比起漢語來，英語詞有個(gè)待點(diǎn)——即這里要討論的“正詞反義”現(xiàn)象。所謂“正詞”就是詞的具有正義的正身。如果這個(gè)正身競(jìng)表示了相反的詞義，那便是“正詞反義”現(xiàn)象?！罢~反義”是“同詞反義”的一種特殊形式。

　　如果說，“fire”作“火”或“開火”——“開槍”(或“開炮”)——解，是“正詞正義”;那么，作“反火”即“防火”解的“fire”，便是“正詞反義”了?，F(xiàn)各舉一例如下：

　　1. 正詞正義：fireing squad開槍隊(duì)(即開槍射擊以執(zhí)行死刑或?yàn)樵醿x志哀的一隊(duì)人)。

　　2. 正詞反義：fire department 防火處即消防處。應(yīng)該說，正詞正義是常例而正詞反義是變例。請(qǐng)看“正詞反義”的實(shí)例：

　　3. The stakes are staggering. The tilt of the power balance in Europe is now decided at the Vienna arms conference〔意為“disarmament conference”，即“裁(減)軍(備)會(huì)議”〕。

　　一Readers Digest, January 1974, p.27

　　4. A loyal member of a local Evangelical church, he believes that his pornography campaign 〔意為“antipornography cainpaign”即“反黃色書畫電影……運(yùn)動(dòng)”〕。

　　5. The requirement that certain contract must be in writing was first adopted by the British Parliament in 1677, in an act known as the statute of frauds (a more accurate title would have been“statute to prevent frauds”〔“防止欺詐條例”〕。

　　—You and the Law, 1980, p.206

　　6. Florida's oil-pollution law〔意為“anti-oil-pollution law”即“防治油(料)污(染)法”〕。requires the licensing of many marina fuel docks,

　　—Reader's Digest, February 1974, p.86

　　7. During past seven years, some 3697 arrests have led to 2914 convictions for violations of federal and state obscenity laws〔意為“anti-obscenity laws”即“反猥褻法”〕。

　　一Reader's Digest, May 1970, p.214

　　8. Sulina ... went voluntarily to see if she could help the Serious Crime Squad〔意為“Anti-Serious-Crime Squad”即“反嚴(yán)重犯罪隊(duì)”〕 investigating internal frauds ....

　　一Daily Mail, May 7, 1977, p.3

　　9. Neither Roberts nor I commented. One of the ftrst things a homicide detective〔意為 “anti-homicide detective”即“破兇殺案?jìng)商健薄砽earns is not to assume anything not supported by clear evidence.

　　—True Detective, June 1980，p.14

　　10. The head of a factory in Britain which goes baakrupt may proclaim loudly that the bankruptcy was everyone's fault but his own, or he may flee the country to evade the Fraud Squad〔意為“Anti-Fraud Squad”即“防欺詐(警察)隊(duì)”〕。

　　—The Study of Current English, February 1975, p.18

　　11. The grim picture includes mob warfare ... rising police corruption in narcotics squads〔意為“anti-narcotics squads”即“緝毒隊(duì)”〕….

　　—Newsweek, April 12, 1982, p.32

　　12. Hundreds of Polish riot police〔意為“anti-riot police”即“防暴警察”〕battled at least 25,000 union protesters in Warsaw ....

　　—The Study of Current English, July 1982, p.9

　　(注：各例中方括號(hào)前為“正詞”，方括號(hào)內(nèi)為其“反義”及漢譯。)

　　從上列諸例出發(fā)，可得到初步的印象如下，供翻譯上參考與檢驗(yàn)：

　　1. 正詞反義多發(fā)生于用作前置定語的名詞或復(fù)合名詞(依次為ams，pornography, oil-pollution, obscenity, serious crime, fraud, homicide, narcotics, riot);

　　2. 正詞反義少發(fā)生于由“介詞-名詞”詞組構(gòu)成的后置定語(如例3中的“of frauds”);

　　3. 以上“1”和“2”中所述定語所修飾的，以表示法律(law, statute)與執(zhí)法機(jī)關(guān)或人(如 squad/detective/police)等概念者為多，其它如會(huì)議或運(yùn)動(dòng)(conference, campaign)者為少。