| 词组 | officer |
| 释义 | officer The use of officer to mean "a member of a police force" has occasionally been criticized, chiefly on the theory that officer should only be applied to policemen and policewomen who have an officer's rank (as lieutenant or captain). This issue is now about a hundred years old. • It is no solecism to call a police constable an 'officer' A police-constable is a peace officer ... and is therefore entitled to be styled an 'officer' —E. H. Marshall, Notes & Queries, 1888 (OED) Peace officer has been used to mean "policeman" since at least 1714. Police officer was first recorded in this sense in 1806. Both terms continue to be used {police officer is especially common), and neither has been criticized: • ... not a politician, but a highly respected peace officer —Harry S. Ashmore, Center Mag., May 1968 • The lowest-ranking police officer—the patrolman— has the greatest discretion —James Q. Wilson, Harvard Today, Autumn 1968 Officer by itself, however, still receives some unfavorable attention, although criticism of it is not widespread and tends now to be somewhat subdued. The principal use of officer in its "policeman" sense is as a respectful form of address, as in "Did I do something wrong, officer?" Evans 1957 considers this a "slight archaism" which is likely to be passing out of use. Bernstein 1965 says that "the feeling among the discriminating is that to speak of a policeman as an officer has a provincial flavor, much as has counselor for a lawyer " He also asserts that it is "worthwhile to preserve the distinction between ordinary cops and officers." Having given these opinions, however, he then admits that police departments themselves do not observe the distinction and that officer is sometimes the only suitable way to address a policeman. Copperud 1964 sees merit in the patrolman-officer distinction, but he notes that it is not supported by usage. Contrary to the prediction of Evans, the "policeman" sense of officer is not falling into disuse. It continues to be common and is entirely standard. There may still be some people out there who dislike hearing a patrolman addressed as "officer," but you can be fairly sure that the patrolman will make no objection. |
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