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主题:【原创】美国童谣撷趣 -- 即晴

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家园 【原创】美国童谣撷趣

跟着女儿学会了很多美国儿歌,从这些童谣中也能体会一点美国文化。

最给我文化冲击的要算这首儿歌了:

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream.

从芝麻街(sesame street)中一身红毛爱唱爱跳的Elmo就开始对三四岁的孩子们唱这首歌。看看歌词大意,前两句还“让我们荡起双桨”,后面立刻“人生如梦”,只差“一樽还酹江月”。这给对人生是啥都不懂的小孩子唱,合适吗?有人说不能用中国的思维看待它,想想蓝天白云,小溪淙淙,轻轻划着小船顺流而下,什么烦恼都没有,什么俗物都不想,生活就象一个梦那样美好。怪不得老外们大多数都是简单明了的享受,直截了当的思路,还有梦幻般的天真。在野营营地看到99%都是老外,虽然野营是个低消费的休闲活动,换言之是蓝领们的爱好之一,但他们都很精心地装饰野营车,挂一串彩灯,铺一块地毯,五颜六色的桌布,更有甚者把家里的花盆都带来摆在桌子上,喂鸟的器皿挂在杆子上,在那一刻他们忘却了所有的帐单和烦恼,毫无生活拮据的困扰,一心一意地享受生活。他们大多皮肤粗糙,晒得似猪肝红,头发蓬松,体形印证了主人是“钱包小,胃口大”一族,但这又如何?他们照样有他们的梦一般时刻。人生如梦就是这么简单。

约翰是我们这栋楼的清洁工,金色头发,光滑的皮肤没有任何皱纹,见人总是要开几句玩笑。当他告诉我他50出头,最大的孩子已上大学时我惊讶得立即向他讨教护肤秘诀,用黄瓜否?用蜂蜜否?可爱的约翰笑言两字:放松。象睡熟了做个好梦那样的放松。人生不要总是打拼,该歇歇脚时就放松自己。一切随意。包扩上网灌水。

大家小时候一定玩过“掐掐算算,鸡毛乱转,如果……就落在中拇指头上”,一边念叨,一边大拇指来回掐算,用来决断穿什么颜色的衣服,要不要和这个小朋友跳皮筋,爸妈会不会在写完作业前回家等一切疑难问题,用起来可比古时占卜算卦简捷方便多了。美国也有类似的顺口溜:

Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe,

Catch a tiger by his toe.

If he hollers let him go,

Ee--nie--, Mi--ney--, Moe.

一边念一边手指来回指,最后指落谁家,就是谁了。可以看出这个只适用于有两个选择项的情况,再一次说明老外们头脑简单,只会处理两种以内的变数。歌词有意思:抓住老虎的脚趾头,它要是叫唤就让它走。抓什么不好,非得抓脚趾头?比明知山有虎,偏向虎山行有勇气多了。不过还不是纯粹耍光棍,老虎痛了叫唤晓得赶紧放生,反映了老美好汉不吃眼前亏,留得青山在,不怕没柴烧的心理。用此法戏点美国下任总统,点到克里身上,绿党还不成气候,暂且不算。上次大选前ABC电视台一日间节目曾请通灵人士来预测谁会当选,翻牌结果是小布什,尽管台下观众一片惋惜。但愿这次我能和那位翻牌大师一样准。

这首儿歌也很经典:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

歌词由Jane Taylor23岁时于1806年写就出版。一闪一闪的星星引起身为女子的诗人自然联想到一颗永留传的钻石,诗中描绘出的意境单纯而又悠远,带着一点点世俗柴米气味,和“床前明月光,疑是地上霜”比还是差些。

老美们都是动物亲善大使,连黑乎乎的蜘蛛爬虫都能唱进儿歌里:

The eensy weensy spider

Crawled up the water spout

Down came the rain

And washed the spider out

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain

And the eensy weensy spider

Crawled up the spout again.

唱的时候拇指,食指交互相接模仿蜘蛛上爬,甩手表示蜘蛛被雨冲走,以手画圈形容太阳出现,颇有童趣。eensy weensy 极言其小。

可怜的小蜘蛛好不容易爬到高地,谁想一阵雨冲得稀里哗啦找不着北,还好太阳公公及时赶到,战胜恶势力,晒干了所有的雨水,解救出无辜的小生命。小蜘蛛百折不挠地又爬上老地盘,yeah!有没有好来坞大片的感觉?

