妖術 sorcery （文化人類學）

 妖術 sorcery （文化人類學）

● 字源

sorcery 在文化人類學中指「施術者靠咒語、儀式、藥物等後天習得的技術，刻意加害他人」。英文 sorcery 源自古法語 sorcier（施術者），與 witchcraft（天生、不自覺的內在妖力）相對。這組區分出自 Evans-Pritchard 研究蘇丹阿贊德人（Azande）的經典民族誌，中文常把兩者都譯成「巫術」「妖術」，容易混淆。本例句取人類學的專業用法。

● 例句（80 字）

Although the anthropologist Evans-Pritchard, who studied the Azande of the Sudan in the 1920s and published his findings in 1937, distinguished sorcery, namely harm deliberately worked through spells and medicines that anyone may learn, from witchcraft, which he regarded as an inherited, unconscious power, later scholars, once they had compared other African societies, argued that the boundary, though useful for analysis, often blurs in everyday speech, leaving fieldworkers uncertain which word their informants had actually meant in a given case.

● 排列為比較容易閱讀的方式

Although the anthropologist Evans-Pritchard,

who studied the Azande of the Sudan

in the 1920s

and published his findings in 1937,

distinguished sorcery,

namely harm deliberately worked

through spells and medicines

that anyone may learn,

from witchcraft,

which he regarded as an inherited, unconscious power,

later scholars,

once they had compared other African societies,

argued

that the boundary,

though useful for analysis,

often blurs

in everyday speech,

leaving fieldworkers uncertain

which word their informants had actually meant

in a given case.

● 分解為原初的短小句

Evans-Pritchard was an anthropologist.

（the anthropologist 是 Evans-Pritchard 的同位語。）

He studied the Azande of the Sudan in the 1920s.

（who 引導的關係子句，過去式敘述田野研究。）

He published his findings in 1937.

（and 連接第二個動詞，仍屬同一個 who 子句。）

He distinguished sorcery from witchcraft.

（讓步子句的骨架；distinguish A from B：區分 A 與 B。）

Sorcery is harm deliberately worked through spells and medicines.

（namely 同位語解釋 sorcery；worked 是過去分詞，修飾 harm。）

Anyone may learn the spells and medicines.

（that 關係子句，說明 sorcery 是可學習的後天技術。）

He regarded witchcraft as an inherited, unconscious power.

（which 非限定關係子句；regard A as B：視 A 為 B。）

Later scholars compared other African societies.

（過去完成，發生在提出論點之前。）

They argued something.

（主句骨架，argued 後接 that 名詞子句。）

The boundary is useful for analysis.

（though 子句，省略 it is。）

The boundary often blurs in everyday speech.

（that 子句的謂語；often 表常態，用現在式。）

Fieldworkers are uncertain.

（leaving 分詞構句的補語部分。）

Their informants had actually meant one of the two words in a given case.

（疑問詞子句 which word ... meant；過去完成表當時說話者心中的原意。）

● 文法解析

Although 讓步子句 + 長主詞：

Although 子句從 Evans-Pritchard 一路拖到 witchcraft 與 power，主句主詞 later scholars 要到很後面才出現，謂語 argued 更晚。讀時先抓住「Although ...，later scholars argued」的骨架。

who 子句 + 並列動詞：

who studied ... and published ... 是兩個過去式動詞共用 who，修飾 Evans-Pritchard，不是修飾 Azande。

distinguish A from B 被拆開：

distinguished 與 from 之間夾了 namely 同位語和 that 子句，要自己把 distinguished sorcery ... from witchcraft 接回來。

namely 同位語 + 過去分詞：

namely harm deliberately worked through spells and medicines 解釋 sorcery。worked 是過去分詞，修飾 harm，意為「被施行的傷害」。

兩個關係子句：

that anyone may learn 修飾 spells and medicines（限定）；which he regarded as ... 補充說明 witchcraft（非限定，前有逗號）。

once 插入子句：

once they had compared other African societies 夾在主詞 later scholars 和謂語 argued 之間，容易讓人找不到謂語。

though 省略結構：

though useful for analysis 是 though it is useful for analysis 的省略，it 指 the boundary。

分詞構句：

leaving fieldworkers uncertain 表示結果，意義主詞是前面整件事（界線模糊），不是 scholars。後面接形容詞 uncertain，再接疑問詞子句 which word ... meant。

時態安排：

studied / published / distinguished / argued 用過去式敘述學術史；had compared、had actually meant 用過去完成，表示發生在更早的時間點；often blurs 用現在式，表示界線至今常見的狀況。

● 參考譯文

雖然人類學家埃文斯－普理查在1920年代研究蘇丹的阿贊德人，並於1937年發表成果，他區分了妖術與巫術：前者是施術者刻意以咒語和藥物加害他人，這些技術人人都能學；後者是他視為天生遺傳、不自覺的內在力量。但後來的學者在比較其他非洲社會之後主張，這條界線雖然便於分析，在日常語言中卻常常模糊，使田野工作者難以判斷報導人在具體情境中究竟指的是哪一個詞。

● 補充說明

史實對照：

Evans-Pritchard 的《阿贊德人的巫術、神諭與魔法》（Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande，1937）提出這組區分：witchcraft 是體內天生的妖力，可能連本人都不知情；sorcery 則靠儀式、咒語與藥物有意施行。此後這組分類成為人類學的標準詞彙，但學者也批評它並不適用於所有社會。

