纪录片《为何讲话》 第7期：声音的改变

By the time a child is five,

到孩子五岁的时候

they'll know as many as 5,000 words.

他们可以识得五千个单词

My voice changes when I get in a situation.

当我进入不同状态时 声音就会改变

That requires a rather precise placement of the tip of the tongue.

这需要舌尖位置相当精准的变化

At the third stroke the time will be five...

第三次报时的时间是五点

Language is exclusively human

语言是人类所特有的

and it's something that comes naturally to us.

也是每个人与生俱来的

...from their voice,

通过他们的声音

so it's clear the voice is deeply expressive¹.

显然声音相当具有表现力

Despite decades of intense investigation²,

尽管经过了数十年紧锣密鼓的调查研究

we still know very little about the basic origins of language.

对语言的主要起源我们仍然知之甚少

Sunlight.

阳光

While other creatures can communicate

其它的动物可以

their basic needs and emotions to each other,

彼此交流基本需要和情绪

we're the only species

而我们是唯一

that can convey complex meaning and thought.

可以传递复杂内涵和思想的物种

T or the D at the end of a word for, say, dot or dog.

以T或D结尾的单词 比如Dot或Dog

1 expressive   

adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的

参考例句：

• Black English can be more expressive than standard English.黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。
• He had a mobile,expressive,animated face.他有一张多变的，富于表情的，生动活泼的脸。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。