B*******c
发帖数: 5056 | 1 傻逼的英语，
美国人使用这样的语言，自己觉得丢人吗？ | e********3
发帖数: 18578 | 2 What is the origin of the word 'hijack'?
IT ORIGINATES from the prohibition era in America. Supposedly a member of
one gang would approach the driver of a rival gang's bootlegging truck with
a smile and a disarming 'Hi, Jack!' before sticking the muzzle of a gat in
the face of the poor unfortunate, and relieving him of both truck and its
alcoholic cargo.
Tim Wood, Cardiff.
THE word 'hijack' has its origins in pre-revolutionary France. Impoverished
peasants attacked and robbed aristocrats travelling in coaches through the
countryside. The word they employed for this practice was 'échaquer,' which
, sharing a common root with 'éjecter' in the Latin word 'eiacere,' meant
primarily the physical removal of the aristocrat from his carriage and of
his possessions from his person, but also, through its onomatopoeic second
syllable, contained elements of the peasants' anger, expressed in the
guttural spitting sound used to pronounce the word and also possibly the
sound of a knife entering and twisting up through the aristocrat's
intestines. Wider implications of the word were explored in the revolution
of 1789. The word reached England by way of the many English bandits who
worked alongside their French colleagues. The reason for this was similar in
many ways to the situation today where unemployed Englishmen pick grapes in
France. In the 18th century the pickings were simply richer in France. The
aristocrats were vain and haughty and felt themselves to be untouchable.
This made it a simple matter to relieve them of their considerable wealth. I
do not know whether the word was misheard as 'é Jacques' and thus
translated by the English brigands as 'i Jack' or if the word was taken as
heard and, due to the similarity in 18th century rural English pronunciation
between the 'e' and 'i' sounds, has simply come to be written down as '
hijack' by adding the 'h' an educated person of that time would have assumed
a peasant to have left off. The word 'échaquer' disappeared from French
usage after the revolution. Today, the French use the word 'détourner'
which, in its mildness, perhaps best sums up the civilising influence of the
revolution. It also reflects the changing usage of the word 'hijack' which
today refers almost exclusively to the taking over by force of an aeroplane
or other vehicle by a group of terrorists who wish it to go to a different
destination. Thus the French have a new word for a word which originated in
their own language.
Peter Bowen, London SW12.
I've been researching the 1920s lately, and the first newspaper reference to
"hi-jacking" I've seen is from around 1923. The original hyphen shows that
it's a compound word. I assume it's from "highway jackrolling," meaning a
theft by a show of force. My news editor in the 1960s said the term should
be used only for a liquor theft.
Wayne Klatt, Chicago USA
I wonder could it have originated as a mishearing by Americans of a word
used in many Eastern European countries for bandit , "Hajduck"? "Hajduk (or
ajduk, haydut, haiduk, haiduc, hayduck, hayduk) is a term most commonly
referring to outlaws, highwaymen or freedom fighters in the Balkans and
Central and Eastern Europe. "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajduk
Mick Burke, Dublin, Ireland
【在 B*******c 的大作中提到】
: 傻逼的英语，
: 美国人使用这样的语言，自己觉得丢人吗？
| M********d
发帖数: 5274 | | S**********b
发帖数: 3142 | 4 这正是美国的伟大所在
全世界都在学这种英语
【在 B*******c 的大作中提到】
: 傻逼的英语，
: 美国人使用这样的语言，自己觉得丢人吗？
| B*******c
发帖数: 5056 | 5 这叫恬不知耻
【在 S**********b 的大作中提到】
: 这正是美国的伟大所在
: 全世界都在学这种英语
| S**********b
发帖数: 3142 | 6 耻于什么？
【在 B*******c 的大作中提到】
: 这叫恬不知耻
| B*******c
发帖数: 5056 | 7 耻于用这种傻逼语言啊
【在 S**********b 的大作中提到】
: 耻于什么？
| M********d
发帖数: 5274 | 8 比如中文里的”东西“（e.g., 买东西），老外也会不会觉得奇怪？ | B*******c
发帖数: 5056 | 9 老外需要学习中国伟大的文化和悠久的历史，才能理解中文的精妙。
【在 M********d 的大作中提到】
: 比如中文里的”东西“（e.g., 买东西），老外也会不会觉得奇怪？
| S**********b
发帖数: 3142 | 10 每种语言都有这种精妙的东西
【在 B*******c 的大作中提到】
: 老外需要学习中国伟大的文化和悠久的历史，才能理解中文的精妙。
| M********d
发帖数: 5274 | 11
这个hijack恐怕也是有典故的吧。另外别动辄就提5000年，人类最近二三百年知道的事
情比以前加起来不知道要多多少倍
【在 B*******c 的大作中提到】
: 老外需要学习中国伟大的文化和悠久的历史，才能理解中文的精妙。
|
|
