20150226-Michael Chugani 褚簡寧：又中又英——loud screeches
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧：又中又英——loud screeches
2015-02-26
While talking to my good friend To Kit, the well-known commentator, on the phone recently, I heard several loud screeches. I thought the screeches came from his domestic helper because he was mistreating her. I asked To Kit where the screeches were coming from and he laughingly told me his parrot was making the screeching noises. That surprised me. He does not seem like a person who would have a pet parrot. A screech is a loud and sharp noise. If you hit a person very hard, that person will sometimes make a painful screeching noise. The sound that comes from the tires (tyres in British spelling) of a car that suddenly stops is also called a screech. Some birds also make loud and sharp screeching noises.
A parrot is a type of bird with very colorful (colourful in British English) feathers. Some parrots can mimic (copy, imitate) the human voice. To Kit often tells people I am very good at swearing (using bad language) in Cantonese but, in fact, I do not curse (swear, use bad language) as much as he does. I asked To Kit if he had taught his parrot to mimic swear words and to curse at Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. It would be really funny if he stood outside Government House with his parrot sitting on his shoulder and swearing. But To Kit laughingly assured me he had not taught his parrot to use bad language.
When parrots (noun) imitate the human voice, they, of course, do not know the meaning of what they are mimicking. They just have the ability to repeat sounds. For that reason, the word "parrot" has been turned into a verb too. When used as a verb, it means to repeat something, like a machine, without using your mind. For example, many students who learn poetry just parrot (or recite) the words without understanding what they mean. Pro-establishment politicians are often accused of parroting what the central government tells them to say.
* * *
最近，我跟著名時評人、我的好友陶傑通電話時，聽到幾下響亮的尖叫聲（screeches）。我還以為那些尖叫聲（screeches）是因為他虐待家傭，令她厲聲而發的。我問陶傑那些尖叫聲（screeches）從何以來，他笑着告訴我，是他的鸚鵡（parrot）在發出這些刺耳的（screeching）聲響。這令我很意外。他不像是會養寵物鸚鵡（parrot）的人。A screech就是響亮而尖銳的噪音。若你重重的毆打某人，他或會發出疼痛的尖叫（screeching）聲。車輛突然煞車時，車胎所發出的聲響也叫作screech。有些鳥類亦會發出響亮而尖銳的刺耳（screeching）之聲。
Parrot就是擁有彩色羽毛的鸚鵡。有些鸚鵡（parrot）能模仿（mimic）人類的發聲。陶傑常跟人說我很精於用廣東話講粗口（swearing），但其實，我可沒有他那麼多用粗口罵（curse）人呢。我問陶傑，他可有教他的鸚鵡（parrot）模仿（mimic）說粗言穢語（swear words），詛咒（curse）特首梁振英。若他站在禮賓府外，他的鸚鵡（parrot）在他的肩頭上一直罵髒話（swearing），場面一定很有趣。但陶傑笑笑口保證，他絕對沒有教他的鸚鵡（parrot）說任何髒話。
當鸚鵡（parrot，名詞）模仿人類聲音，牠們當然不知道自己所模仿（mimicking）的內容是甚麼意思。牠們只是擁有重複聲音的能力。因此，parrot這個字也有被轉化為動詞用。作動詞用時，它解作人像機械一樣，沒有動過腦筋就照做如儀。譬如，許多學詩的學生，只懂鸚鵡學舌（parrot）般背誦字詞，並沒有理解箇中意思。建制派的政客也常被指責成鸚鵡學舌（parroting），只懂重複中央政府要他們說的話。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
2015-02-26
While talking to my good friend To Kit, the well-known commentator, on the phone recently, I heard several loud screeches. I thought the screeches came from his domestic helper because he was mistreating her. I asked To Kit where the screeches were coming from and he laughingly told me his parrot was making the screeching noises. That surprised me. He does not seem like a person who would have a pet parrot. A screech is a loud and sharp noise. If you hit a person very hard, that person will sometimes make a painful screeching noise. The sound that comes from the tires (tyres in British spelling) of a car that suddenly stops is also called a screech. Some birds also make loud and sharp screeching noises.
A parrot is a type of bird with very colorful (colourful in British English) feathers. Some parrots can mimic (copy, imitate) the human voice. To Kit often tells people I am very good at swearing (using bad language) in Cantonese but, in fact, I do not curse (swear, use bad language) as much as he does. I asked To Kit if he had taught his parrot to mimic swear words and to curse at Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. It would be really funny if he stood outside Government House with his parrot sitting on his shoulder and swearing. But To Kit laughingly assured me he had not taught his parrot to use bad language.
When parrots (noun) imitate the human voice, they, of course, do not know the meaning of what they are mimicking. They just have the ability to repeat sounds. For that reason, the word "parrot" has been turned into a verb too. When used as a verb, it means to repeat something, like a machine, without using your mind. For example, many students who learn poetry just parrot (or recite) the words without understanding what they mean. Pro-establishment politicians are often accused of parroting what the central government tells them to say.
* * *
最近，我跟著名時評人、我的好友陶傑通電話時，聽到幾下響亮的尖叫聲（screeches）。我還以為那些尖叫聲（screeches）是因為他虐待家傭，令她厲聲而發的。我問陶傑那些尖叫聲（screeches）從何以來，他笑着告訴我，是他的鸚鵡（parrot）在發出這些刺耳的（screeching）聲響。這令我很意外。他不像是會養寵物鸚鵡（parrot）的人。A screech就是響亮而尖銳的噪音。若你重重的毆打某人，他或會發出疼痛的尖叫（screeching）聲。車輛突然煞車時，車胎所發出的聲響也叫作screech。有些鳥類亦會發出響亮而尖銳的刺耳（screeching）之聲。
Parrot就是擁有彩色羽毛的鸚鵡。有些鸚鵡（parrot）能模仿（mimic）人類的發聲。陶傑常跟人說我很精於用廣東話講粗口（swearing），但其實，我可沒有他那麼多用粗口罵（curse）人呢。我問陶傑，他可有教他的鸚鵡（parrot）模仿（mimic）說粗言穢語（swear words），詛咒（curse）特首梁振英。若他站在禮賓府外，他的鸚鵡（parrot）在他的肩頭上一直罵髒話（swearing），場面一定很有趣。但陶傑笑笑口保證，他絕對沒有教他的鸚鵡（parrot）說任何髒話。
當鸚鵡（parrot，名詞）模仿人類聲音，牠們當然不知道自己所模仿（mimicking）的內容是甚麼意思。牠們只是擁有重複聲音的能力。因此，parrot這個字也有被轉化為動詞用。作動詞用時，它解作人像機械一樣，沒有動過腦筋就照做如儀。譬如，許多學詩的學生，只懂鸚鵡學舌（parrot）般背誦字詞，並沒有理解箇中意思。建制派的政客也常被指責成鸚鵡學舌（parroting），只懂重複中央政府要他們說的話。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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