第395期:Dutch in English – 英语和荷兰的爱恨情仇

今天我们要讲的内容其实是个非常大的话题,放开了讲能写成一本书。如果你对英语的点点滴滴很有兴趣,你会喜欢今天的内容。否则你可能会觉得有点枯燥。佛老尽量讲得浅显一些,放心,也不会太无聊的。本文包含很多微妙的小知识点,你学会了足以跟别人显摆。


英语中有很多习惯用语和成语包含“Dutch”这个词。Dutch就是荷兰人、荷兰语。(注意:在极少数情况下也指”德国人“,相当于Deutsch。这一点今天不讲。)

荷兰这个国家的英文叫Netherlands, 也叫Holland. 这两个词有什么区别?(注意Netherlands里的那个”s”,说明有很多岛和地块。)

The official name of the country is the Kingdom of the Netherlands. King Willem-Alexander is the king of the nation. Holland actually only means the two provinces of Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland. However, the name Holland is often used when all of the Netherlands is meant. (Wikipedia)

荷兰这个国家的正规英文名字是The Kingdom of the Netherlands,荷兰王国,有国王。Holland只是两个省的合称,后来人们也用这个词来代称荷兰这个国家。这就好像人们用England来代称UK(The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)一样。

在历史上,16世纪被称为英国的黄金时代(Golden Age),17世纪是荷兰的黄金世代。这两个国家在争夺海上霸权和殖民地方面有过多年的竞争和冲突,这也是英语中有很多荷兰语痕迹的原因之一。尤其是美国英语。

荷兰人是美洲新大陆最早的殖民者,比英国人到的早。一个著名的例子是纽约曼哈顿的那条著名的Wall Street(华尔街)。为什么叫Wall Street(墙街)?因为那条街的位置上原来就是一堵四米高的长长的墙。荷兰人建的,目的就是防御英国人和美国当地土著人的冲击,作用类似中国的长城。17世纪是荷兰的时代,今天的纽约那时候叫新阿姆斯特丹。荷兰人治下就用自己国家的地名加个“新”字来命名,英国人治下就改成了英国地名加个“新”字来命名。随着英国和荷兰势力在美国的变化,New Amsterdam就变成了今天的New York(新约克郡)。

讲了这么多历史背景,该来说今天的正题了:英语中的那些荷兰语痕迹。

佛老把今天的主题起名为“英语和荷兰的爱恨情仇”,原因是英语中(尤其是美国英语)凡是带有Dutch的词基本都是不好的意思,大都是贬义。

英语中的荷兰语痕迹这个话题得分两个部分讲。首先是英语中带有Dutch这个词的俗语和成语,其次是英语中原本来自荷兰语的词汇。

一. 英语中带有Dutch的俗语和成语(以下先举几个常见的例子,更多例子放在本文末尾供参考。)

1. Dutch Courage – drinking to increase bravery. 这个是昨天讲的。意思是“喝酒壮胆”。

2. Dutch Widow – prostitute. 字面是“荷兰寡妇”,在英语中意思是“妓女”。

3. Dutch Uncle – someone who gives frank or harsh comments, much like a close member of the family would. 字面是“荷兰大叔”,在英语中意思是喜欢唠叨、训人的人。

4. Going Dutch – in dating, when you split the bill 50/50. Or in groups when parties pay for their own bills. 这个大家最熟悉,就是AA制。

5. Double Dutch – hard to understand, incomprehensible, nonsense. 意思是“天书”、无法理解的语言、莫名其妙的话。英语这样揶揄荷兰语。

6. Dutch Door – a door which is divided horizontally, so that the bottom half may remain shut while the top half opens (American English). 上下两截可以分别开关的门,又称“马厩式两段门)。见下图

7. Dutch Cap – contraceptive diaphragm. 避孕用的子宫帽

8. Dutch Auction – an auction that starts at a high price, then lowers dramatically until someone is willing to buy the item. 荷兰式拍卖,先喊高价,逐渐降价直到有人买为止,也叫“减价拍卖”、“荷兰标”。(听过传统相声《卖布头儿》吗?)

