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You've probably seen an email or an internet post about how weird and random English spelling seems to be.
你可能看到过这样的邮件或网帖，说英语的拼写看起来是多么怪异和胡乱。
But what if I told you that it actually makes perfect sense?
但要是我告诉你这拼写实际上有着完美意义呢？
In fact, that's spelling's job: Making sense.
事实上，拼写的作用就在此：产生意义
Think of spelling a word as peeling back the layers of an onion.
试着把拼写一个单词的过程看作一个一层层剥开洋葱的过程吧
The first layer is a word's sense and meaning.
它的第一层次就是这个单词的意义和含义。
Often there are multiple layers of meaning. Another layer is the word's structure.
通常它会有多个含义层面。另外一个层次是单词的结构
Think of the center of the onion as a word's base element, its essential kernel of meaning.
试想将洋葱的中心当作一个单词的词根元素，词义的核心。
A free-base element, like O-N-E, or T-W-O, can stand on its own as a word, like one, or two.
一个没有词根元素的单词，如O—N—E或者T—W—O，本身即可作为一个单词存在，就是“one”或者“two”。
A bound base, like the R-U-P-T of "erupt" or "rupture" needs another element in order to surface in a word.
而一个综合型词根，如“erupt”或“rupture”中的R-U-P-T，则需要其他元素来使其成为一个单词。
Two or more bases give us compounds, like "twofold" or "someone" or "bankrupt".
两种或更多词根可以构成复合词，如“twofold”或“someone”或“bankrupt”
Once we figure out a word's meaningful elements,
一旦我们弄清了一个单词的具义元素
We can peel back its history to shed a little more light on why it's spelled as it is.
我们就可以追溯它的历史，从而更能理解它为什么要这样拼写。
The word "two", for example, needs its "W" in order to mark its connection to words like "twice", "twelve", "twenty", "twin" and "between".
例如，单词“two”需要它的“W”来标示它与单词"twice"、"twelve"、"twenty"、"twin"、"between"的联系。
A word's history is another layer of the onion.
一个单词的历史是洋葱的另一层次
With that understanding, let's investigate the word "one".
有了这些理解，我们就着手观察一下单词"one"
First we need to check in with what it means. Unique, single, solitary.
首先我们从它的含义入手。唯一的，单一的，单独的。
"One"'s historical layers include its relatives "only", "once", "eleven", and even "a", "an" and "any".
“one”的历史层次包括它的关系词，“仅仅”、“一次”、“十一”甚至“a”、“an”和“any”
But it's the morphological relatives -- the ones that share the base O-N-E -- that are really astonishing
但是它的形态学关系词--那些有着同一词根O-N-E的单词--着实让人吃惊。
There are the familiar ones, like "anyone," and "one-track" and "oneself" - those are obvious.
下面是一些与它“亲近”的词，如“anyone”、“one-track”和“oneself”，这些都很明显可以看出。
But let's take a look at some unexpected derivations of the word "one."
但现在让我们看看那些令人意想不到的“one”的派生词
The word "alone" is built from the prefix A-L plus the base O-N-E.
单词“alone”是由前缀A-L加上词根O-N-E构成的。
It's the same A-L prefix that we see in "always," "already", "almighty" and "almost." It means "all".
这前缀A-L与我们在“always”、“already”、“Almighty”、“almost”中看到的相同。它的意思是“all”（所有,全部）
The word "alone" means "all one".
单词“alone”的意思就是“all one”
It was misanalysed in the middle ages as having the prefix "a,"
但在中世纪它被错误分析成前缀为"a"
like in "asleep" and "awake" and "around," and a new base was born: L-O-N-E, which then developed into its own family.
就像“asleep”、“awake”、“around”，同时一个新词根：L-O-N-E就诞生了，接着它也发展出了自己的家族。
In the word "atone," we find the familiar preposition "at" compounded with the base O-N-E.
在单词“atone”里，我们发现常见介词“at”与词根“O-N-E”组合在一起。
See, when we atone for something we've done wrong, we attempt to make things whole again,
看，当我们为了弥补(atone)曾做错的事时，我们会尝试着将事情整个的重做一遍
to fix what's broken, to be at one again with whomever we hurt.
修理坏的地方，再一次和我们伤害了的人言归于好(be at one)
But here's perhaps the best one of all: the word "onion,"
但是这儿或许有一个最出乎意料的：单词“onion”
which is also frequently derided as irregular or crazy, for its spelling of "uh" with an O.
它被频频嘲讽为不规则的或是疯狂的，因为它发uh音的是一个字母O。
But again, if we look into the word's structure, and its history, it's a mystery no more.
但同样，如果我们观探这单词的结构和它的历史，它也就不再成迷了。
When we look at the roots of an onion, we learn that it is written as O-N-E plus I-O-N,
当我们看洋葱的词根时，我们就可以推得它写作O-N-E加上I-O-N
the same suffix we find in "tension," "action," "union" and thousands of other words in English.
一个在"tension"、"action"、"union"还有成千上万其他英语单词中的后缀。
Unlike the many cloves in a head of garlic, an onion has a single bulb.
不像有着诸多蒜瓣的蒜头，一个洋葱只有一个茎球。
It is marked by the state or condition of oneness.
它被标记作为单一的状态或情形
Like an onion, English is one - one single writing system shared across time and space.
像一个洋葱一样，英语也是这样的一个统一体--一个跨时间与空间的统一书写系统。
Its structure and its history have many layers,
它的结构和历史有许多层面
and peeling them apart can really add flavor to our language and spice up our understanding.
而将它们剥开可以给我们的语言增添相当的风味，并丰富我们的认知。
See, spelling is never just about spelling, but about how written words make sense.
看，拼写永远不只是拼写，还与让词写得更合理有关。
It's almost enough to make you want to cry.
合理的几乎让你想哭了。
