牛津逗號的辯論

The Oxford comma debate

Source : PRDaily By Kristin Piombino | Posted: February 25, 2013

ommunicators are passionate about many things—jargon and linguistic mistakes rank high on any list—but few things rile communicators like the Oxford comma.

傳播者都熱衷於很多事情 — 術語和語言錯誤在任何事項的排名都很高 — 但幾件事情會激怒傳播者，如牛津逗號。 

Also known as the serial comma, the Oxford comma sparks a clear divide between communicators. You're either for or against it.

牛津逗號也被稱為的序列逗號，引燃傳播溝通者明確的鴻溝。你不是支持就是反對它。

As an infographic from OnlineSchools.com explains, the Oxford comma got its name from the Oxford University Press, where printers and editors traditionally used it. When you use the comma before the conjunction in a series of words, its job is to clarify the meaning of the sentence.

從 OnlineSchools.com的信息圖表 解釋，牛津逗號是由牛津大學出版社命名，傳統上印刷者和編輯使用它。當您在一系列的字的連接詞前使用逗號結合，它的任務是澄清句子的意思。

For example, which sentence is clearer ?

舉例，那這句話是清楚的？

"I would like to thank my parents, Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey."

"I would like to thank my parents, Bill Clinton, and Oprah Winfrey."

“我想感謝我的父母，比爾·克林頓和奧普拉·溫弗瑞。”

“我想感謝我的父母，比爾·克林頓，以及奧普拉·溫弗瑞。”

The second one, right?

第二個，對不對？

But in sentences with more simple lists, that kind of confusion is absent :

"She wore tan shoes, pink shoelaces and a polka-dot shirt."

但在句子能更簡單的列表，沒有那種混亂：

“她穿棕黃色皮鞋，粉紅色的鞋帶和圓點襯衫。”

The Chicago Manual of Style, Modern Language Association, American Medical Association, and others recommend the Oxford comma because it clears up ambiguity and makes lists easier to understand.

“芝加哥論文格式 ，現代語言協會，美國醫學協會，與其他人推薦英國牛津逗號是因為它會清除混淆，使列表更容易理解。

But the Associated Press, New York Times, and The Economist are against it because it can cause ambiguity and be redundant.

Where do your loyalties lie?

但是，美聯社，“紐約時報”和“經濟學家”，都反對，因為這會引起歧義，是多餘的。

你的忠誠在那？

Fun fact : While the Oxford University Press still uses the serial comma, the Oxford University PR department does not.

Check out the graphic for more.

有趣的事實是：牛津大學出版社仍然採用序列逗號，牛津大學公關處則沒有。

(View a larger image.)