又中又英 - Grammar | 褚简宁

　　How important is grammar in today's world where the Internet, social media, and ever-changing slang words have radically changed the way we use the English language? Grammarians insist grammar is the linchpin of the English language. A grammarian is a person who studies and writes about grammar. The word “linchpin” used this way means the most vital part of a system, such as a language, that holds the other parts together. It can also mean the most important member of a group, such as a sports team.

　　I have said before that I believe grammar is becoming less of a linchpin of the English language. People who learn English nowadays just want to be able to speak and write it in a way that others can understand. They don’t want to be grammarians. Most native English speakers just go with the ebb and flow as social media changes the English language. The expression “ebb and flow” means a frequently changing situation. I often receive WhatsApp messages from friends who write “c u” instead of “see you”.

　　I heard a member of the US Congress say “the math ain’t mathing” on a TV show recently. This expression is grammatically incorrect. The word “math” means “maths” in American English. The word “mathing” is not a proper word. But the slang expression “the math ain’t mathing” is common in the US. It means something is not logical or doesn’t make sense. You can say “doesn’t add up” if you want to be grammatically correct. It means the same as “the math ain’t mathing”.

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　　网络、社交媒体，以至不断变化的俚语正彻底地改变了我们使用英语的方式，文法在今天的世界到底有多重要？Grammarians坚持文法是英语的linchpin。A grammarian是研究和撰写关于文法的语法学家。Linchpin在这里是指一个系统例如语言中最关键的部分，使所有其他部分连结在一起。它也可以解作一个组别如运动团队中最关键的人物。

　　正如我以往曾说过的，我相信文法将越来越不那么是英语的支柱（linchpin）。今天人们学习英语，只希望能以其他人能懂的方式去说话和书写。他们可不想当语法学家（grammarians）。大部分以英语为母语的人，只会顺着ebb and flow而活，因社交媒体一直改变着英语。习语ebb and flow是指一直变化起伏的状况。我便不时收到朋友传来的WhatsApp讯息，写“c u” 而不是 “see you”（回头见）。

　　我最近就在电视节目上听到一个美国国会议员说“the math ain’t mathing”。这个习语在文法上是不正确的。“Math”是美式英语「数学」（maths）的意思，而“mathing”根本不是一个正确的字。然而，俚语“the math ain’t mathing”在美国却很常用，它的意思是某事情并不合逻辑，或说它并不合理、说不通。如果你想用一个文法正确的，你可以说“doesn’t add up”，它跟“the math ain’t mathing”的意思是一样的。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