英語(yǔ)精讀之雅思11含譯文abcAOfallmankind’smanifoldcreations,languagemusttakeprideofplace.在人類(lèi)琳瑯滿(mǎn)目的創(chuàng)造設(shè)計(jì)中，語(yǔ)言的地位至高無(wú)上。Otherinventions-thewheel,agriculture,slicedbread-mayhavetransformedourmaterialexistence,buttheadventoflanguageiswhatmadeushuman.諸如汽車(chē)，農(nóng)耕及面包片之類(lèi)令人嘖嘖稱(chēng)奇的發(fā)明，有可能能提高物質(zhì)生活質(zhì)量，但掌握了語(yǔ)言，人方為人。Comparedtolanguage,allotherinventionspaleinsignificance,sinceeverythingwehaveeverachieveddependsonlanguageandoriginatesfromit.人類(lèi)一切成就都肇始于語(yǔ)言，所以別的任何發(fā)明較之語(yǔ)言都顯得遜色。Withoutlanguage,wecouldneverhaveembarkedonourascenttounparalleledpoweroverallotheranimals,andevenovernatureitself.沒(méi)有語(yǔ)言，人類(lèi)絕不可能凌駕于別的動(dòng)物，自然之上。BButlanguageisforemostnotjustbecauseitcamefirst.后不僭先，絕不是語(yǔ)言地位首屈一指的原因。Initsownrightitisatoolofextraordinarysophistication,yetbasedonanideaofingenioussimplicity:雖然是能表達(dá)無(wú)限內(nèi)容的工具，但是其設(shè)計(jì)初衷是化繁為簡(jiǎn)。'thismarvellousinventionofcomposingoutoftwenty-fiveorthirtysoundsthatinfinitevarietyofexpressionswhich,whilsthavinginthemselvesnolikenesstowhatisinourmind,allowustodisclosetoothersitswholesecret,andtomakeknowntothosewhocannotpenetrateitallthatweimagine,andallthevariousstirringsofoursoul'.極具人類(lèi)設(shè)計(jì)之光的語(yǔ)言，是由二三十個(gè)元輔音氣流調(diào)配成字詞，進(jìn)而能使人吐露心中隱私，能傳達(dá)出旁人難以洞察的心中所想，情之所動(dòng)，再也不會(huì)有只可意會(huì)不可言傳之情景。Thiswashow,in1660,therenownedFrenchgrammariansofthePort-RoyalabbeynearVersaillesdistilledtheessenceoflanguage,andnoonesincehascelebratedmoreeloquentlythemagnitudeofitsachievement.這是1660年凡爾賽的皇家修道院派著名的語(yǔ)法學(xué)家對(duì)語(yǔ)言本質(zhì)的精煉提煉，自此對(duì)語(yǔ)言的贊譽(yù)再無(wú)能出其右者。Evenso,thereisjustoneflawinallthesehymnsofpraise,forthehomagetolanguagesuniqueaccomplishmentconcealsasimpleyetcriticalincongruity,languageismankindgreatestinvention-except,ofcourse,thatitwasneverinvented.但是，向語(yǔ)言致敬的這些溢美之詞中，暗藏著一個(gè)能打翻所有贊美之詞的悖論：語(yǔ)言的確是最體現(xiàn)人類(lèi)智慧的曲盡其妙的創(chuàng)制，那么，不動(dòng)腦思考的言語(yǔ)，自然不在其中。Thisapparentparadoxisatthecoreofourfascinationwithlanguage,anditholdsmanyofitssecrets.好學(xué)深思勤于思考乃是語(yǔ)言得以心游萬(wàn)仞,精騖八極的關(guān)鍵所在，也是語(yǔ)言的袖里玄機(jī)。CLanguageoftenseemssoskillfullydraftedthatonecanhardlyimagineitasanythingotherthantheperfectedhandiworkofamastercraftsman.語(yǔ)言的設(shè)計(jì)可謂巧奪天工，稱(chēng)其是匠心獨(dú)具的登峰造極之作，應(yīng)該無(wú)人否定。Howelsecouldthisinstrumentmakesomuchoutofbarelythreedozenmeaslymorselsofsound?屈屈二十幾個(gè)語(yǔ)音究竟如何構(gòu)成語(yǔ)言的呢？Inthemselves,theseconfigurationsofmouth-p,f,b,v,t,d,k,g,sh,a,eandsoon-amounttonothingmorethanafewhaphazardspitsandsplutters,randomnoiseswithnomeaning,noabilitytoexpress,nopowertoexplain.就本質(zhì)而言，無(wú)論輔音還是元音都不過(guò)是氣走唇舌之聲響，雜亂無(wú)章，不堪名文，無(wú)力載意。Butrunthemthroughthecogsandwheelsofthelanguagemachine,letitarrangetheminsomeveryspecialorders,andthereisnothingthatthesemeaninglessstreamsofaircannotdo:fromsighingtheinterminabl