英语发音系列二：从Gucci（古驰）的英语发音说开去

在上一篇文章“英语发音系列一：Louis Vuitton怎么发音，你露怯了吗？”里面，我讲解的著名品牌Louis Vuitton（路易斯威登）的正确发音，并附上一则趣闻。感兴趣的读者可以点击上面的链接阅读。

这里，我会再举另外一个例子，并用英文对这个品牌进行简单的介绍。

Gucci：

中文名称：古驰

国家：意大利

正确发音：/ɡuːtʃi/

解说：因为是意大利语，所以里面的CC合在一起发/tʃ/音。

禁忌：很多人把前面的/g/发成/k/音，也就是发成类似“哭奇”的音。殊不知这个发音对应的单词是coochie，是英语中女性“no no area”（私密部位） 的俗语（俚语）。

下面是Gucci的正确发音以及一篇简短的关于Gucci的历史介绍，请点击音频收听。

以下是朗读内容的原文和解析，以供参考。

It's quite certain that when Guccio Gucci started out, he never dreamed that his small luggage company would grow to one carrying such cultural significance. But since Gucci was founded in Florence in 1921, the company has built a catalog of genuinely iconic trademarks. The interlocking GG logo; the bar-and-bit belt buckle; the bamboo-handle handbag; the omnipresent loafer—all of them have helped the brand penetrate mainstream culture like no other Italian label in history.

bamboo-handle handbag: 竹子提手的手包。

omnipresent loafer: 无处不在的Gucci乐福鞋。Loafer指的是“a leather shoe shaped like a moccasin, with a flat heel”，一说这种鞋之所以称为loafer是因为它很容易穿（slip ons），所以适合穿着loafing（spend one's time in an aimless, idle way），也就是无所事事地闲着的意思。这么说来中文的翻译也是很到位的，发音相近自不必说，而什么都不做就呆着可不（快）乐（又幸）福嘛！最有标志性的Gucci乐福鞋就是毛茸茸的可以扫大街的这一款本尊了，价格也是非常给力的：

The groundwork for the company’s epic expansion was laid under the leadership of Guccio’s eldest son, Aldo. A flamboyant businessman, he transformed the business into the accessories destination of choice for Europe’s emerging jet set. By the end of the 1960s, everyone from Queen Elizabeth II to Elizabeth Taylor was a patron.

flamboyant：这个词作为形容词指的是“(of a person or their behavior) tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence, and stylishness.”，也就是“绚烂招摇”的意思。除此之外，它作为名词时指的是一种特殊的树，这棵树有着火红的花朵，见下图，是不是很“绚烂招摇”？

In keeping with the father-son tradition, Aldo’s son Paolo ushered in Gucci’s next great era, in the late 1960s, with the introduction of clothing. By the early ’70s, the lean silhouettes, fur-lined coats, and shiny satin lapels we think of today as Gucci hallmarks began to appear.

usher in：指的是“to attend or bring at the coming or beginning; precede or herald”，也就是“作先行官带领”的意思。这是名词Usher（剧院或者教堂领座员）的动词化用法。另外Usher也是美国一个著名歌手的名字，他也是慧眼识珠发掘了贾斯丁比伯的人：

The popularity of the brand was both a blessing and a curse. By the early ’80s, overzealous licensing had tarnished the label’s identity. Meanwhile, vicious infighting led to the Gucci family ultimately losing control of the company in 1993.

a blessing and a curse：网上有很多对这个短语的中文翻译版本，但是我觉得最直白的翻译就是“也好也不好”，或者更文绉绉一点翻译为“福兮祸之所倚 祸兮福之所伏”。

Paolo’s legacy became the basis upon which a young designer named Tom Ford decided to build his vision when he became creative director in 1994. The now infamous Tom Ford look—what he later called “sexy, sensual, f**k-me clothes”—oozed power and prestige and reminded customers viscerally of the company’s glory days. In short order, Gucci was a global player once again.

ooze：原意是“液体渗出”，这里指的是“to display or dispense freely and conspicuously”，当时担任Gucci创意总监的Tom Ford还是一名初出茅庐的年轻设计师，但是他已经有了自己“臭名昭著”的特色——那种扑面而来的带着力量和美丽的外形设计。看看下面这件Tom Ford的作品，是不是跟那个Flamboyant树有神似之处？

viscerally：来自“viscera（内脏）”，意思是“characterized by or proceeding from instinct rather than intellect”，也就是“情感发自肺腑”之意。这里指的是Tom Ford的特色设计给消费者带来了很强的视觉冲击，从而让他们自发回想起了Gucci当年的辉煌。

The French holding company now called Kering, which had owned a portion of the label since 1999, took managerial control in 2004, to Ford’s extreme chagrin—and he departed, leaving the brand with a very big pair of alligator loafers to fill. Ford had taken the company from virtual bankruptcy to a value of $4.3 billion. Enter the relatively unassuming Frida Giannini, an accessories designer: She had been part of the Gucci design stable for nearly five years when she was awarded the top spot, overseeing menswear, womenswear, and accessories in 2006. Her roughly 10-year reign was marked by diminishing returns, and her onetime underling Alessandro Michele in turn replaced her in 2015. The reversal of Gucci’s fortunes has been nothing short of staggering.

chagrin：来自法语，请注意我的朗读中这个单词的发音。它的意思是“不爽，郁闷”。带领Gucci从濒临破产（virtual bankruptcy）到市场价值43亿美元，Tom Ford果然是个人才，而他另立门户用自己的名字命名的品牌也是经营的如火如荼。

unassuming：意思是“modest or unpretentious ”，正好是flamboyant的反义词呢。underling：意思是“a subordinate, especially one of slight importance.”

如果你喜欢我的文章，请点赞和关注。每天写一点，每天学一点，在学英语的同时学习英语国家文化。好好学习，天天向上。