| 词组 | mighty |
| 释义 | mighty The use of mighty as an adverbial intensifier has been looked at askance since at least 1829, when the sentence "That is a mighty big dog" was given in Joseph Hervey Hull's Grammar as an "incorrect phrase" to be corrected. The issue is largely an American one; it does not appear much in British usage sources. And its origin appears to be in the assertion of Bostonian cultural superiority: not only was Hull's Grammar published in Boston, but the Boston Pearl of 20 Feb. 1836 is recorded in Thornton 1912 as labeling mighty a southern corruption. Similar labels have, of course, been repeated right down to the present day by writers of usage books and college handbooks. The labels applied are most often colloquial and informal; others include old-fashioned and quaint, and several handbooks discourage its use in "most writing." Hall 1917 seems to have been the first to investigate the use of mighty. The intensive use is not recent—the OED records it from before 1300; Hall adds many instances of his own finding from literature right down to his own time. He is unable to discover when the word dropped out of the literary language. We have noted that the stigmatizing of mighty appears to have started in Boston. From this one would assume that it was not current in everyday English in New England, but such is not the case. Mighty turns up in the writing of such proper Bostonians as Oliver Wendell Holmes, the elder: • But he said a mighty good thing about mathematics — The A utocrat of the Breakfast- Table, 1858 And Henry Adams: • ... man knows mighty little, and may some day learn enough of his own ignorance to fall down and pray —quoted in John Buchan, Pilgrim's Way, 1940 It is of common occurrence in the letters of the younger Oliver Wendell Holmes: • ... it is mighty interesting to look even through a keyhole on such great men —letter, 29 Nov. 1925 • ... I am mighty sceptical of hours of labor and minimum wages regulation —letter, 8 Jan. 1917 • His Corsican chauffeur was mighty careful not to run down a hen —letter, 29 July 1923 It is probably safe to assume, then, that the commentators who started questioning the propriety of mighty were not even thoroughly acquainted with the vocabulary of Bostonians. Hall 1917 opines that mighty was brought to the U.S. at a time when it was current in London English—a conclusion safe enough, since the word seems to have been in current use in London English from the 17th through (at least) the 19th centuries. Our first writer concerned solely with the proprieties of English used it: • This Expression is found in many Authors, who seem to value themselves not a little upon it, and think it mighty smart —Robert Baker, Reflections on the English Language, 1770 Boswell records it frequently in his LifeofSamuelJohn-son (1791) as appearing in the speech of the great man: • An ancient estate should always go to males. It is mighty foolish to let a stranger have it because he marries your daughter.... No, Sir, this affectation will not pass;—it is mighty idle. (Oddly, Johnson characterized the adverb mighty thus in his 1755 Dictionary: "Not to be used but in very low language." His animadversion seems to have had little effect, even on his own speech.) Although our evidence of the currency of mighty in British English is equivocal because scarce, there is no doubt it is firmly established in American English— especially in the Southern and Midland areas, but by no means limited to them. It is quite common in newspaper and magazine writing. In current American English it usually conveys a folksy, down-home feeling or a rural atmosphere: • "It's plain and simple fare," said Aunt Tennie Cloer, "but mighty filling and mighty satisfying...." — quoted by John Parris, Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times, 18 Jan. 1976 • A man must be mighty serious about his squirrel hunting —Stuart Williams, Field & Stream, February 1972 It is also a feature of a relaxed and chatty style: • ... fried chicken, country ham, baked cheese grits, candied apples, turnip greens, corn bread and biscuits. That sounds mighty good to me, and I am all for trotting out American regional cooking —Julia Child, N.Y. Times Mag., 16 Jan. 1977 • I'm still not crazy about cats, but I'm sure mighty grateful to that one —And More by Andy Rooney, 1982 • It sounded mighty formidable, like someone not to be trifled with —Garrison Keillor, quoted in Update (Univ. of Minn.), Fall 1981 It is common in the letters of literary people: • ... and a mighty fine fellow you'll say he is —Robert Frost, letter, 1 July 1914 • ... a curious voyage that has really been mighty enjoyable —Alexander Woollcott, letter 11 Sept. 1917 • All in all we have had a mighty good winter —E. B. White, letter, 18 Jan. 1940 • It was mighty thoughtful of you to send me that quote from dear old Sam Adams's letter —James Thurber, letter, 3 Dec. 1958 • Well you are mighty right about the low rate of pious exchange —Flannery O'Connor, letter, 11 Aug. 1956 It is even used from time to time in more formal or more sophisticated contexts, where it can be counted on to add emphasis by being unexpected: • ... the chairman made sure that there were mighty few of them —Mollie Panter-Downes, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 1971 • ... when Senator McClellan twists around in his chair and hoists his left shoulder, we know that he's feeling mighty put out over something —New Yorker, 12 June 1954 Hall 1917 thought perhaps you would not want to use mighty in a sermon, but judged it useful in other contexts where you might find it handy. Reader's Digest 1983 says this: "If not quite suitable for the most ceremonial of formal contexts, the adverb mighty is Standard American English in all others." We agree with both; mighty does have a force and flavor all its own, and if it is natural to you, you should not be afraid to use it where you think it will serve a purpose. |
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