多地使用委婉、含蓄和迂回的陈述方式。

英美民族富于幽默，表达时常常不把要说的话直接说出来，而是用某种间接、含蓄的方式来陈述。汉语也有含蓄表达法，但较常用作修辞手段。总的说来，汉语比较倾向于直截了当，而英语则比较常用克制陈述、间接肯定、委婉否定和婉转暗示的表达方式。

1.间接肯定（litotes）；用反对语的否定来表示肯定，这种弱式双重否定往往能产生比直接肯定更加强烈的印象，如用 no rare occurrence 代替 a frequent occurrence，用 no small代替

great。汉语也有这类反语，如“未尝不可”、“难免错误”、“不虚此行”、“不无遗憾”、“没有白干”

等，但较多采用直接肯定。举例

1）To my no small astonishment, I found the house on fire.

我发现房子着了火，这使我大吃一惊。

2)There is no untroubled place in this troubled world. 这多灾多难的世界没有任何太平的乐土。

3）Martin (who was very generous with his money) ordered another glass of punch,

which they drank between them, and which had no effect of making them less conversational than before. (C. Dickens)

马丁（用钱很慷慨）又叫了一杯香甜混合饮料，两人共饮，这反而使他们俩谈得更加起劲了。 英语还常用其他一些否定的形式拐弯抹角地表达强烈的肯定意义，或用否定之否定的方式（the ?not un-‘ habit）来表达间接肯定，汉语则往往没有相应的表达法，如用 not unkindly, not

unnaturally 或 not unjustifiably 比用 kindly, naturally 或 justifiably 较为婉转，且显得有分

寸。举例

1）He didn‘t half like that girl. (= He liked her very much)

他非常喜欢那姑娘。

2）I couldn‘t feel better. (= I‘m feeling first-rate) 我觉得身体好极了。

3）If that isn‘t what I want! (= That is the very thing I want!) 我所要的就是这个呀！

4）He can‘t see you quickly enough. (= He desires to see you as soon as possible) 他很想尽快和你见面。

英语一些含有“多余否定”（pleonastic negation）的句子，也用否定的形式表达肯定的语义。举例

1）What dirty means would he not resort to! 什么卑鄙手段他都使得出来！

2）There was no knowing at that moment he might not put in an appearance, and

whenever he did show, it was to storm about something. (Samuel Butler)

他在什么时候会出现，是无法知道的；但是无论何时他一出来，总有事情使他大发雷霆。

汉语也有类似的“多余否定”，用滞定的形式来表达强调的肯定语义，如“好不+形容词”结构：“好不热闹”、“好不伤心”、“好不快乐”等。举例

1）街上人来人往，好不热闹！

What a busy street, with so many people coming and going. 2）他们见了面，好不欢喜。

How happy they were to see each other! 3）他好不容易才挤到台前。

He had a hard time squeezing through the crowd to get up to the platform.

2．委婉否定（indirect negation）：把直接的否定变得含蓄、婉转，使口气显得温和而不武断，谦逊而留有余地。英语表示委婉否定的方法有很多，常见的有如：

a) 用转移否定（transferred negation）的方法使否定口气显得间接而不唐突。R. Quirk 等人曾指出，“A strange feature of the syntax of subordination in colloquial English is the

transfer of the negative from a subordinate that-clause, where semantically it belongs, to the main clause.”如用“I don‘t think he will come”代替“I think he will not come.”说话者用否

定主观看法（如否定主句的动词think）来代替否定所要表达的客观事实（宾语从句的内容），因而口气显得缓和而不生硬，汉语则较习惯于直接否定：“我想他不会来”，而不说“我不想他会来”。英语采用这类转移否定的词一般表示相信（belief）或臆断（assumption）等意义，如 think,

believe, suppose, fancy, expect, imagine, reckon 等。举例

1) We don‘t believe that Chinese is inferior to any other language in the world.

我们相信，汉语并不亚于世界任何其他语言。

2) I do not think the Council can or should remain indifferent to these most serious

violations of human rights.

我认为，安理会不能也不应对这些极其严重的侵犯人权的行为袖手旁观。 这类动词的名词化结构往往也能转移否定：

1) It is not our opinion that your proposed contract is practical. 我方认为，贵方所拟议的合同并不是切实可行的。

2) It is not our view that the speech made by your minister of foreign affairs at the

Conference yesterday will be conducive to a lasting peace in that area.

我们认为，贵国外交部长昨天在会上的讲话将无助于该地区的持久和平。

b) 用肯定的形式表达否定的意义。这类表达法常见于含蓄虚拟句 (implied subjunctive) 反意问句(disjunctive questions)、省略句 (ellipsis)、诅咒语 (swear-words)和讽刺语 (ironical

idioms)。举例

1) You could have come at a better time.

