(2011年07月06日)
學會演說 改變你的人生
If a mediocre(平庸的) person like me could become deputy chief editor(副總編輯) of the South China Morning Post, so can you. All we need is faith(信心) and hard work(勤力鍛鍊自己)。
馮強院長金句
有沒有想過一篇漂亮、動人的演說，可能會改變你的人生？覺得誇張，又或者想多了解一點箇中玄機的話，就一定要看看「巔峰英語勁進學院」院長馮強的新作——《學會演說，改變你的人生》，相信即使未至於「改變人生」，也定能提升閣下的英語能力。
兩篇動人的演說
林肯總統為自由而戰
林肯總統在葛底斯堡的演說 1863年11月19日Abraham Lincoln--Title: “The Gettysburg address”, Nov 19, 1863
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honoured dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
亞伯拉罕．林肯生於一八○九年二月十二日，死於一八六五年四月十五日，是美國第十六任和十七任總統（一八六一至一八六五），美國南北戰爭時期的北方領袖。他生於肯塔基州，出身社會低層。林肯總統通過自學，在一八三六年成為律師，並當選州議員。他一八四七年當選眾議員，是一個溫和的反奴隸制主義者，他認為奴隸制度是錯的。一八五四年北方各州主張廢奴和限制奴隸制的人士成立了共和黨。他代表共和黨當選總統後，南方脫離聯邦，宣布獨立，挑起南北戰爭，他為聯邦統一而戰。戰爭初期，聯邦軍隊一再失利，他決心打贏戰爭。一八六二年他頒布《解放宣言》，在解放奴隸的道路上邁進了一大步。一八六四年他再次當選總統。一八六五年聯邦軍隊迫使南方聯軍投降，內戰結束。一八六五年四月他在劇院欣賞話劇時，被一個奴隸制度支持者刺殺。林肯在美國人心目中擁有崇高的地位。
葛底斯堡演說是林肯總統著名的演說之一，也是美國歷史上為人引用極多的政治演說。一八六三年十一月十九日，美國內戰中葛底斯堡戰役結束後四個半月，林肯在賓夕法尼亞州的葛底斯堡國家公墓揭幕儀式上發表演說，哀悼在長達五個半月的葛底斯堡戰役中陣亡的將士。這是一篇極動人的講詞，林肯深刻厚實，思想深湛，感情豐富，他的講詞句法精妙，節奏明快，真摯深情、結構接近完美，乃古今演說家的典範，可以說是美國歷史上最偉大的演說之一。
這是一篇persuasive-inspirational（說服和啟發性）演說。講詞的結構很簡單，導言（introduction）指出林肯訴諸獨立宣言所支持的凡人都生而平等（men are created equal）之原則，開宗明義表明立場。主體（body）當然是強調烈士犧牲是為了自由而戰。這場內戰不只是為聯邦生存而奮鬥，而是為了「自由之新生」，將真正平等帶給全體美國公民，不分南北。烈士的犧牲將確保美國民有、民治、民享的政制繼續發揚光大（Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth）。在結束語（conclusion）上，林肯總統呼籲民眾繼續為解放黑奴、為自由而戰，令犧牲的勇士的血不會白流（We take increased devotion to that cause...so that these dead shall not have died in vain）。
林肯的演講修辭細膩周密，他用排比句法（parallel structure）去加強語氣，例如 But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground。在演說的用詞中，我們有分denotative language（直接和客觀的詞或句子）和connotative language（主觀的、充滿感情的詞或句子）兩種。林肯總統的講詞是充滿了connotative language的，比較容易引起聽眾的共鳴，例如他用final resting-place而不用grave（墓地），他用the unfinished work而不用our mission（使命）等等。林肯總統的另一項寫作技巧是他運用pathos寫作法（即訴諸情感）去引起聽眾的共鳴。另外兩種講詞寫作技巧是運用logos（訴諸邏輯和解釋）和ethos（訴諸講者的形象和可信性）。
這篇講詞可供我們學習，實用而美麗的句子和詞彙甚多，包括all men are created equal（人類生而平等，有時我們也可以用men are born equal），conceived in liberty（孕育於自由之中），a final resting-place（墓地），the unfinished work（使命），living and dead（生前死後），take increased devotion to that cause（更加堅定去追求信念），the dead shall not have died in vain（烈士不會白白犧牲），和government of the people, by the people and for the people（民有、民治、民享）等。
(from good English to great):
born=出生；born with a silver spoon in the mouth (生在富貴人家)；not born yesterday (世故的、不易受騙的)；例子: Victor told his students，“Of course I know how to use an iPad. I wasn’t born yesterday”。Liberty=freedom (自由)； at liberty (自由的)； take the liberty of (冒昧地做...)，例子: Victor has taken the liberty of reserving a seat for Raymond in Bob Dylan’s concert in Hong Kong because he knows Raymond is a great fan of the American folk singer。A final resting-place=grave (墓地)；grave當形容詞用，也解作嚴重的(例如grave error, grave decision)；have one foot in the grave (風燭殘年)；rise from the grave (復活)；make someone turn in his grave (使某人在九泉之下也不得安寧)。The unfinished work=mission (使命, 任務)；missionary=傳教士，也可解作propagandist (宣傳人員)；propaganda是宣傳活動或內容。 Devotion=love, zeal；形容詞是devoted (熱愛, 投入)；例子: Mimi loves a life devoted to teaching Hong Kong young people Putonghua。In vain=白費，失敗；例子: British government agents tried in vain to convince Bobo Fung to work as a spy for the UK government。
