2015年4月9日 星期四

頭條日報 頭條網 - bollocks by Michael Chugani

A member of the Law Society of Hong Kong, Kevin Yam Kin-fung, used a word during a live radio interview on an English-language channel last week that some people consider an obscenity (swear word). I was startled (shocked, surprised) when I heard him use the word. The reporter who interviewed him was also taken aback (startled). Yam Kin-fung used the obscenity to criticize pro-China newspapers for criticizing pro-democracy university professors. Although some people consider the word to be obscene, many others feel it is no longer an expletive (swear word) because it is commonly used nowadays. I researched the word on the internet and found out that a judge in Britain decided in 1977 that the word was not obscene.

        T
he word is a British slang word. Since a British court had decided it was not an expletive, I feel it should be OK for me to tell you what the word is. The word Yam Kin-fung used last week was "bollocks". It is an old English word that means testicles. I won't explain the meaning of testicles. Please check the meaning in the dictionary. Bollocks has now become a British slang word that means "rubbish", "nonsense", or "bullshit". In 1977 a British band called the Sex Pistols had a record album called "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols". The police in London told the record company it was breaking the law for using an obscenity as part of the name of the record album.

        The record company hired a famous lawyer who argued in court that it was double-standards for the police to charge the record company for using the word "bollocks" but not newspapers for using the same word when they wrote about the record album. The lawyer was also able to prove that the word "bollocks" was not considered obscene in olden times. The judge criticized the record company for purposely using the word "bollocks" to sell more records but agreed the record company was not guilty. Yam Kin-fung should thank me for finding out that he did not use a swear word.

        * * *

        香港律師會成員任建峰,上星期在一英語頻道的電台直播訪問中,用了一個不少人認為屬於髒話(obscenity)的字。我聽到他用那個字時,也嚇了一跳(startled)。訪問他的記者亦相當驚訝(taken aback)。任建峰用該髒話(obscenity)來抨擊親中報紙批評泛民派的大學教授。即使有好些人認為那個字是猥褻的(obscene),但也有許多人認為它不再是粗言穢語(expletive),因它現已相當普及。我在網上翻查關於這個字的資料,發現一九七七年一位英國法官裁定,這個字不再屬於淫穢的(obscene)字。

        這個字本身是英式俚語。既然英國法院也裁定它不是粗言穢語(expletive),大概我告訴你是哪個字也可以吧。任建峰上星期用到的字是"bollocks"。它是一個古舊的英文字,意即testicles(睪丸),我可不會解釋testicles是甚麼,請自己查字典吧。Bollocks現在卻成為一個英式俚語,解作垃圾、廢話或一派胡言。一九七七年,一個名為「性手槍」(Sex Pistols)的樂隊,出了一張唱片專輯名為"Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols"。倫敦警方跟唱片公司說,唱片專輯名稱裏用上粗言穢語(obscenity)是違法的。

        唱片公司遂聘請知名大狀,在庭上辯稱,警方只控告唱片公司,而不告報紙報道這張唱片專輯時同樣用上"bollocks"這個字,是雙重標準。那名大狀亦能證明"bollocks"這個字在古時並不被視作淫穢(obscene)。法官批評唱片公司刻意用上"bollocks"這個字,以令唱片更暢銷,但同意唱片公司並不有罪。任建鋒好應多謝我,查明他並未用上粗言穢語。mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=325809§ion_name=wtt&kw=126