傅憲成的部落格

昨天(2020年4月28日)晚餐桌上有炒章魚, 祖孫三人有以下的對話;
1. 阿公: 威威, 你知道章魚的英文嗎?
2. 威威: It's easy. It's octopus.
3. 阿公: 今天外婆炒了兩條章魚, 又要怎麼說呢?
4. 威威: Two octopuses.
這時讀二年級的翰翰搶著回答: 不對, 應該是 Two octopi.
我一時矇了, 趕快查字典, 答案是兩者皆正確, 不過, 能夠說出 Octopi 這個單字, 應該更高桿吧.
我的心得是, 我要多讀一些書了, 不然的話, 孫子們都要超過我了.
There were an octopus on the dinner table yesterday. Then a dialog between Wesley, Lucas and me as follow;
Grandpa: Wesley, what's that in English?
Wesley: It's easy, It's octopus.
Grandpa: There are two on the dish. What's that now?
Wesley: Two octopuses.
At that time, Lucas, Wesley's elder brother, rushed to reply: It's should be octopi.
What? I checked dictionary right way. The answer is both of them are right. It's amazing that a kid knows about that for learning English less than 2 years.

上篇文章上傳到臉書, 受到很大的迴響.

其實, 當天餐桌上的不是章魚, 是大管, 查了字典, 大管的英文是 cuttlefish, 而我們把類似的魚, 像是魷魚, 軟絲, 烏賊, 花枝, 墨魚等, 一律都叫 octopus, 小朋友在英文課學的也是如此, 只是一種統稱而己.