甘地用英文演講是「大侮辱」
甘地在印度B.H.大學的演說 (精粹) 1916年2 月4 日(Mohandas Gandhi--Title: “There is no salvation for India”, Feb 4, 1916)
It is a matter of deep humiliation and shame for us that I am compelled this evening under the shadow of this great college, in this sacred city, to address my countrymen in a language that is foreign to me.
I was present at the sessions of the great Congress in the month of December. There was a much vaster audience, and will you believe me when I tell you that the only speeches that touched the huge audience in Bombay were the speeches that were delivered in Hindustani? The Congress audience was better able to follow the speakers in Hindi. I am hoping that this University will see to it that the youths who come to it will receive their instruction through the medium of their vernaculars. Our languages are the reflection of ourselves, and if you tell me that our languages are too poor to express the best thought, then say that the sooner we are wiped out of existence the better for us. Is there a man who dreams that English can ever become the national language of India? Why this handicap on the nation?
The charge against us is that we have no initiative. How can we have any, if we are to devote the precious years of our life to the mastery of a foreign tongue? But suppose that we had been receiving during the past fifty years education through our vernaculars, what should we have today? We should have today a free India, we should have our educated men, and whatever they would have gained during these fifty years would be a heritage for the nation.
I am laying my heart bare. I now introduce you to another scene. His Highness the Maharaja spoke about the poverty of India. But what did we witness in the great pandal in which the foundation ceremony was performed by the Viceroy? Certainly a most gorgeous show, an exhibition of jewellery. I compare with the richly bedecked noble men the millions of the poor. And I feel like saying to these noble men, ‘There is no salvation for India unless you strip yourselves of this jewellery and hold it in trust for your countrymen in India’.
Whenever I hear of a great palace rising in any great city of India, I become jealous at once, and say, ‘Oh, it is the money that has come from the agriculturists’. Over seventy-five per cent of the population are agriculturists and Mr Higginbotham told us last night in his own felicitous language, that they are the men who grow two blades of grass in the place of one. But there cannot be much spirit of self-government about us, if we take away or allow others to take away from them almost the whole of the results of their labour. Our salvation can only come through the farmer. Neither the lawyers, nor the doctors, nor the rich landlords are going to secure it.
