I am claustrophobic
2018/07/26 04:12:38 網誌分類: 生活
To “dread” something means to feel very worried or scared about something that will or might happen. I used to dread driving in the snow when I lived in the US. If you are claustrophobic (adjective), it means you are afraid of small or overcrowded places. It comes from the noun claustrophobia, which means an extreme fear of small places. Legislative councilor Junius Ho Kwan-yiu used the word “claustrophobic” on an English language radio station last week. He speaks good English and has been on my TV show many times. But he pronounced the word “claustrophobic” incorrectly on radio last week when he talked about the government’s plan for homeowners and building owners to put energy saving devices on rooftops.
Ho Kwan-yiu wants the government to allow owners of village houses in the New Territories to build larger extensions on rooftops to encourage them to add energy saving devices. He said current rules only allow owners to build very small extensions on rooftops, making the extensions claustrophobic for owners. But he pronounced the word as “castophobic”, which is not a word. I know Ho Kwan-yiu well. My intention is not to criticize him by pointing out his pronunciation error. I point out errors so we can all learn. Ho Kwan-yiu correctly used the expression “in a nutshell” when he explained the government’s complicated energy saving plan. This means “very briefly” or “in short”.
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每當我搭飛機、火車或巴士，我總是選擇靠通道的座位，而從不會選靠窗的座位，除非我知道不會有人坐在我的旁邊。現在有些航空公司也不容許經濟艙的乘客揀座位了，除非他們是常客，屬於航空公司的各種會籍計劃。在飛機上，我害怕（dread）被安排到兩邊都坐着乘客的中間座位；即使坐短途的飛機，我也害怕（dread）給卡在中間的座位，因為我是患幽閉恐懼症的（claustrophobic）。因此我不介意付多一點的錢去坐特級經濟客位，讓我可以自己揀座位。可惜我負擔不起坐商務客位的錢，因為香港傳媒工作者的報酬真是少得可憐！
To “dread” something意即感到很憂心或懼怕某事將會、也許會發生。我在美國居住時，總是怕（dread）在雪中駕車。若你是 claustrophobic（形容詞），即是說你很懼怕細小密閉的空間，又或過於擠迫的地方，它是從名詞 claustrophobia而來的，意即幽閉恐懼症。立法會議員何君堯上星期在一英語電台節目上用了“claustrophobic”一字。他說得一口流利英語，也曾多次上來我的電視節目。然而，他上星期談及政府計劃讓屋主和大廈業主在天台安裝節能裝置時，就讀錯了“claustrophobic”這個字了。
何君堯希望政府，可以容許新界村屋的業主在天台有更大的擴建，以鼓勵他們增設節能的裝置。他說，現時的規例只容許業主在天台上有輕微的擴建，令那個擴建的部份對業主來說顯得相當幽閉（claustrophobic）。然而，他把字讀成“castophobic”，那根本不是個字。我跟何君堯很相熟。我的目的不是去指出他在讀音上的錯誤以批評他，我將錯誤指出來，是讓大家都可以從中學習。何君堯解釋政府這個複雜的節能計劃時，就正確地使用了習語“in a nutshell”，意即「概括地說」、「一言以蔽之」。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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