还有很多少儿不宜的词语本文没有列举,有兴趣的读者可参考文末附表。

再补充一个:Dutch oven 字面是荷兰烤箱,其实是指一种锅,锅盖很重,密封好。(见下图)

Dutch oven在美国英语中还有个特殊的引申义。我讲了你别笑啊。

假如你在被窝里刚放了个屁,然后你叫你老婆/老公“快进被窝里来陪我再躺一会儿”,他/她来了,嚯~~~

这个存放了你的新屁的被窝就是一个Dutch oven. 哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈~~~~


二、英语吸收的荷兰语词汇。

进入某个语言的外来语在语言学上称为“loanword”. 一开始是借用别的语言词汇,时间长了就融入那个语言了。

下面这些英语单词其实都是从荷兰语借来的,估计你没想到。

Boss – comes from the word baas
Yankee – this one is a combo of two of the most popular Dutch names for boys at the time: Jan and Kees –> Jan-Kees –> Yankee “美国佬”。
Landscape – we get this one from landschap, which has the same meaning in both languages
Cookie – is based on the Dutch word koekje (“biscuit” or “cookie”), which is sometimes written/pronounced koekie
Cruise – the origin for this word is the Dutch verb kruisen, which means “to cross”
Pump – change the ‘u’ to an ‘o,’ and you get the word pomp, which means “pump” (as in a gas or bicycle pump)
Wagon – is not that far removed from it’s Dutch ancestor the wagen (used when referring to trains). 这个词在日耳曼语系的很多语言中写法都差不多,例如德语里的Volkswagen(大众汽车)。


附:Idioms with the word Dutch

› Beat the Dutch: To exceed expectations.

› Dutch act / cure: Committing suicide.

› Dutch agreement: An agreement made while intoxicated.

› Dutch auction: An auction in which the goods are offered at gradually decreasing prices. The first bidder to accept wins.

› Dutch bargain: A bargain settled over drinks.

› Dutch collar: A horse collar.

› Dutch comfort: Deriving comfort from the fact that things could be worse.

› Dutch concert: Lots of noise, like that made by a group of drunken Dutchmen.

› Dutch courage: Liquid courage provided by alcohol.

› Dutch defence: A sham defence.

› Dutch generosity: Stinginess.

› Dutch headache: Hangover.

› Dutch leaf: False gold leaf.

› Dutch leave: When a soldier is absent without leave, AWOL.

› Dutch gold: An alloy of copper and zinc, yellow in colour, that’s easily tarnished unless lacquered. Imitation gold leaf is made from it, hence the name Dutch leaf. It is also called Dutch metal.

› Dutch nightingales: Frogs.

› Dutch reckoning: an excessively high bill that’s neither itemised nor detailed.

› Dutch rub: To rub your knuckles across the top of someone’s head while holding their head under your other arm.

› Dutch talent: More brawn than brain.

› Dutch treat: When you go out to eat and each person pays for themselves. To go Dutch has the same meaning.

› Dutch widow: A prostitute.

› Dutch wife: A long bolster.

› Dutched: Cancelled.

› Dutchman’s draught: A very large beer.

› Double Dutch: Gibberish, hard to understand language. Also a jump rope game.

› To go Dutch: When you go out to eat and each person pays for themselves. Same as Dutch treat.

› To be in Dutch with someone: Being in trouble with someone.

› I’m a Dutchman if I do: A strong refusal.

› If not, I’m a Dutchman: Used to strengthen an affirmation or assertion.

› In Dutch: In trouble, out of favour, under suspicion.

› To talk like a Dutch uncle:  Being stern and firm.

› Well, I’m a Dutchman!: An exclamation of strong incredulity.

当然也有褒义或无贬义的带Dutch的英语词汇和习惯用语了。

More positive idioms with ‘Dutch’

It wasn’t all bad what the English use to say about the Dutch. Here are some nicer and some more modern expressions with the word Dutch.

› Dutch angle / tilt: a type of camera shot in films

› Dutch betting: the practice of backing more than one selection to achieve the same profit regardless of which selection wins.

› Dutch barn: A farm building with a curved roof on a frame that has no walls.

› Dutch bulb: The term used to describe collectively certain kinds of garden bulbs that are planted in the fall for spring bloom.

› Dutch clover: White clover, a valuable pasture plant.

› Dutch cousins: Close friends

› Dutch door: A door divided horizontally so that the lower or upper part can be shut separately.

› Dutch hoe: A scuffle hoe, a garden hoe that has both edges sharpened and can be pushed forward or drawn back.

› Dutch mineral: Copper beaten out into very thin leaves.

› Dutch oven: a heavy cast iron cooking pot with tight-fitting lid. A second (less pleasant) definition of Dutch oven also exists, it refers to flatulence in bed.

› Dutch roll: A combination of directional and lateral oscillation of an airplane.

› Dutchman’s log: A rough method for finding a ship’s speed by throwing a piece of wood into the sea well in front of it, then timing its passage between two marks on the vessel.

› Flying Dutchman: A ghost ship. A sailor who sees a Flying Dutchman will die before reaching home.

› Pennsylvania Dutch: This is actually German and not Dutch at all; the confusion stems from Deutsch, the German word for German.

(上表摘自https://www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutch-expat-news/english-expressions-and-idioms-word-dutch)