“飞机”一词的由来和概念变迁  

Origin and Conceptual Evolution of“Fei Ji”:The Chinese Term for“Airplane”

作　　者：王坤[1] 原文杰[1] WANG Kun;YUAN Wenjie(School of Foreign Languages,Civil Aviation University of China,Tianjin,300300)

机构地区：[1]中国民航大学外国语学院,天津300300

出　　处：《自然辩证法通讯》2024年第1期1-8,共8页Journal of Dialectics of Nature

基　　金：中国民航大学中央高校基金项目“英汉翻译中的透明话语策略研究”(项目编号:3122018R010)。

摘　　要：“飞机”指有动力驱动、重于空气的固定翼航空器。然而这一术语中并没有表征“固定翼”等区别特征。如果顾名思义,容易把直升机等其他重于空气的航空器也归于“飞机”。从术语学来看,这是透明性较差的表现。因此,“飞机”一词的由来是一个值得探讨的问题。通过考察晚清民国时期的航空史料,对照同时期国外航空术语,可以发现,“飞机”原本是英文flying machine的译名,曾用于指称包括直升机、滑翔机在内的所有重于空气的航空器。后来,随着固定翼航空器成为主流,“飞机”指称的概念发生了转变,所对应的英文也改为aeroplane/airplane。这一案例彰显了术语定名的科学性和约定俗成性之间的矛盾。The Chinese term“Fei Ji”refers to airplanes,i.e.,heavier-than-air aircrafts with fixed wings.Yet the delimiting characteristic of“fixed wings”is not expressed in the term.Therefore,deducing from its linguistic elements,one would assume the term also refers to helicopters and other types of heavier-than-air aircrafts.It is an opaque term from a terminological point of view.How did this term come to formation in the first place?By analyzing historical documents of the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China and examining the influence of foreign terms at that time,it is found that“Fei Ji”was first translated from the English term“flying machine”,referring to all types of heavier-than-air aircrafts.Later,with the domination of fixed wings,the concept that the term designates changed and the corresponding English term was changed to aeroplane/airplane.This special case demonstrated a conflict between conforming to conventions and ensuring appropriateness in term formation.

关 键 词：飞机 航空术语 翻译史 术语定名 

分 类 号：H059[语言文字—语言学]