法律英語中表示“某某人(者)”,往往用由動詞派生的“-ed”型名詞如“the accused ” (被告人), “the accused”(被保險人)、“the insured”(被保險人)、“the deceased”(死者)……這些詞固然可以用通常的手段構成其所有格,如:
1. 死者的遺產(chǎn) the deceased's estate
2. 被告人的自白 the accused's confession
3. 為被保險人的利益 for the insured's interest 等等,但是這種用法從修辭角度來看,就顯得尷尬(awkward)了。
4. From a stylistic point of view, accused becomes awkward in the possessive case …
—DoMLU
要打破這種(由動詞派生的)“-ed”型名詞所有格所造成的僵局,有兩種辦法。其一是,變換詞匯,如不用“deceased”、“accused”、“insured”而改用“decedent”...:
5. Appellant was under no duty to speak or inquire concerning detail of decedent's [而不用 deceased's] wealth.
—ibid.
6. The accused person's [而不用 accused's] silence may generate a reasonable inference that …,
—Ibid.
7. for the decedent [而不用 insured's] interest
一Ibid.
但是,變換詞匯未必都可行。比如說“insurant”此詞不如 “insured”常用,“decedent”又不如 “deceased”婉轉,且在英國英語中已經(jīng)“obsolete”。于茲場合,就要采用第二個辦法了一一把“—eds” 改為“of...-ed”:
8. 死者的遺產(chǎn) the estate of the deceased
9. 被告人的自白 the confession of the accused
10. 被保險人的利益 the interest of the insured
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