数字化革命是指由数字技术引发的社会结构的重新建构,这正如Wired杂志上所说的,从华尔街一直到好莱坞,从麦迪逊大街一直到白宫,从莫斯科一直到小城镇的主街道,对我们今日世界最具影响力的不再是意识形态抑或军事力量,而是逐渐为人们所知的、计算机、通讯以及传媒产业的联合带来的数字化革命。新词语革命是指由数字化革命所引发的新词和新术语的爆炸性增加。这包括从新型技术、因特网、大众文化、青年人的俚语,以及从其他上百个行业里产生出来的新词语。在Holley International,我们花了10多年的时间进行追踪搜集、查证这些新词新义的工作。由于90年代新词革命的迅速发展,美国人说的已是一门全新的语言。在工作环境和高科技的激发下,由于各种职业、万维网和新闻的强大需要,美国人创造了大量的新词语及俚语。举例来说,原来的私人办公室现在叫做“a cube farm”(方格子农场),系指用隔断隔成很多小工作间的办公室。在这场强大的新词革命中,一个最为有趣的倾向就是很多新俚语代替了旧俚语。例如,10年以前,我们通常将一个精神上稍有失常的人称做airhead(不着边际的脑袋),或者称做out to lunch(出去吃午饭了)。但今天,这样的人却被称为“404”(网上用语,指不能找到文件;什么也没有)。同样,在70年代,把一个热衷于跑步锻炼的人叫做health nut(健康狂)。而今天,我们称这样的人为body nazi(身体纳粹)。(参照第1页。)
THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION is the radical reshaping and restructuring of social patterns caused by digital technology. As Wired magazine said: “From Wall Street to Hollywood, from Madison Avenue to the White House, from Moscow to Main Street,the most powerful force shaping our world today is not ideology or armies, its the merger of computing, communication, and the media thats come to be known as the Digital Revolution.”
THE NEW WORD REVOLUTION is the radical explosion of new words and terminology created by the Digital Revolution which includes: new technology, the Internet, popular culture, youth slang, and new terms from hundreds of other fields. For over a decade at Holley International, weve been tracking, collecting, and identifying these neologisms.
Because of the rapid spread of THE NEW WORD REVOLUTION in the 1990s, America is speaking a whole new language. Obsessed by careers, wired to the Web and bombarded by news, Americans are imbuing the English language with new words and slang inspired by the work places and high technology. For example, a “cube farm” is an office where rows of cubicles take the place of private offices.
The most interesting trend in this powerful movement is the replacing of old slang terms with new ones. For example, a decade ago, a slightly distracted person may have been called an airhead, or “out to lunch”. But today hed be called a “404”. (“404” is from the Web message that means a document couldnt be found; theres nothing there.) Likewise, in the 1970s, a person who was a fanatical runner may have been called a “health nut.” Today such a person would be called a “body nazi.” (See page 1.)语言是有生命的,不断有新词产生,旧词被淘汰。历史上任何一时期都没有像今天这样涌现出如此众多、亟待学习的新词语。新词新义使英语处在不断流动、不断变化之中。所以,千万别让你的词汇过时。你所需了解的数字化革命所产生的词语变化尽收在《英语新词新义》中。
在《Delta五百年》里,作者吉姆·泰勒和瓦茨·瓦克写道:“每天都能学习新词是至关重要的。随着民族语言之间的差别逐渐消失,新的词语正在以惊人的速度产生——在任何一本规范的字典里,都已经有大约1/3的单词是在过去不到25年里出现的!对于新词语的敏感,以及创造新词语的技巧已经成为跻身现代社会塑造新词语的通行证。”
本书是新词革命中最有影响、最基本的词语及习语的一本特殊分类指南,这亦是读者(圈内人士)进入21世纪的指导书。因此,只有阅读本书,才能为21世纪的沟通和交流作好充分准备。
在新出版的名为《2000年的趋势》这本书中,作者指出在不可预见的未来,美国仍将在软、硬件领域居于主导地位。这种趋势将迫使世界上其他国家采用“计算机英语”进行交流。在本书里,你可以找出所有活跃在计算机领域里的重要新词。
阿兰·凯曾经说过“对未来最有效的预测方式就是去创造它。”那么,新词语爆炸正可以说是开辟出一条通往21世纪的全新的路。未来多半就在眼下发生!Languages are living things with words constantly coming and going. Never before in history has the world seen such an overwhelming onslaught of new terminology to learn. New words and meanings keep the English language in a state of constant flux and continuous change. Dont let your vocabulary become obsolete. Everything you need to know about the Digital Revolution can be found in “THE NEW WORD REVOLUTION”.
In The 500Year Delta, authors Jim Taylor and Watts Wacker wrote: “The ability to learn a new language everyday is of utmost importance, because as distinctions between national tongues die out, a new vocabulary is being born at a staggering rate—already roughly 1/3 of the words in any standard dictionary are less than 25 years old! A keen ear for idiom and a knack for coining phrases, has become the currency of modernday imagineering.”
This book is a special categorized guide to the most powerful and essential terms and slang that are fueling THE NEW WORD REVOLUTION. This is a users (insiders) guide to entering the 21st century. No one is prepared to communicate in the 2000s without having read this book.
In a new book called Trends 2000,it says that the United States will continue to be the world leader in hardware and software development beyond the foreseeable future. This dominance will oblige the rest of the world to communicate in “cyberEnglish.” And in this book youll find all the most important new words floating in cyberspace.
Alan Kay once said, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” Well, the explosion of new words is shaping a whole new road to the 21st century. And more often than not, the future is happening now!大多数人最充分的沟通方式就是通过词语。新的词语同我们变化中的社会一道发展,同时给我们自身表达提供了不同的方式和选择。个人的词汇会随着每学一个新词变得更为丰富,也更有价值。
赶快拥抱新词革命吧!你可以去书店、图书馆,或者听收音机,看电影、新闻专题、报纸杂志。现在马上打开此书,投身到新词革命中去!
肖恩·霍利Most humans communicate best through words. New words go along with our changing society and actually provide us with more ways and options to express ourselves. Our personal vocabulary becomes richer and more valuable with each new word we learn!
Embrace the NEW WORD REVOLUTION by visiting bookstores and libraries, by listening to the radio, by watching news programs and movies, and by reading newspapers and magazines. Now turn the page and join THE NEW WORD REVOLUTION!