為什麼一些英文單詞有許多不同的意思？

01-15

比如capital，有首都，資本，和大寫的意思，這些含義之間有什麼聯繫嗎？歷史上這個單詞是怎麼演變出這些含義的？

您翻普通話辭典, 也會有這種多義字詞, 只是您因從小使用普通話, 而具有的普通話語感, 包括

因語/文同時使用而有對漢字的敏感, 比較能看得到其間的關聯, 而比較不會有這種問題。

就單以您提到的capital, 貌似有無關聯的不同詞義或指稱物, 特別是從英漢字典上所提供的

普通話對應詞, 且從普通話語感來看是無關聯或很難有關聯, 以致有這個問題。然而,

其關聯是在於這個單詞的詞根 -capt-, 本義是"頭, 首", 引申有"主要, 首要" 之意。

比較普通話詞如"首要/首領", 也有個 "頭"在裡邊; 而頭為人身之主這個概念,

也並非僅西方所獨有能引申。

-- capital city, 首要都市 =&> 首都。雖然這個詞在普通話多只是指稱國家中央政府所在城市

的特稱, 但capital也可指稱某一地的首要都市, 例如美國各州政府所在的城市也是 capital。

-- capital letter, 每句一開始, 一起首的字母形式(雖然並非句首才用) ==&> 大寫字母。

-- capital money, 主要的錢, 一起首的錢 ====&> 資本, 資金。

其它類似的詞, 亦可如法來得知其聯結, 這會有助於減少題目所示的那種困擾。

中文裡一字多義的現象也有。很多時候一個新事物出現，人們並不總是發明一個新詞，尤其是中文這種語言，而是用一個現有的詞來表述它，成為習慣後這個詞從此就有了不同的意思。

fair的意思真他媽多呀！

fair /f??/ CET4 TEM4

(fairer, fairs, fairest)

ADJ Something or someone that is fair is reasonable, right, and just. 公平的

It didn"t seem fair to leave out her father.

將她的父親排除在外似乎不公平。

Do you feel they"re paying their fair share?

你覺得他們正支付自己應分擔的那一份嗎？

I wanted them to get a fair deal.

我希望他們得到一個公平的交易。

ADV 公平地

...demonstrating concern for employees and solving their problems quickly and fairly.

…證實對僱員的關注以及迅速公平地解決他們的問題。

fairly

ADJ A fair amount, degree, size, or distance is quite a large amount, degree, size, or distance. 相當大的; 相當遠的

My neighbours across the street travel a fair amount.

我街對面的鄰居們去過相當多的地方。

ADJ A fair guess or idea about something is one that is likely to be correct. 合理的

It"s a fair guess to say that the damage will be extensive.

說破壞將很嚴重是合理的猜測。

ADJ If you describe someone or something as fair, you mean that they are average in standard or quality, neither very good nor very bad. 一般的

Reimar had a fair command of English.

賴馬爾具備一般的英語水平。

ADJ Someone who is fair, or who has fair hair, has light-coloured hair. 淺色頭髮的

Both children were very like Robina, but were much fairer than she was.

兩個孩子都很像羅比娜，但是頭髮顏色比她的淺得多。

COMB in ADJ Fair is also a combining form. 金髮的

...a tall, fair-haired man.

…一個金髮的高個男人。

ADJ Fair skin is very pale and usually burns easily. 白皙的

It"s important to protect my fair skin from the sun.

保護我白皙的皮膚不受日晒是很重要的。

COMB in ADJ Fair is also a combining form. 白皙的

Fair-skinned people who spend a great deal of time in the sun have the greatest risk of skin cancer.

皮膚白皙的人長時間待在太陽底下患皮膚癌的危險最大。

ADJ When the weather is fair, it is quite sunny and not raining. 晴的

Weather conditions were fair.

天氣狀況晴好。

N-COUNT A county, state, or country fair is an event where there are, for example, displays of goods and animals, and amusements, games, and competitions. 集市

Every autumn I go to the county fair.

每個秋季我都去縣裡的集市。

N-COUNT A fair is an event at which people display and sell goods, especially goods of a particular type. 商品展銷會

...an antiques fair.

…一個古董展銷會。

→see also trade fair

ADV in a fair way; correctly 恰當地

act fair, now!

ADV absolutely or squarely; quite 完全地; 直接地

the question caught him fair off his guard

ADV really or very 真正地; 非常地

fair tired

PHRASE You use fair enough when you want to say that a statement, decision, or action seems reasonable to a certain extent, but that perhaps there is more to be said or done. 說得過去

If you don"t like it, fair enough, but that"s hardly a justification to attack the whole thing.

如果你不喜歡它，可以，但把它說得一無是處就沒什麼道理了。

PHRASE If you say that someone won a competition fair and square, you mean that they won honestly and without cheating. 正大光明地

There are no excuses. We were beaten fair and square.

沒有什麼借口，我們被正大光明地打敗了。

以上來源於：柯林斯英漢雙解大詞典

語言就是這樣的，你要忍受詞的語義模糊。

我覺得學英文最難的除了語法接下來就是需要大量閱讀來認識一詞多義。

我也覺得英文的魅力也是在這，你認識了一個別人認識它卻又不知道它又有另外幾個意思。

舉個例子：charge。它有好多個意思，負責，充電等等……

中文中也有類似的情況，

一字多義也是很正常的事情，時代的演化吧。