| 词组 | literally |
| 释义 | literally • We have come to such a pass with this emphasizer that where the truth would require us to acknowledge our exaggeration with, "not literally, of course, but in a manner of speaking", we do not hesitate to insert the very word that we ought to be at pains to repudiate; such false coin makes honest traffic in words impossible —H. W. Fowler, S.P.E. Tract 11, 1922 The L volume of the OED, published in 1903, contained a citation for literally that had occasioned the editor of the volume, Henry Bradley, to append the note "Now often improperly used to indicate that some conventional metaphorical or hyperbolical phrase is to be taken in the strongest admissible sense." The citation in question was written by the English actress Fanny Kem-ble and published in 1863: "For the last four years ... I literally coined money." Fanny Kemble did not originate the use; Charles Dickens had employed it years earlier in Nicholas Nickleby (1839): • 'Lift him out,' said Squeers, after he had literally feasted his eyes in silence upon the culprit. The use must have gained popularity by the time Bradley was doing his editing, and it continued to be popular enough to warrant notice in Webster 1909, where it was accorded the laconic usage note "often used hyperboli-cally." By 1922 H. W. Fowler sounded the call, and there has followed a steady stream of protesters and viewers-with-alarm ever since. Copperud 1980 writes, "Seldom is the word employed in its exact sense, which is to the letter, precisely as stated. Some examples: 'The actor was literally floating on applause.' The word wanted was figuratively, unless lévitation occurred...." How did things come to such a pass? The course of development is clear from the entry in the OED. There are four living uses of literally. The first (OED sense 2) means "in a literal manner; word for word"; the passage was translated literally. The second (OED sense 3) means "in a literal way"; some people interpret the Bible literally. The third (OED sense 3b) could be defined "actually" or "really" and is used to add emphasis. It seems to be of literary origin. Dryden in 1687 complained that his "daily bread is litt'rally implor'd"; Pope in 1708 commented "Euery day with me is literally another yesterday for it is exactly the same." In 1769 the political writer Junius asked rhetorically, "What punishment has he suffered? Literally none." The purpose of the adverb in the foregoing instances is to add emphasis to the following word or phrase, which is intended in a literal sense. The hyperbolic use comes from placing the same intensifier in front of some figurative word or phrase which cannot be taken literally. Pope, with his "literally another yesterday," had already in 1708 prepared the way. Has the hyperbolic use all but eclipsed the earlier uses of literally, as Copperud asserts? No. Merriam-Webster files show the three living earlier senses to be still in regular use; furthermore, these uses as monitored by our readers outnumber the hyperbolic use by a substantial margin. Now a word about the critics. The chief assertions they make are that the hyperbolic use of literally is a misuse of the word or a mistake for figuratively. As we have seen, it is neither; it is an extension of intensive use from words and phrases of literal meaning to metaphorical ones. It is a not altogether surprising development from Alexander Pope's not quite literal "literally another yesterday." If the hyperbolic use of literally is neither a misuse nor a mistake for some other word, should you use it? The point to be made here is that it is hyperbolic, and hyperbole requires care in handling. Is it necessary, or even useful, to add an intensifier like literally to a well-established metaphorical use of a word or phrase? Will the use add the desired emphasis without calling undue attention to itself, or will the older senses of literally intrude upon the reader's awareness and render the figure ludicrous, as was the case when a football play-byplay man we heard some years ago said the defensive linemen had "literally hammered the quarterback into the ground"? Here are a few examples to judge for yourself. • ... make the whole scene literally glow with the fires of his imagination —Alfred Kazin, Harper's, December 1968 • They will literally turn the world upside down to combat cruelty or injustice —Norman Cousins, Saturday Rev., 20 Nov. 1971 • Even Muff did not miss our periods of companionship, because about that time she grew up and started having literally millions of kittens —Jean Stafford, "Bad Characters," 1954 • This error and defeat in diplomacy literally broke Castiglione's heart —Robert A. Hall, Jr., A Short History of Italian Literature, 1951 • He literally glowed; without a word or a gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room —F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, 1925 (Reader's Digest 1983) • And with his eyes he literally scoured the corners of the cell —Vladimir Nabokov, Invitation to a Beheading, 1960 (OED Supplement) • Your very kind letter has left me as literally speechless as I remember —Archibald MacLeish, letter, 17 Feb. 1914 • Lily, the caretaker's daughter, was literally run off her feet. Hardly had she brought one gentleman into the little pantry ... than the wheezy hall-door bell clanged again and she had to scamper along the bare hallway to let in another guest —James Joyce, Dub-liners, 1914 • ... yet the wretch, absorbed in his victuals, and naturally of an unutterable dullness, did not make a single remark during dinner, whereas I literally blazed with wit —W. M. Thackeray, Punch, 30 Oct. 1847 |
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