首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The late Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein once said that the meaning of a word was derived from the way it is used in la
The late Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein once said that the meaning of a word was derived from the way it is used in la
admin
2017-03-15
36
问题
The late Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein once said that the meaning of a word was derived from the way it is used in language. Not according to McDonald’s. The fast-food giant is currently lobbying dictionary publishers to change the meaning of the word McJob—or remove it altogether—on the grounds that it denigrates the company’s employees.
First used some 20 years ago in the United States to describe low-paying, low-skill jobs that offered little prospect of advancement, the term McJob was popularized by the author Douglas Coupland in his 1991 slacker ode Generation X, which chronicled the efforts of a "lost" generation of twenty-somethings to escape their dead-end jobs in an attempt to find meaning in life.
In 2001, the term finally entered the Oxford English Dictionary, which defined it as "an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, especially one created by the expansion of the service sector." And it has remained there ever since. But not for much longer if McDonald’s gets its way.
The company is leading a "word battle" on behalf of the wider service sector. The object, according to David Fairhurst, a senior vice-president of McDonald’s, is to change the definition of McJob to "reflect a job that is stimulating, rewarding ... and offers skills that last a lifetime."
At first the OED, Britain’s dictionary of record, explained that it merely recorded words according to their popular usage. A statement from a company official said it was not their role to redefine meanings assigned those words according to the preferences of interest groups.
Representatives of McDonald’s responded by arguing that the OED’s definition was "outdated" and "insulting."
So, the OED is turning to the public, inviting people to submit opinions on the definition of a McJob: "We’re analysing the situation at the moment and evidence for the usage of the word," OED representative John Simpson told TIME. "It’s a continuing process."
McDonald’s is hardly the first interest group to challenge the OED’s chronicling of unflattering slang. Last year, Britain’s Potato Council complained that the definition of couch potato implied that the nutritious tuber was inherently unhealthy, thus driving down business. Instead, the Council campaigned for the term to be replaced by couch slouch, even staging protests outside the OED’s Oxford headquarters—but to no avail.
This time, however, could be different—not least because of the size of McDonald’s war chest and its lobbying power. The campaign has already garnered the support of heavyweight business figures such as Chambers of Commerce Director General David Frost. More impressively, Conservative Party Member of Parliament Clive Betts last week introduced a motion into Britain’s parliament condemning the pejorative use of McJob. Betts believes the OED should redefine the term: "It would be helpful if the dictionary took the lead on this. It’s not a proper and true reflection of the service industry today."
But the McDonald’s "word war" is hardly confined to the corridors of power. Last Friday morning in Birmingham, TIME found a McDonald’s publicity team on the street, beneath an enormous TV screen atop a parked van beaming images of bright, happy McDonald’s staff, urging passers-by to sign a petition to change the definition of McJob.
"We’re evidence collecting", said Sue Husband, head of regional corporate communications. The street campaign will visit 40 cities and towns over the next month, culminating in a formal presentation to the OED in October.
Adds Douglas Wright, a local McDonald’s franchisee, "We’re trying to reenergize the definition [and] we’re backed by the chamber of commerce. The support has been phenomenal."
Away from the official jamboree in Birmingham’s city center, however, the enthusiasm for McJobs is more muted among some of those who actually perform them. "Pay is an issue," said Nikki, who works as a floor manager at a nearby restaurant and has two young children at home. "We work very hard here; you’re on your feet eight hours a day."
Another employee, who preferred to remain anonymous, added that serving customers beat his old position as a factory sweeper. But, he added, "It’s just a job."
Still, they agreed that current usage of McJob is offensive, although others say that the burger chain is missing the point: it’s the job that the term describes, not the person doing it.
And it is this stress on the dignity of service industry labor that supporters of the campaign to redefine McJob like to emphasize: "Service sector employees ... should be respected and valued, not written off," said Sir Digby Jones, former chief of the Confederation of British Industry. Skeptics suggest that the language used to describe such jobs will change when the conditions and prospects associated with those jobs change. But whether the Oxford English Dictionary changes its definition of McJob may depend on the outcome of this summer’s word war.
Explain the sentence "This time, however, could be different." in paragraph 9.
选项
答案
The size of McDonald’s war chest and its lobbying power is bigger than before. The campaign has garnered the support of heavyweight business. Even figures political figures last week condemned the pejorative use of McJob.
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/LjSO777K
本试题收录于:
NAETI高级口译笔试题库外语翻译证书(NAETI)分类
0
NAETI高级口译笔试
外语翻译证书(NAETI)
相关试题推荐
In1959,Hawaiibecamethefiftiethstateintheunion.【C1】________CongresssofarawayinWashingtonD.C.,howdoHawaiiansg
中国的改革开放已经走过了26个年头。26年来,中国发生了翻天覆地的变化。中国经济持续快速增长,国内生产总值从不到1500亿美元增长到1.65万亿美元。进出口总额从206亿美元增长到1.15万亿美元。中国经济在世界经济总量中的比重从1%左右提高到
从目前全球经济发展看,一些重要的特点和趋势值得我们高度重视。主要是:科技进步日新月异,前所未有地提高了人们认识和把握宏观世界和微观世界的能力,为人类推动生产力发展和创造美好生活提供了强大支持;国际生产要素优化重组和产业转移加快,各国经济发展更加紧密地联系在
我想谈一下全球经济增长与宏观政策作用之间的关系。我先来回顾一下全球经济。全球经济的表现比一年前人们所担心的要好得多了,现在预计全球经济增长今年将达到4.5%,为五年以来的最高水平。美国再一次成为全球经济增长的主动力,但是中国急速的工业化进程也刺激了全球的经
共享经济常常有人问我什么是“共享经济”。现在正是时候,我来和大家解释一下“共享经济”的定义,定义可以帮助人们建立更好的“共享经济”。在这样的社会和经济系统中,人们可以分享信息和其它事物,任何组织中的所有人都可以进行商品和服务的生产、贸易和消费。
A、Efficiencyofgovernment.B、Environmentalprotection.C、Decentralization.D、Trafficconcerns.C根据题干要求找寻到有关韩国总统的说法,发现原文第三段“hes
Thereisabasichypothesisthatthemajorityofseriousmotoringoffencesarederivedfromaccidents,andthereisnothingint
Thereisabasichypothesisthatthemajorityofseriousmotoringoffencesarederivedfromaccidents,andthereisnothingint
澳大利亚有成百万上千万头羊。据说每位国民人均三头羊。在澳大利亚,每年生产成千吨的羊毛。
随机试题
中国共产党在抗日民族统一战线中必须坚持独立自主原则的实质是()
对于粒径小于0.075mm的土进行土的颗粒分析试验方法应采用()。
区域条件对城市的影响是多方面的。其中较为重要的是在城市哪些方面?
在保险期限内,因发生与承保工程直接相关的意外事故引起工地内及邻近区域的第三者人身伤亡、疾病或财产损失属于()。
根据价格差价形成的原因,农产品差价的类型包括()。
当事人在以下条件中,()是承担缔约过失责任的要件之一。
某机关工作人员,男,身高176cm,体重86kg,其肥胖度()。
被禁14年的一次性发泡餐具被允许重新上市,引发环保组织和专家的质疑。
以下程序的输出结果是 int a, b; void fun() {a=100; b=200; } main() { int a=5, b=7; fun(); cout<<a<<b<<e
Thisisalong_______—roughly20milesdownabeautifulvalleytothelittlevillagebelow.
最新回复
(
0
)