又中又英——

I laughed while reading about the recent China visit by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet–two of the world's richest men. No, I wasn't laughing because some Chinese billionaires refused to meet them out of fear they would be pressured to donate their fortunes. I was laughing at how funny it would be if Gates and Buffet had served a buffet for the billionaires who did agree to meet them. Both words are spelt the same but pronounced very differently. The buffet you eat is pronounced 「bufay」 with the "t" silent. It is of French origin and means different types of food on a table for people to help themselves. The "t" in the name Buffet is not silent.


        Gates and Buffet didn't serve a buffet. They just served cookies, champagne and water to China's nouveau riche in a building built to look like a chateau. Wine drinkers will be familiar with chateau, which means a French castle or

        an estate where wine is produced. Nouveau riche (pronounced "noovo reesh") is also French but commonly used in English too. It means new money. It describes newly rich people who are not sophisticated enough to be accepted by those who have been rich for generations.

        ＊　　＊　　＊

        全球其中兩名最富有的人，比爾‧蓋茲和巴菲特最近訪問中國，我讀到這段新聞時，哈哈大笑。不，我並非為中國巨富怕捐身家，拒絕會面而笑。我笑是因為想到，若蓋茲和巴菲特（Buffet）與巨富共進自助餐（buffet），那情景會多有趣。這兩個字的串法一樣，但讀音迥異。Buffet（自助餐）應讀作bufay，沒有t音。它源自法文。用作人名的Buffet（巴菲特）則發t音。

        這不是很有趣嗎？如果有內地巨富混淆這兩個字，說：「自助餐（Bufay）先生，多謝你那頓美味的巴菲特。」巴菲特可會失笑，即場給他上一堂讀音課嗎？有t音的buffet也解作hit hard（打擊、衝擊）。

        例如：我的光頭爸爸常常擔心強風會衝擊（buffet）他的假髮，直至假髮飛走。你可以過去式說：「暴風狠狠衝擊郵輪，以致我的肥仔男友嘔吐大作，連在自助晚餐『buffet dinner』時吃的生蠔也嘔清光。」

        蓋茲和巴菲特沒有設宴自助餐，他們只在看來像酒莊的建築物，給暴發戶提供曲奇、香檳及水。喝酒的人會熟悉chateau這個字，那是釀酒的法國鄉間別墅或莊園。Nouveau riche（讀作noovo reesh）源自法文，但同時常見英文。它指"new money"，新富或暴發戶，一些新近富起來，但又未夠班，為名門望族接納的人。

        中譯: 蕭瑩盈

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