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One day later after I posted the following post, I added this note: Thanks for many great comments from many people. Thanks for insightful discussions and opinions
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下面這個新聞怎麼說英文"next decades"是錯誤的用法呢? 哇塞, 我用了一輩子, 難道我也錯了嗎?
隨便Google一下, 用例有一卡車之多...
======== from Google ===========
Global aquaculture outlook in the next decades: an analysis of ...
Global aquaculture outlook in the next decades: an analysis of national aquaculture production forecasts to 2030. FAO Fisheries Circular. No. 1001. ...
www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5648e/y5648e00.HTM - Cached
What's Your Strategy for the Next Decade? - Umair Haque ...
blogs.harvardbusiness.org/.../whats_your_strategy_for_the_ne.html - Cached
GLOBAL AQUACULTURE OUTLOOK IN THE NEXT DECADES: AN ANALYSIS OF ...
Because the gap between the estimated requirements from aquaculture in the next decades and what countries' expected production was not large (even with a ...
www.globefish.org/files/Circular1001_179.pdf
Here today, gone tomorrow: why the next decade's web won't feel ...
futurismic.com/.../here-today-gone-tomorrow-why-the-next-decades-web-
MRS Website : Grimsel Test Site - The Next Decades
www.mrs.org/s_mrs/sec_subscribe.asp?CID=2584&DID=118177...
What is Africa On the Next Decades
www.articlesbase.com/.../what-is-africa-on-the-next-decades-1360947.html - Cached
Over the next decades, the proportion
by C Zwerling - 2003 - Cited by 20 - Related articles
Over the next decades, the proportion of American workers with disabili- ties is expected to increase for sev- eral reasons, including the aging of ...
disability.law.uiowa.edu/lhpdc/.../Zwerling_Blanck_JOEM03.pdf
16樓.2009/12/19 23:58So what do you imply?
Do you either imply
1) Tai tongrong is wrong?
2) Ma yingjeow is wrong? or
3) Chinatimes is wrong?
1) Tai tongrong is wrong?
===>>>> strictly speaking, he is right. Politically speaking, he is right on his side.
2) Ma yingjeow is wrong? or====>>>>> strictly speaking, he is right. Politically speaking, he should have been more careful.
3) Chinatimes is wrong?====>>>>> the news report didn't know she/he was talking about. So, the reporter was confused!
吹牛皮 大俠 於 2009/12/20 02:12回覆- 15樓.2009/12/19 03:39Corpus
我上美國的語料庫去查了，統計數字抄給看官參考：
The next decades: 49
The next several decades: 75
The next few decades: 170
The next decade: 1389
thanks....
my opinion: I believe President Ma meant to say "The next several decades" or "The next few decades". He may, by accident, omitted "few" or "several". It is not perfectly clear, but I am ok with that.
So, lesson learned: just to add "few" or "several" next time when you want to make it perfectly clear!
吹牛皮 大俠 於 2009/12/19 05:40回覆 - 14樓.2009/12/19 03:26先有語言，才有文法
語言的特色就是規則多、例外也多，例外中還有例外。所以學習語言，必須多聽多讀，培養語感。文法是依據語言的使用人口的使用慣例整理出來的，也會隨時代變化，不是什麼真理。
你要說the next decades是合乎文法，或許吧！因為英語文法專家們，沒有人想到要去研究'the next'之後的時間名詞是否限制只能單數。然而文法書沒禁止的，不表示就正確、恰當。否則把單字背熟、把文法背熟，難道就把這個語言學通了嗎？
我去查了以"語料庫"統計編纂的柯林斯大辭典－－沒有像馬英九這樣的用法。對英語語感較好的人，或英語母語的人，多半覺得馬英九的說法"不通順，念起來怪怪的"。他們會在the next與decades之間加上數字或量詞，不會把the next直接連上decades。
結論是：馬英九貴為總統，請守分際，面對外媒，請講國語，讓真正專業的直譯官幫忙他！
P.S. 蔣經國總統時代，馬英九是他的直譯官。那時代台灣與美國之間不知道有多少重要的溝通是被錯譯了？
two comments to your comments (which are all valuable. Thanks!)
(1) In the first half of your comments, you were discussing the difference between "with The" and without The". However, in my original post and in the original news report (see the web link in my orginal post), there was no mention of "The". So, we were not discussing "THE next...".
(2) In the 2nd half of your comments, I have already said the same. (please refer to my reply to one of bloggers below 2 days ago.)
吹牛皮 大俠 於 2009/12/19 05:34回覆 -
13樓. 好香2009/12/17 02:41馬屁好香
真的，我聞過"馬的屁"，真的好香喔~~(Oh!!真是意猶未盡~~)hey, don't you know I am a DEEP GREEN! ...:-)
吹牛皮 大俠 於 2009/12/17 03:50回覆 -
12樓. fish2009/12/16 23:18紐約時報，華盛頓郵報，商業週刊....都使用next decades
紐約時報，華盛頓郵報，商業週刊....都使用next decades 難道他們ㄉ英語比蔡同榮爛? 綠笨不要無知加無恥go see my Google results (on my main post) from yesterday. I have said it all...thanks. 吹牛皮 大俠 於 2009/12/17 00:50回覆 -
11樓. NVA2009/12/16 21:57'(The) next decades' is a rare usage.
Search in Google.com in English ("words")
A="next decades"
Results 1 - 10 of about 198,000 for "next decades". (0.22 seconds)
B="next decade"
Results 1 - 10 of about 4,650,000 for "next decade". (0.21 seconds)
A/B= 4%
C= "the next decades"
Results 1 - 10 of about 1,520,000 for "the next decades". (0.10 seconds)
D= "the next decade"
Results 1 - 10 of about 34,900,000 for "the next decade". (0.23 seconds)
C/D= 4%
Obviously, '(The) next decades' is a rare usage. In addition, 'next' is usually followed by a single nouns.you seem to be an expert. thanks. 吹牛皮 大俠 於 2009/12/17 00:51回覆 -
10樓. JJ2009/12/16 20:36next decades
我從Google in English搜尋next decades,出來好幾百萬筆用next decades的網站,
其中不乏著名機構及大型媒體.
用中文搜尋英文根本就不準,工具要用對好嗎?
you seem to be a great researcher. thanks. 吹牛皮 大俠 於 2009/12/17 00:52回覆 
9樓. impishb2009/12/16 20:31我查到一堆
都是各大英文媒體查到的。 包括New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times ....
請見：
http://blog.udn.com/impishb
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8樓. 外省女婿2009/12/16 19:22為何不去做個英文翻譯就好?
版主說的一拖拉庫的"the next decades"例子, 100個裡面我只看到5個. 不知版大的一拖拉庫哪裡來的?
版主copy上來的例子, 只有第1, 5, 6是用 next decades. 第2,4根本不是(請版主睜大眼睛), 第3和第1是同一篇文章.
英文講錯不可恥, 硬凹文法及把錯誤推給外籍記者, 和身為一國總統老愛現非自己母語的英文, 錯了又不認錯, 才令人可厭...
其實以馬先生之才能及自認為很優的英文, 為何他不去做個英文翻譯就好? 天佑台灣!
===>>>>> 請版主睜大眼睛
i have small eyes, which have the size of a little bean.
吹牛皮 大俠 於 2009/12/17 00:53回覆 
7樓. 傑森2009/12/16 18:33前後文
意指有所不同吧 ..
next decade 下個十年
next decades 下個十年(以十年為數的時間)
now, you go back to the square one. Any middle schooler understands it. So, what is your point?
吹牛皮 大俠 於 2009/12/17 00:55回覆
