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英美文化:英语中那些含有歧视义的词汇

来源:www.csphb.com 2025-08-13

日前,卷福因在访谈中用含有种族歧视的词汇“coloured”而饱受争议,尽管他本想强调英国演艺界中种族不平等的现象。用词有风险,同志需小心,比如,容易见到的“special”就总是含有贬义。

1、Gay

同志

Once, this word meant 'happy' -think Victorian children dancing prettily around a maypole。

这个词的本义是“愉悦的”,你可以想象维多利亚年代的孩子儿在五朔节花柱欢快起舞的场景。

Now, the common word for 'homosexual'can also be used to mean 'pathetic'. Many young people still have a hangover from the playground and utter sentences such as 'that's so gay' - meaning 'that's lame'。

现在,“gay”既能够表示“同性恋”,也可以表示“可悲”。很多青年在夜店宿醉之后仍然会说“that's so gay”,意为“太逊了”。

Use this instead: C**p

替换词汇:C**p

2、Retarded

迟钝

‘Retard’ as a verb originally meant to ‘delay or hold back in terms of progress or development’。

作为一个动词,“retard”本义是“拖延进度”。

But the noun is used as an offensive term used to describe a person with a mental disability, or to suggest that someone is being stupid。

但作为名词,它也可以是贬义,指某个人智商残疾或暗示其非常笨。

Use this instead: Twit。

替换词汇:Twit。

3、Rapey

强奸的

It’s OK to use the words ‘rape’or ‘rapist’ in context. But the invented adjective ‘rapey’ is an unwelcome knock-on effect。

假如有上下文,大家是可以用“rape”或者“rapist”的。但,由此引申出来的形容词“rapey”却是不合时宜的。

Typically it's used by people to describe someone who might look like a rapist,is acting in a lecherous way, or a potentially sinister situation . It might sound harmless, but it can trivialise a serious crime。

一般来说,repay主要用来指那些行为淫荡,看着像强奸犯的人,或者指某种可能引发犯罪的场所。尽管可能听起来没什么恶意,但却可能引发重大犯罪事件。

Use this instead: Creepy。

替换词汇:Creepy

4、Spastic

麻痹病人

As with ‘retard’ this term is often used to describe people with disabilities, in a derogatory way。

跟“retard”一样,“spastic”常常用来指那些身有残疾的人,暗含贬义。

It was in the 1990s that it started to be employed as an insult, mostly to describe someone clumsy: such as‘you spaz’ or ‘you’re so spastic.’

上个世纪90年代,“spastic”开始含有侮辱的意思,常常指某人非常蠢,比如“you spaz“ 或者 “you’re so spastic”。

Such was the impact of this, that charity The Spastics Society changed its name to Scope in 1994,in an attempt say something more positive about disability。

受此影响,1994年,慈善机构“The Spastics Society”把我们的名字改成“Scope”,试图用更正面的词去表示残疾。

Use this instead: Clumsy

替换词汇:Clumsy

5、Paedo

恋童癖者

‘Paedo’ is a shortened term for a‘paedophile’ – but it’s also often used as a joke. For example, if a guy has a younger girlfriend. Or if someone takes their young nieces and nephews to the park。

“Paedo”是单词“paedophile”的缩写,但有时也用作玩笑。比如,某人有个年轻的女友或者某人带自己小侄子小侄女去公园。

Making light of such a horrendous offence is something that needs to sTOP。

然而,大家不应当随随意便开这种恶意的玩笑。

Use this instead: Just don’t -unless you’re describing a real child sex offender。

替换词汇:不要用,除非你要用它指那些儿童性侵犯者。

6、Half-caste

混血儿

This term was traditionally used to describe people who of mixed heritage, but its literal meaning is‘half-pure’。

这个词汇原本是指混血儿,但其字面意思是“血统不纯”。

That's not cool. Avoid it, so you don't come across as racially ignorant。

如此看来,这个词就不是那样适合了。假如你不想被觉得种族歧视,就不要用这个词汇。

Use this instead: Mixed race。

替换词汇:Mixed race。

7、Cretin

傻子病病人

This one might seem a bitoutdated - hence safer. But it's true meaning is little known。

今天看来,这个词好像由于有点过时而不会引发那样多争议。但,极少有人了解它的真的含义。

The seemingly harmless word for'idiot' actually refers to someone with ‘cretinism’ – a congenital disease。

作为“idiot”的中性说法,Cretin其实是指那些患有先天性 “呆小症”的人。

Use this instead: Stupid。

替换词汇:Stupid。

8、Dyke

女同性恋者

While ‘lesbian’ refers to a homosexual women, the word ‘dyke’ has crept up as an offensive synonym。

与“lesbian”相比,“dyke”暗含贬义。

It's a way for people to describe someone, or something, that seems quite masculine. Think androgynous fashion choices and haircuts -‘dyke chic’。

“dyke”用来指那些有男士风韵的人或事物。比如,大家常常用“dykechic”来形容那些中性的时装或者发型。

Use this instead: If you want tocomment that something seems to have masculine traits, just say that. If you're talking about a homosexual woman, she'sa lesbian。

替换词汇:假如你想说某个事物非常有男士特点,你可以用这个词。但若是指女同性恋者,请用“lesbian”。

9、Special

怪异

Jose Mourinho calls himself the‘special one’ and means it quite literally。

穆帅称自己“独一无二”,那是他真的独一无二。

But other people use the term,not to suggest that someone is extraordinary, but that they’ve done something so silly they seem to have special needs。

但假如别的人用“special”,则不是说某人非常杰出,而是觉得某人非常蠢,总有的奇奇怪怪的爱好。

As with cretin, spastic and retard this is just another word that’s offensive to people with disabilities。

跟“cretin、spastic和retard”一样,special也是对残疾人的一种讽刺。

Use this instead: Anything that doesn’t have any relation to any kind of disability or mental illness。

替换词汇:不要在任何和生理或心理残疾有关的状况下用。

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(责任编辑:何莹莹)



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