"woes of democracy"

2016/07/12 10:11:33 網誌分類: 生活

12 Jul

        　　The words"woe" and"woo" have very different meanings. They are also pronounced differently. Civic Party member and legislative councillor Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu used the word"woes" (plural of woe) on an English-language radio station last week but mixed up the pronunciation. He pronounced it as"woos" instead. The word"woe" has many meanings. It can mean great sorrow, hardship, grief, misfortune, or problems. For example, you can say:"Hong Kong is being affected by many economic woes, such as a drop in tourists, the firing of workers by banks, and a fall in retail sales." This means Hong Kong is being affected by many economic problems or hardships.

         The word"woo" has two meanings. It can mean trying to win the love of a woman. For example, you can say:"My friend woos pretty girls by giving them roses." The word"woo" also means to try to win someone’s support or to try to attract people. For example, you can say:"Politicians always try to woo voters by promising to cut taxes, make housing affordable, and improve public transport". It is easy to mix up the pronunciation of these two words if English is not your first language. Yeung Ngok-kiu used the word"woes" when he referred to people who did not support Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. He said the referendum on whether or not to leave showed the"woes of democracy". The word"woes" used this way means the problems or?shortcomings?(flaws, weak points) of democracy. But he incorrectly pronounced it as"woos".

         I now also have an audio version of my columns. You can hear me read out my columns by using the QR code reader on your mobile or by using your computer to read my columns. Please go to the audio version of my column if you are not sure about the pronunciation of the words"woe" and"woo". The audio version of my columns is intended to help readers with their pronunciation of English words. I hope you will use it often.

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         Woe跟woo兩個字的意思截然不同，發音也迥異。公民黨成員兼立法會議員楊岳橋上星期就在英語電台中用上woes（woe的眾數）這個字，卻混淆了發音，誤讀成woos。Woe這個字有幾個意思，可解作悲慘、磨難、痛苦、不幸或難題。譬如你可以說：「Hong Kong is being affected by many economic woes，諸如遊客數目下降、銀行裁員以及零售額下跌等。」意思即是香港正受着許多經濟問題或艱難困境所影響。

        　　Woo則有兩個意思，它可以解作追求一位女性。譬如你可以說：「我朋友追求（woos）美女的攻勢就是送贈玫瑰。」Woo 也可解作嘗試爭取某人的支持，或是引起他人的好感。譬如你可以說：「政客總是承諾減稅、令住屋變得廉價、改善公共交通來贏取選民的歡心（woo voters）。」如果英語不是你的母語，很容易就會混淆這兩個字的發音。楊岳橋提及那些不支持英國脫離歐盟的人時，用了woes 這個字。他說，脫歐的公投反映了"woes of democracy"。Woes 在這裏解作民主的問題或缺點（shortcomings），可是他誤讀成"woos"。

        　　我的專欄現在已經有了有聲版。你可以用你手機上的QR code閱讀器，去聽我讀出這個專欄，或是用電腦去讀。若你不太肯定woe和woo在發音上的分別，請前往專欄的有聲版。這個專欄的有聲版就是為了幫助讀者改善英語字的發音，希望你會更常使用。

        mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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