社會福利 Social Welfare

 社會福利 Social Welfare

● 字源

Social 來自拉丁文 socialis(同伴的),源於 socius(夥伴)。Welfare 是英語本土的複合詞,由 well(良好地)加 fare(旅程、經歷、過日子)構成,十四世紀已見,原指「旅途順利、過得好」,後來引申為「安康、福祉」。Well 來自古英語 wel,Fare 來自古英語 faran(行進、前往),源於原始日耳曼語,再追溯到原始印歐語詞根 per-(通過、前進)。同源詞有 fare、farewell、wayfarer、thoroughfare、ford、port、emporium(以上出自 per- 一系),以及 society、associate、sociable、sociology(以上出自 socius)。這個詞組指國家或社會為保障人民基本生活與增進整體福祉而設立的制度與措施,涵蓋現金給付、醫療、住宅、教育與社會服務。它與社會安全、社會服務相鄰,但範圍更廣,也更偏重政策目標。十九世紀末德國的社會保險、二十世紀英國貝佛里奇(William Beveridge)的福利國家構想,以及美國一九六〇年代的反貧窮計畫,都是重要的歷史節點。在美國口語中,welfare 常特指對低收入家庭的現金補助,帶有負面色彩。中文譯為「社會福利」,是不可數名詞。

● 例句(80字長句)

Social welfare, which economists define as the arrangements by which a nation protects the basic well-being of those who cannot secure it themselves, holds not that prosperity belongs only to the strong but that citizens, believing that a fair society must cushion the weak against sudden ruin, should accept taxes that fund help for strangers, so that workers who lose their jobs still keep food on their tables, although critics, whom every growing budget alarms, object that the benefits that supposedly lift people up merely discourage them from working.

● 排列為比較容易閱讀的方式

Social welfare,

which economists define as the arrangements

by which a nation protects the basic well-being of those

who cannot secure it themselves,

holds

not that prosperity belongs only to the strong

but that citizens,

believing that a fair society must cushion the weak against sudden ruin,

should accept taxes that fund help for strangers,

so that workers who lose their jobs

still keep food on their tables,

although critics,

whom every growing budget alarms,

object

that the benefits that supposedly lift people up merely discourage them from working.

● 分解為原初的短小句

Social welfare holds something.

(全句主幹:主詞 social welfare,謂語 holds;welfare 為不可數名詞,動詞用 holds,加 s;後面的 not that ... but that ... 是 holds 的兩個並列受詞子句,說明這套制度的主張。)

Economists define social welfare as the arrangements.

(which 為非限定關係代名詞,指 social welfare,在子句中作 define 的受詞;define A as B 表「將 A 定義為 B」;arrangements 指制度安排。)

A nation protects the basic well-being of those by the arrangements.

(by which 為「介系詞+關係代名詞」,which 指 arrangements,還原後為 by the arrangements;protect 表「保護」;well-being 指福祉;those 指「那些人」,後面由 who 子句修飾。)

Those cannot secure it themselves.

(who 為限定關係代名詞,指 those,在子句中作主詞,所以 who 後面直接接動詞 cannot secure;it 指 basic well-being;secure 表「確保取得」;themselves 為反身代名詞,強調「靠自己」。)

Prosperity belongs only to the strong.

(not that 所否定的主張;此處 that 為連接詞,引導 holds 的受詞子句;belong to 表「屬於」;the strong 為「the + 形容詞」,表「強者」;prosperity 為不可數名詞,動詞用 belongs。)

Citizens should accept taxes.

(but that 引導肯定的主張,為 holds 的第二個受詞子句;should 表應然;accept 表「接受」;taxes 指稅負。)

Citizens believe something.

(believing that ... 為現在分詞構句,主詞同為 citizens,相當於 as they believe that ...,說明接受稅負的信念。)

A fair society must cushion the weak against sudden ruin.

(that 子句為 believe 的受詞;that 為連接詞,不擔任子句成分;must 表必然;cushion A against B 表「使 A 免受 B 的衝擊」;the weak 為「the + 形容詞」,表「弱者」;ruin 指破產、毀滅。)

Taxes fund help for strangers.

