春秋
卵のような姿のハンプティ・ダンプティが、得意げに講釈を始める。言葉ってやつは素直に言うことを聞かない。しっかり仕事をさせるときは、超過勤務手当を払うんだよ――。ルイス・キャロルの「鏡の国のアリス」の一場面である。
▼数学者でパズル好きのキャロルは、言葉遊びの達人だった。愉快な造語をいくつもつくり、作品の中で披露している。日本語への翻訳は難しいが「柔軟な（ｌｉｔｈｅ）」と「粘っこい（ｓｌｉｍｙ）」を組み合わせて「粘滑な（ｓｌｉｔｈｙ）」という具合だ。１つの単語に２つ以上の意味を詰め込んで「かばん語」と名づけている。
▼円高容認なのか。強いドルを望むのか。藤井財務相は「かばん語」の達人ではなさそうだ。その発言に為替が乱高下し、産業界は肝を冷やした。言葉の誤解だ曲解だと言っても始まらない。ほんの一言、たった一言に投機筋は食らいつき、瞬く間に解釈が膨らむ。市場に言葉遊びのタネをまくと、大やけどをする。
▼アリスの幻想の世界では、言葉たちは土曜の晩に押し寄せてくる。財務相の発言は先週末の日本の夜中だった。今週末にもトルコで財務相が集まるＧ７がある。物語の中で卵男はこう語る。僕が言葉を使うときは自分が選んだ意味だけで使うんだ。それ以上でも以下でもない――。通貨の番人もそうあってほしい。
http://www.nikkei.co.jp/news/shasetsu/20090930AS1K3000230092009.html
すまん。意味分からんのだが。
今朝の春秋(日経新聞のコラム)が恥ずかしすぎる。これは恥ずかしい。なんて恥ずかしい。いくらなんでも恥ずかしい。代わりに出社拒否したくなるくらい恥ずかしい。孫引きしたか、読み間違えたか。明日登校拒否しようかな。
'What a beautiful belt you've got on!' Alice suddenly remarked.
(They had had quite enough of the subject of age, she thought: and if they really were to take turns in choosing subjects, it was her turn now.) 'At least,' she corrected herself on second thoughts, 'a beautiful cravat, I should have said?no, a belt, I mean?I beg your pardon!' she added in dismay, for Humpty Dumpty looked thoroughly offended, and she began to wish she hadn't chosen that subject. 'If I only knew,' she thought to herself, 'which was neck and which was waist!'
Evidently Humpty Dumpty was very angry, though he said nothing for a minute or two. When he DID speak again, it was in a deep growl.
'It is a?MOST?PROVOKING?thing,' he said at last, 'when a person doesn't know a cravat from a belt!'
'I know it's very ignorant of me,' Alice said, in so humble a tone that Humpty Dumpty relented.
'It's a cravat, child, and a beautiful one, as you say. It's a present from the White King and Queen. There now!'
'Is it really?' said Alice, quite pleased to find that she HAD chosen a good subject, after all.
'They gave it me,' Humpty Dumpty continued thoughtfully, as he crossed one knee over the other and clasped his hands round it, 'they gave it me?for an un-birthday present.'
'I beg your pardon?' Alice said with a puzzled air.
'I'm not offended,' said Humpty Dumpty.
'I mean, what IS an un-birthday present?'
'A present given when it isn't your birthday, of course.'
Alice considered a little. 'I like birthday presents best,' she said at last.
'You don't know what you're talking about!' cried Humpty Dumpty. 'How many days are there in a year?'
'Three hundred and sixty-five,' said Alice.
'And how many birthdays have you?'
'One.'
'And if you take one from three hundred and sixty-five, what remains?'
'Three hundred and sixty-four, of course.'
Humpty Dumpty looked doubtful. 'I'd rather see that done on paper,' he said.
Alice couldn't help smiling as she took out her memorandum-book, and worked the sum for him:
365
1
____364
___Humpty Dumpty took the book, and looked at it carefully. 'That seems to be done right?' he began.
'You're holding it upside down!' Alice interrupted.
'To be sure I was!' Humpty Dumpty said gaily, as she turned it round for him. 'I thought it looked a little queer. As I was saying, that SEEMS to be done right?though I haven't time to look it over thoroughly just now?and that shows that there are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents?'
'Certainly,' said Alice.
'And only ONE for birthday presents, you know. There's glory for you!'
'I don't know what you mean by "glory,"' Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. 'Of course you don't?till I tell you. I meant "there's a nice knock-down argument for you!"'
'But "glory" doesn't mean "a nice knock-down argument,"' Alice objected.
'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean?neither more nor less.'
'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you CAN make words mean so many different things.'
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master?that's all.'
Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. 'They've a temper, some of them?particularly verbs, they're the proudest?adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs?however,
