同。

常见用法：the dearest friend 不共戴天的敌人

The little girl touched the deer tenderly.

The deer are running one after another.

deer 作名词：鹿。单、复数同形。发音与 dear 相同。

常见用法：small deer 微不足道的人或事物

4）compliment 作名词和动词：赞美的话、赞美。发音与 complement相同。

John complimented Jean on her beautiful new dress.

complement 作名词和动词：补足物、补足。发音与 compliment 相同。

This wine complements the food perfectly.

常见用法：fish for compliments 沽名钓誉

left-handed compliment 似褒實贬的话语；带恶意的恭维话

3 拼写、发音相同，词义不同的单词

英语中有些单词的拼写、发音完全一致，但用于不同背景时词义完全不同。

1）The performer practiced on the piano to limber up his fingers.

limber 作动词：使柔软、使灵活

The limbers have been pulled to the right position.

limber 名词：拖带火炮和弹药的两轮车辆 - 前车

2）The birds perched upon the television aerial.

Eaves are ideal perches for birds.

perch 作动词和名词：停歇、栖息、栖息地

Perch is a kind of delicious sea food.

perch 作名词：河鲈

3）They brought me up to do nothing， and here I am in the sear and yellow， getting poorer and poorer every day.

sear 作形容词：干枯的、凋谢的

常见用法：the sear and yellow leaf 暮年、老境

His soul has been seared by injustice.

sear 作动词：烧灼。此句是比喻用法，意思是： 使麻木、使冷酷

4）Many people put mint leaves in the water to make tea.

mint 作名词：薄荷。

The poet minted several words that cant be found in any dictionary.

mint 作动词：臆造、创造。

拼写、发音相同，词义不同的单词，只有在语句中才能了解其词义，从以上例句可看出，此类单词与日常生活关联较密切。

4 名词与动词重音不同的单词

英语中有些同源单词，其名词拼写形式与动词拼写形式完全相同，发音也近相同，只是重音不同，此类词中，名词重音倾向于落在第一个音节，动词重音倾向于落在第二个音节。英语中这一发音现象同中国音韵学的“动静异音”相符。

1）Armed conflict could start at any time.

There is a possibility of a serious conflict in the two parties.

Do British laws conflict with any international laws？

conflict 作名词或动词：冲突。作名词重音在前，作动词重音再后。

2）The export of gold is forbidden.

Wool is one of the chief exports of Australia.

They sell their products to the home market but they dont export.endprint

export 作不可数名词：出口；作可数名词：出口产品。重音在第一个音节。

export 作动词：出口。重音在第二个音节。

3）Our shop has made a contract with a clothing firm to buy 100 coats a week.

Never sign a contract until you have read it from beginning to end.

contract 作可数名词：契约、合同。重音在第一个音节。

A foreign firm has contracted to build a new railway across Africa.

contract 作及物动词：缔结、缔约、承办。重音在第二个音节。

4） That child is a torment to his parents.

torment 作名词：痛苦、折磨、烦恼。重音在前。

Stop tormenting your poor father with such stupid questions.

torment 作及物動词：烦恼。 重音在第二音节。

属于这一类的单词还有：conduct， digest， permit， desert， object

从以上例子可看出，词性发生变化时，单词重音也按“名前动后”变化。

5 结语

语音、词汇、语法是语言三大要素。词汇是音、义、形的结合，是交际得以进行的语言能力核心部分之一。词义差别和发音差别是客观存在的，即使是最简单的词汇，既不像表面显现的那样，也不像人们想象的那样。因此，在使用语言时，须正确的词汇使用在正确的地方，并注意其正确的发音。

【参考文献】

[1]Daniel Jones. Everymans English Pronouncing Dictionary[M].London：J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd. New York ： E P. Dutton & Co . Inc，1972.

[2]Jason B. Alter. Contextual Pronunciation[M].外语教学与研究出版社.1981.

[3]John Ellison， Ma， D Phil. The Right Word at the Right Time[M].London. New York. Montreal. Sydney. Cape Town： The Readers Digest Association Limited.

[4]Paul Procter. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English[M].Longman.1978.

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