核心畫面

Listen for a thin run of notes that will not sit still — it slides up, dips down, and on the way. English has a verb for exactly that sound, warble, and a warbler is simply whatever makes it. Usually that is a small bird in a hedge. But the name follows the sound, so it can also land on a person at a microphone or a part inside a machine.

warbler 可以想成先聽見一串停不住的細音:往上滑一下,又掉下來,中間還帶著抖。英文剛好有個動詞在講這種聲音,就更多收起warbler 可以想成先聽見一串停不住的細音:往上滑一下,又掉下來,中間還帶著抖。英文剛好有個動詞在講這種聲音,就是 warble;而 warbler 就是「發出那種聲音的那個」。多數時候,那是樹叢裡的一隻小鳥。不過這個名字是跟著聲音走的,所以它也可能落在麥克風前的人身上,或是機器裡的一個小零件上。

From the word’s history

Warbler is warble plus -er, so the word names whatever produces that wavering song.

warbler 由 warble(發出顫抖起伏的歌聲)加上 -er 組成,字面上就是「發出那種歌聲的那一個」。因為 -er 不限於人,所以這個名字可以給鳥、給人,也可以給一個零件。

Wiktionary etymology for warbler: "From warble + -er." (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:372367149)

Three branches

發出顫音的鳥

英文最早把這個名字給了鳥,所以這是離核心畫面最近的一層。

noun · B2

A small bird that sings in a high, shaky, up-and-down way. In birdwatching, warbler is also the group name for many of these small songbirds, such as the Old World warblers and the New World warblers.

鶯;會唱歌的小鳥

發出顫音的人

名字跟著聲音走,於是落到唱歌的人身上;被比成鳥,玩笑的味道就跑出來了。

noun · C1

A person who sings. It is usually said in a joking way, often about someone whose singing is not very good.

(開玩笑說的)歌手

發出顫音的裝置

-er 從來不只用在活的東西上,所以同一個名字也可以給一個會發抖音的零件。

noun · C1

A small part inside a machine that makes a wavering, up-and-down sound, used instead of a bell to call your attention.

顫音發聲器