又中又英——Dramedy

　　Languages evolve all the time, with new words becoming popular and old words no longer used. The English language, with its alphabet of 26 letters, is constantly evolving. New words are invented all the time. Google is an American technology company with the world's most popular search engine. Now Google has become an English verb. If people want to search something on the internet, they say they will "Google" it. Last week, while Googling popular shows on Netflix, I saw the word "dramedy". I seldom use this word because, as a political columnist and TV host, I rarely need to use it. But it's an interesting word.
　　The word "dramedy" comes from the words "drama" and "comedy". It describes a TV show or series that combines drama with comedy. I started watching a "dramedy" series on Netflix called Cobra Kai, which is based on the 1980s Karate Kid movies. Many words describe different types of TV or radio shows. A "docudrama" is a TV series based on an event that actually happened although docudramas are not intended to be accurate in every detail. It comes from the words "documentary" and "drama". The TV series The Crown about Queen Elizabeth II is a docudrama. Some experts have criticized the accuracy of the TV series, saying it is more a drama than a docudrama.
　　A "sitcom" is a TV comedy series in which the same main characters appear in each episode in a different story. A "sitcom" combines the words
"situation" and "comedy". My favourite sitcom is Seinfeld. It was one of the most popular sitcoms. I watched the entire series several times. Seinfeld ended years ago. The TV series Friends, which ended years ago, was also a very popular sitcom. One of the oldest descriptions for a TV or radio show is "soap opera". A soap opera is a long-running TV or radio series about the lives and problems of a group of characters. In the 1950s, soap manufacturers sponsored soap operas on American radio. That's why they are called soap operas.
＊＊＊＊＊
　　语言一直都在演变，新词变成潮语，旧的字不再有人用到。有着二十六个字母的英文，亦在持续演变中，一直都有新字发明出来。谷歌是一间美国科技公司，有着全球最受欢迎的搜索引擎；现在，Google已变成一个英文动词。若人们想上网去搜寻甚么资讯，他们会说他们要“Google”一下。上星期，当我正Googling在Netflix有甚么热门的节目时，我见到“dramedy”一字。我很少用到这个字，因为作为一个政治专栏作家和电视节目主持，我很少机会需要用到它；但它着实是个有趣的字。
　　Dramedy来自“drama”和“comedy”这两个字，它是形容结合了剧集和喜剧的电视节目或电视剧。我最近开始在Netflix看一套「正喜剧」（dramedy）名《眼镜蛇道馆》，它是建基于一九八○年代的电影《龙威小子》。形容电视或电台节目的类型有许多字词，a“docudrama”即纪实剧，是根据真人真事，但纪实剧（docudramas）没有要将事件的每一项细节都精准呈现。此字来自于“documentary”和“drama”二字。关于英女皇伊利沙伯二世生平的电视剧《王冠》就是一出docudrama。一些专家批评这套电视剧不大符合史实，说它是戏剧多于纪实剧（docudrama）。
　　A“sitcom”就是处境喜剧，每一集都是同样的主角，但有着不同的故事。A“sitcom”结合了“situation”和“comedy”二字。我最喜爱的处境喜剧（sitcom）是《宋飞传》，它是最受欢迎的处境喜剧（sitcoms）之一，整套剧集我已重温过数遍。《宋飞正传》多年前已完结。而另一套亦于多年前结束的电视剧《老友记》，也是一套非常受欢迎的处境喜剧（sitcom）。一个最古旧的电视或电台节目形容词是“soap opera”。A soap opera是电视或电台的长寿肥皂剧，故事围绕一群人物的生活与所遭遇的困难。在一九五○年代，肥皂制造商赞助美国电台上的肥皂剧播出，因此它们就叫做soap operas。中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