(that 為限定關係代名詞,指 taxes,在子句中作主詞,所以 that 後面直接接動詞 fund;fund 表「出資支持」;help 作名詞,指援助;strangers 指素不相識的人。)

Workers still keep food on their tables.

(so that 引導結果子句,表「以致」;keep food on one's table 表「維持溫飽」;still 表「仍然」;their 指 workers。)

Workers lose their jobs.

(who 為限定關係代名詞,指 workers,在子句中作主詞,所以 who 後面直接接動詞 lose;their 指 workers。)

Critics object something.

(although 引導讓步副詞子句;object that ... 的 that 子句為 object 的內容。)

Every growing budget alarms critics.

(whom 為非限定關係代名詞,指 critics,在子句中作 alarms 的受詞,故用受格 whom;every growing budget 為單數主詞,動詞用 alarms;growing 為現在分詞作形容詞,表「不斷增長的」。)

The benefits merely discourage people from working.

(that 子句的主幹;merely 表「不過只是」;discourage A from + 動名詞表「使 A 打消做……的念頭」;them 指 people,原句為代名詞 them。)

The benefits supposedly lift people up.

(第二個 that 為限定關係代名詞,指 benefits,在子句中作主詞,所以 that 後面直接接動詞 lift;supposedly 表「據稱」,帶有質疑口吻;lift up 表「提升」,受詞 people 置於 lift 與 up 之間,原句因省略對象而寫為 lift people up。)

● 文法解析

非限定 which 子句、by which 與限定 who:

Social welfare, which ... themselves, holds 先以 which 子句補充定義,再以 holds 交代主幹。子句內的 by which a nation protects the basic well-being of those 是「介系詞+關係代名詞」結構,which 指 arrangements,不是指 social welfare。those who cannot secure it themselves 的 those 指「那些人」,who 作子句主詞,限定「哪些人」,也就是無法靠自己取得基本福祉的人。閱讀時要把 which 與 who 兩層分清楚。與前一題 social services 不同,welfare 是不可數名詞,所以主要動詞用 holds,不是 hold。

not that ... but that ... 與現在分詞構句 believing:

否定與肯定的是 holds 的兩個受詞子句:先否定「繁榮只屬於強者」,再提出真正的主張:公民應接受為陌生人出資的稅負。but that 之後,主詞 citizens 與謂語 should accept 之間插入 believing that a fair society must cushion the weak against sudden ruin,交代接受稅負的信念。taxes that fund help for strangers 的 that 是限定關係代名詞,作子句主詞,所以後面直接接動詞 fund。

so that 結果子句與限定 who:

so that workers who lose their jobs still keep food on their tables 以 so that 表結果:因為有人分擔,失業的工人仍能維持溫飽。who lose their jobs 是限定子句,who 作子句主詞,限定「哪一種」工人,點出福利要保護的正是突遭失業的人,與前面的 sudden ruin 前後呼應。

although 讓步子句、非限定 whom 與雙重 that:

although critics ... object 引出轉折:福利雖意在扶助,批評者仍擔心削弱工作意願。whom every growing budget alarms 是非限定關係子句,whom 在子句中作 alarms 的受詞,主詞 every growing budget 置於 whom 之後,是受格關係子句的典型語序。最後 object that the benefits that supposedly lift people up merely discourage them from working 出現兩個 that:第一個是連接詞,第二個是限定關係代名詞,在子句中作 lift 的主詞。lift people up 是動詞片語,受詞 people 夾在 lift 與 up 之間;discourage them from working 中,from 後接動名詞 working。

● 參考翻譯

社會福利(經濟學家將它定義為國家藉以保護那些無法靠自己取得基本福祉之人的各項制度安排)所主張的,並非繁榮只屬於強者,而是公民(相信公平的社會必須緩衝弱者遭遇的突發破產)應當接受為陌生人出資的稅負,以致失去工作的工人,仍能維持溫飽;儘管批評者(每一項不斷增長的預算都令他們憂心)反駁說,那些據稱能扶助人們的福利,其實只是讓他們打消工作的念頭。

● 逆向工程

不要看原來的整個長句,只看分解出來的短句小句,試試倒頭回去寫出完整的長句。

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