有声双语阅读 | “&”是如何得到它的英文名的？

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

ampersand /'æmpəsænd/ : a symbol for “et” meaning “and”

et的记号名称，意思是“和”

cursive: handwriting 手写体；草书

recite: to say 背诵；叙述

per se: by of or in itself; as such 本身

slur: to say words quickly so that they run together 含糊不清地说

How the Ampersand Got its Name

&是如何得到它的名字的？

Once upon a time, in the 19th century, the ampersand was included in the alphabet. The ampersand originated as a cursive e beside a cursive t, which meant “and” in Latin. When reciting the alphabet in English, it became customary for students to include single letters that were also words. At the end of the alphabet, students would say “X,Y,Z and, per se, & (and)”. Eventually, students slurred that last bit together to create the word “ampersand”. While this custom eventually fell out of use, the ampersand is still used today for stylistic reasons or to write “and” in short form.

很久很久以前，在19世纪，“&”符号被纳入了字母表。“和”符号起源于草书e在草书t旁边，在拉丁语中et表示“和”。当学生背诵英语字母表时，习惯上有既是字母也是单词的内容。在字母表的最后，学生们会说X,Y,Z和，也就是&(和)本身。最后，学生们把最后一点混在一起形成了“ampersand”这个单词。虽然这一习惯最终不再使用，但由于文体原因ampersand这个单词仍被使用，写作“和”的简短形式。