譯名提醒：

中文裡「巫術」「妖術」「法術」「魔法」並無固定對應，閱讀時應回到上下文判斷。另外，Azande 所在的地區今日大部分屬於南蘇丹，寫作時可視需要說明。

核心字彙：

sorcery（妖術）、witchcraft（巫術、天生妖力）、anthropologist（人類學家）、distinguish（區分）、inherited（遺傳的）、unconscious（不自覺的）、blur（變模糊）、fieldworker（田野工作者）、informant（報導人）。

字數：我逐字計數，全句剛好 80 字（Evans-Pritchard 算一字，1920s、1937 各算一字）。

留言

張貼留言

這個網誌中的熱門文章

古代三大陸 58個英文字一句話 學術型超複雜文法結構長難句 說明古代三大陸由來

【丁連財的英文學術型超複雜文法結構長難句】58個英文字一句話 學術型超複雜文法結構長難句  說明古代三大陸由來  學術論文與著作必須在有限的頁數與篇幅中承載豐富的訊息與札實的論述，不能浪費時間與空間使用短小簡易的句子，於是必須藉由高超的文法技巧把多個短小句濃縮為一個複雜長難句。 * ** 學術句子常用的高級文法 1 .現在分詞片語代替一個主動式的關係子句 ； 2 .過去 分詞片語代替一個被動式的關係子句； 3.  多個子句層層堆疊； 4 .以 現在分詞和過去分詞樣貌呈現為形容詞使用；   5 .介係詞 後常使用動名詞來帶出一個子句； 6 .常 有較長的同位語； 7 .常 有名詞子句當主結構的主詞或受詞 ； 8 .常有對等連接詞連結兩個或三個主詞、主詞子句，受詞、受詞子句，動詞、動詞片語，形容詞、當形容詞用的關係子句，不定詞、動名詞、介係詞。 * ** 結構破解 示範（Structure Analysis）例句 In the seventh century, the Archbishop Isidore of Seville, writing an encyclopedia called the Etymologiae that circulated widely in manuscript, had drawn the world as a circle surrounded by oceans and divided by seas into three bodies of land, Asia, Europe, and Africa, inhabited by the descendants of three sons of Noah : Shem, Japhet, and Ham. * **排列為 比較容易理解閱讀的方式 In the seventh century,  the Archbishop Isidore of Seville ,  writing an encyclopedia  called the Etymologiae that circulated widely in manuscript,  had drawn the world  as a circ...
閱讀完整內容

緬甸古都曼德勒故宮 63個英文字一句話 學術型超複雜文法結構長難句

 【丁連財的英文學術型超複雜文法結構長難句】63個英文字一句話 學術型超複雜文法結構長難句 介紹緬甸古都曼德勒故宮。 * ** 結構破解示範 （ Structure Analysis）例句 The old palace walls and wide moat still dominate Mandalay, the capital of the Burmese Konbaung dynasty, located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River and haunted by the foreigners who sacked the city and terminated the royal lines in the nineteenth century and today champion Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of the founder of the modern Burmese army, Bogyoke Aung San, who won the country independence.   * **排列為 比較容易理解閱讀的方式 The old palace walls and wide moat still dominate Mandalay,  the capital of the Burmese Konbaung dynasty,  located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River  and haunted by the foreigners  who sacked the city and terminated the royal lines in the nineteenth century  and today champion Aung San Suu Kyi,  the daughter of the founder of the modern Burmese army,  Bogyoke Aung San,  who won the country independence. *** 分解為原初的各個短小...
閱讀完整內容

英格蘭大憲章 54個英文字一句話 學術型超複雜文法結構長難句 說明美國要有成文憲法的原因

  【丁連財的 英文學術型超複雜文法結構長難句破解示範 】 【大幅提升英文閱讀與寫作能力必經的訓練過程】54 個英文字一句 話    學術型超複雜文法結構長難句  說明美國要有成文憲法的原因 學術論文與著作必須在有限的頁數與篇幅中承載豐富的訊息與札實的論述，不能浪費時間與空間使用短小簡易的句子，於是必須藉由高超的文法技巧把多個短小句濃縮為一個複雜長難句。 * ** 學術句子常用的高級文法 1 .現在分詞片語代替一個主動式的關係子句 ； 2 .過去 分詞片語代替一個被動式的關係子句； 3.  多個子句層層堆疊； 4 .以 現在分詞和過去分詞樣貌呈現為形容詞使用；   5 .介係詞 後常使用動名詞來帶出一個子句； 6 .常 有較長的同位語； 7 .常 有名詞子句當主結構的主詞或受詞 ； 8 .常有對等連接詞連結兩個或三個主詞、主詞子句，受詞、受詞子句，動詞、動詞片語，形容詞、當形容詞用的關係子句，不定詞、動名詞、介係詞。 * ** 結構破解 示範（Structure Analysis）例句 Edward Coke , an English Chief Justice, who resurrected Magna Carta, explained a great deal about how it is that some English colonists would one day come to believe that their king has no right to rule them and why their descendants would come to believe that the United States needed a written constitution. * **排列為 比較容易理解閱讀的方式 Edward Coke ,  an English Chief Justice,  who resurrected Magna Carta,  explained a great deal about  how  it is  that  some English colonists would one...
閱讀完整內容