说到下雨,还有一首有趣的儿歌:

Rain, rain, go away

Come again another day

Barney’s friends want to play

rain, rain, go away

这是从“Barney”节目中看来的,所以歌中唱的是“Barney的朋友要出去玩”。以前曾说过我女儿把第三句改成了“Mommy’s car is gonna get wet”,除了即家少儿版,还有很多其它版本:

Rain, rain, go to Spain,

Never show your face again.

这和“蝗虫本是天灾,并非县令不才。既从敝县飞去,务请贵县押来。”有异曲同工之妙。相同口气的还有:

Rain, rain, go to Germany,

And remain there permanently.

想必是犹太人改编,不把德国佬淹个七晕八素不罢休。

Rain, rain, go away,

Come again on washing day.

是体谅妈妈的好孩子所唱,让雨帮妈妈洗衣?还是小淘气所唱,让妈妈幸苦洗的衣服又被大雨淋湿淋脏?不得而知。

Rain, rain, go away,

Come on Martha's wedding day.

做歌之人大概和Martha有些夙怨,专咒人家婚礼下雨,好端端的新娘子做不成。

Rain, rain, pour down,

But not a drop on our town.

损人不利己有什么好玩的?

这个版本能把提偿孝为百先的儒家圣人气得从地下跳起来:

It's raining, it's pouring,

the old man is snoring,

he bumped his head and went to bed,

couldn't get up in the morning.

歌中对鳏寡孤独老人没有一点尊重和同情,反而百般嘲笑,且看瓢泼大雨中老家伙酣声如雷,跌跌撞撞,睡倒在床上就没再爬起来,总之极尽丑化之能事。在这里荀子的性恶说得了上风,每个小孩唱起时都嘻嘻哈哈大笑不停。不过从另一面来讲,老人正是扮演一个小丑角色,逗逗乐而已。

反映汽车文化的勉强可算上这首:

The wheels on the bus go round and round,

round and round,

round and round.

The wheels on the bus go round and round,

all through the town.

The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish;

Swish, swish, swish;

Swish, swish, swish.

The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish,

all through the town.

The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep;

Beep, beep, beep;

Beep, beep, beep.

The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep,

all through the town..

The money on the bus goes, Clink, clink, clink;

Clink, clink, clink;

Clink, clink, clink.

The money on the bus goes, Clink, clink, clink,

all through the town.

The Driver on the bus says "Move on back,

move on back, move on back;"

The Driver on the bus says "Move on back",

all through the town.

The baby on the bus says "Wah, wah, wah;

Wah, wah, wah;

Wah, wah, wah".

The baby on the bus says "Wah, wah, wah",

all through the town.

The mommy on the bus says "Shush, shush, shush;

Shush, shush, shush;

Shush, shush, shush."

The mommy on the bus says "Shush, shush, shush"

all through the town.

......

观察很是细致入微,车轮旋转,雨刷来回,喇叭清脆,钱币叮当,司机发令,婴孩哭闹,母亲安慰,......还没完呢,父亲呵欠(the daddy on the bus goes“ha,ha,ha”),车门开合(The doors on the bus go open and shut),乘客抱怨(The lady on the bus says, “Get off my feet”),临别赞扬(The people on the bus say, “We had a nice ride”)......小孩真能领会的话,写作文肯定不用发愁。

还有很多很多其它儿歌,多让孩子们唱唱对提高他们的英语语感,掌握声节大有帮助,潜移默化下也不知不觉变成了香焦人。是好是坏?

呵呵,Life is but a dream。


本帖一共被 2 帖 引用 (帖内工具实现)
家园 life is but a dream

这么多的儿歌内容,你都记下来了,还有点评,堪为语言学习的模范。当然,你女儿能把这些内容记得这么清楚、说的这么清楚,也不无功劳啊。

家园 哈哈哈哈哈哈,老虎那个好,改一下下:

Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe,

Catch a tiger by his toe.

If he hollers PUT him ONHOLD,

EYES TO EYES,TOE BY TOE;

HANDS IN HANDS,AND HERE WE GO,

Ee--nie--, Mi--ney--, Moe.