(演說全文) http://www.mkgandhi.org/speeches/bhu.htm
甘地1869年10月2日出生，1948年1月30日逝世，印度人尊稱他為聖雄甘地，是印度民族主義運動和國大黨領袖。他是印度的國父，帶領國家邁向獨立，脫離英國的殖民統治。他的「非暴力」哲學思想，影響了全世界的民族主義者和那些爭取和平變革的國際運動分子。通過「非暴力」的公民不合作，甘地使印度擺脫了英國的統治。最終大英帝國分崩離析了，取而代之的是英聯邦。 甘地的主要信念是 “追求真理”。1947年印度獨立後甘地獲得了人民和國大黨的崇高敬意。而對印、巴分治以後的宗教仇殺與混亂，甘地利用自己的威望與絕食幫助平息了大規模教派仇殺，但自己卻成了教派衝突的犧牲品，被一位狂熱的印度教徒的開槍暗殺。
甘地這篇演講是他較早期的演說之一，在講詞寫作技巧上，這一篇算是persuasive-rallying (說服和號召性)演說。甘地一開始便說，要用英文演講是他的奇恥大辱(a matter of humiliation and shame)，馬上引起聽眾的注意。他講詞的結構很簡單，是我們簡稱的topical order approach (重點寫作法)。他的第一個重點是要印度人用母語教學(I am hoping that this University will see to it that the youths who come to it will receive their instruction through the medium of their vernaculars)。他說假如印度早用母語，現在也許已經獨立了(We should have today a free India)。
他呼籲的另一個重點是要印度的富有上等人把部分財富捐出來協助貧窮的農民(農民佔75%人口)。他這樣說：’There is no salvation（救贖)for India unless you strip yourselves of this jewellery and hold it in trust for your countrymen in India’。不改善農民的生活，印度就沒有希望(Our salvation can only come through the farmer.)。在演講結束的時候我們常用的一種方法是 appeal for action (呼籲聽眾作出行動)。甘地也用上了這技巧。在起承轉合(transitions)方面，甘地最簡單直接不過了。從第一主題轉到第二個主題他是這樣說的: I now introduce you to another scene。
在修辭上，甘地運用其他講者較少用的rhetorical question技巧。他問聽眾：Is there a man who dreams that English can ever become the national language of India? Rhetorical question的作用是要刺激聽眾去思考，聽眾不是真的要回答甘地的問題，因為答案已經在他的問題中，答案就是沒有人會認為英文可以成為印度的國語。
我們從甘地的講詞中也可以學到不少有用的辭彙，包括a matter of deep humiliation and shame (真是奇恥大辱)，vernaculars (本地話) ，wiped out of existence (使消失)， handicap on the nation (加重國民負擔)， mastery of a foreign tongue (掌握外語技巧，foreign tongue等於foreign language)，laying my heart bare (肝膽相照)，there is no salvation (救贖)，felicitous (得體的，適當的)，grow two blades of grass in the place of one (意思是要加倍工作才可勉強餬口)，the results of their labour (辛勞的成果，也可以說the fruits of our labour)， have no initiative (缺乏主動性)。
學多一點點(from good English to great):
Shame=羞恥, 使羞愧 (disgrace, embarrass)，what a shame 很可惜；put to shame (使難為情, 使蒙羞)，例句: The senior Hong Kong government official who made a fortune from insider information was shamed into making an apology；Shame的諺語很多，包括Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me (不可被人一騙再騙)；hide one’s face in shame (感到很尷尬)，例句: When Ting Sun broke Wai Hing’s glasses, he wanted to hide his face in shame；shame on you (可惡，當朋友太頑皮搗蛋的時候，你可以用這句話罵他)；wipe out (徹底失敗)，例句: Ting Fung was wiped out for sure in the exam as he couldn’t answer half of the questions；wipe something out (吃光某物)，例句: Mei Yee wiped out all the cookies in the jar after returning home from a 5-mile jog。Master=掌握，例句: My grandma managed to master the English language in a year’s study；jack of all trades is a master of none (博而不精的人)，例句: Victor Fung can write poetry and commentaries, play guitar, sing and do public speaking but he is no expert in any of them as the old saying goes: a jack of all trades is a master of none；be your own master (命運由你掌握)。Initiative=動力( enterprise and determination) on (one’s) own initiative(主動)；take the initiative = 採取主動。
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作者簡介：馮強，曾任職《華爾街日報》及加拿大《金融郵報》記者、《南華早報》副總編輯、《讀者文摘》總編輯、香港兩所大學公關處處長，現任香港浸會大學傳理學院國際新聞和財經新聞碩士課程主任。著作包括《瘋讀社論、強化英語》、《最後六任港督的聲音》、《生活英語小智慧》等。Blog:deanfungenglish.blogspot.com/《巔峰[強化英語]日報》
(註：巔峰日報由[巔峰英語勁進學院]院長馮強主理。馮院長(Dean Fung)希望香港人的水平可以勁進(步)，達至巔峰。)
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