肯定式：你本来可以在更合适的时候来。 否定义：你来得不是时候。

2) As if anyone would believe that story. 肯定式：好象竟有人会相信那些话似的。 否定义：别人才不信那一套哩！ 3) I know better.

肯定式：我更加懂得。 否定义：我可不信。

英语还有大量的词语以肯定的形式表达否定的意义，如：fail (to come), free from (anxiety),

short of (the mark), beyond (belief), above (flattery), dead to (shame), blind to (one‘s faults), beneath (notice), escape (someone) , removed from (self-interest), too…to…, rather than, instead of, keep…from, other (wise) than, more than, absent from, 等等。汉语

没有这类形式，常见的是用疑问句或感叹句来表达否定意义，如：“他怎么知道？”、“谁知道！”（“鬼晓得！”）等。

3．婉转暗示(tactful implication)；用含而不露的言辞留下余音，有些说法则跳过逻辑层次 (leave gaps in the development of a thought) ，让对方去寻味。这种表达法与英美民族富于幽默感甚有关系。汉语则往往注重于直言把含义直接表明。举例

1) It can be worst.

婉转：还可能会更糟。

明言：还可以。/还过得去。/还算不怎么坏。/凑合凑合吧。 2) You are late for the last time. (C. Chaplin) 婉转：这是你最后一次迟到了。 明言：你被解雇了。 4.迂回 (Periphrasis)

迂回是一种转弯抹解的说法，是用较多或较长的词语来表达原来几个简短的词就能说清的意思(saying things the long way round)。

迂回说法与英语的名词化和抽象化密切相关。汉语用词比较具体、明确，力戒晦涩、虚泛，反对故意拐弯抹解，因而往往没有象英语那样迂回曲折的表达法。伦敦一家晚报曾报道英美拟为北约组织联合研制一种可折翼的军用飞机，该报引用了英国外交部发言人关于两国领导人为此举行会晤的一段话：

The object of this visit is a pooling of knowledge to explore further the possibility of a

joint research effort to discover the practicability of making use of this principle to meet a possible future NATO requirement, and should be viewed in the general context of interdependence.

这段冗长的话无非是想说：

This visit is to find out whether we can, together, develop the folding-wing plane for

NATO.

在英语口语和书面语里，间接迂回的说法相当流行，试比较迂回与平易。

1）迂回：Will you be good enough to advise me whether I should accept the invitation? 平易：Please tell me whether I should accept the invitation. 请您告诉我是否应该接受这项邀请，好吗？

2）迂回：I have endeavoured to obtain the required information. 平易：I have tried to find out what you wanted to know. 我已经尽力去打听你想要知道的消息。

3）迂回：In London there reigns a complete absence of really reliable news. 平易：There is no reliable news in London.

伦敦没有可靠的消息。

为了使措词显得客气、礼貌、文雅，讲英语的人常常采用委婉、含蓄、迂回等间接表达法，而讲汉语的人则往往使用敬辞和谦辞。举例

敬辞用来褒扬对方或与对方有关的人、事物或行为，以表示恭敬，如： 贵姓your name 贵国your country 府上your home 令尊your father 尊夫人your wife 大作your writing 高见your opinion 惠顾your patronage 光临your presence 拜访call on 奉告inform 请教ask for advice 久违 I haven‘t seen you for ages.

谦辞用来贬抑自己或与自己有关的人、事物或行为，以表示谦虚，如： 鄙人I, me 小女my daughter 贱恙my illness 拙著my writing 愚见my opinion 寒舍my home 舍亲my relative 过奖flatter 敝校my school

这类敬辞和谦辞反映了中国人比较独特的人际态度，英语往往没有相应的表达法，因而一般采用较为直接或较为婉转的说法。举例 1）贱姓李，请问尊客贵性？ I‘m Li. Could I have your name? 2）久仰，久仰。

I‘ve heard so much about you. 3）不知高见以为何如？

I wonder if you would be kind enough to enlighten us on this matter. / May I have

your advice?

4）如蒙光顾，无任欢迎。

Your patronage is cordially invited. 5）拜托您捎个信给她。

Would you be good enough to take a message to her? 6）详情容后奉告。

I‘ll give you the details later. 7）奉访未晤，甚怅。

Much to my regret you weren‘t at home when I called. 8）恕不奉陪。

Sorry, I won‘t be able to keep you company. 9) 我拜读了您的大作。

I had the pleasure of perusing your work. 10）敬请光临。

We request the honour of your presence.

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