点看全图

外链图片需谨慎,可能会被源头改

家园 我好惭愧!女儿也曾又说又唱的,可我根本没听进去!
家园 这儿还有一首

这儿还有一首,我女儿常念叨, 是教数数的。

Five little monkey jump on the bed (n)

One fell off and bump his head

Mom call the doctor and doctor said

No more monkey jump on the bed

Four little monkey jump on the bed (n-1)

One fell off and bump his head

Mom call the doctor and doctor said

No more monkey jump on the bed

Three little monkey jump on the bed (n-2)

One fell off and bump his head

Mom call the doctor and doctor said

No more monkey jump on the bed

Two little monkey jump on the bed (n-3)

One fell off and bump his head

Mom call the doctor and doctor said

No more monkey jump on the bed

One little monkey jump on the bed (n-4)

One fell off and bump his head

Mom call the doctor and doctor said

No more monkey jump on the bed

家园 赫赫,

原来都是我在幼儿园唱的啊:)

家园 俗话说:说的比唱的好听。我要说:唱的比说的好记。

文中写的都是女儿平时爱唱或念叨的歌谣,我听的耳朵都起茧了。

还有很多她爱唱的没写,都写的话就成童谣大全了。

家园 陶陶改的妙。这是形容京虎子和虎太吗?
家园 11岁的女孩子应该也有和她们这个年纪相当的歌谣吧。
家园 类似的还有:

The Monkey and the Crocodile

5 little monkeys swinging in a tree

Teasing Mr. Crocodile, "You can’t catch me!"

Along comes Mr. Crocodile, jaws open wide and snap.

1 little monkey deep inside.

4 little monkeys swinging in a tree

Teasing Mr. Crocodile, "You can’t catch me!"

Along comes Mr. Crocodile, jaws open wide and snap.

2 little monkeys deep inside.

3 little monkeys swinging in a tree

Teasing Mr. Crocodile, "You can’t catch me!"

Along comes Mr. Crocodile, jaws open wide and snap.

3 little monkeys deep inside.

2 little monkeys swinging in a tree

Teasing Mr. Crocodile, "You can’t catch me!"

Along comes Mr. Crocodile, jaws open wide and snap.

4 little monkeys deep inside.

1 little monkey swinging in a tree

Teasing Mr. Crocodile, "You can’t catch me!"

Along comes Mr. Crocodile, jaws open wide and snap.

"You missed me, you missed me! Na na na na na!"

可念可唱,带比划手势。

这首小猪的也很有趣:

This little piggie went to market,

And this little piggie stayed home,

This little piggie had roast beef,

And this little piggie had none,

And this little piggie cried "wee wee wee" all the way home!

一边念一边以顺次捏摇过每个指头,5个指头刚好代表5头小猪。

家园 看来名字应该叫“西方童谣撷趣”。
家园 她偶尔还唱,没小时候多了。

一次在家里她手按胸口,对着美国国旗(很小的一面)唱国歌,把我吓了一跳。

她九岁。

家园 整体来说跟美国关系不大

因为很多儿歌其实都是英国移民或者哪里移民带去的。

这个,往大里说,带有很明显地方民谣色彩:)

家园 好东西,感觉英语大有长进,谢谢。
家园 也说几个知道的

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are gray

You'll never know dear

How much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

喜欢将儿童比喻成阳光太阳,大概算是东西方文化共同的特点了。

还有个拍手的歌(Bingo),非常简单。跟假如幸福的话就拍拍手吧异曲同工。深受小朋友喜爱。不过个人觉得“假如幸福的话就拍拍手吧”更容易活跃气氛。

Bingo

There was a farmer had a dog,

And Bingo was his name-o.

B-I-N-G-O!

B-I-N-G-O!

B-I-N-G-O!

And Bingo was his name-o!

There was a farmer had a dog,

And Bingo was his name-o.

(Clap)-I-N-G-O!

(Clap)-I-N-G-O!

(Clap)-I-N-G-O!

And Bingo was his name-o!

There was a farmer had a dog,

And Bingo was his name-o.

(Clap, clap)-N-G-O!

(Clap, clap)-N-G-O!

(Clap, clap)-N-G-O!

And Bingo was his name-o!

There was a farmer had a dog,

And Bingo was his name-o.

(Clap, clap, clap)-G-O!

(Clap, clap, clap)-G-O!

(Clap, clap, clap)-G-O!

And Bingo was his name-o!

There was a farmer had a dog,

And Bingo was his name-o.

(Clap, clap, clap, clap)-O!

(Clap, clap, clap, clap)-O!

(Clap, clap, clap, clap)-O!

And Bingo was his name-o!

There was a farmer had a dog,

And Bingo was his name-o.

(Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap)

(Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap)

(Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap)

And Bingo was his name-o!

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