apothegm 的词源

在1520年代，aphorisme（从古法语aufforisme演变而来，14世纪）一词被用来表示“原则的简明陈述”，尤其是指《希波克拉底语录》。这个词源于晚期拉丁语aphorismus，而其更早的来源则是希腊语aphorismos，意为“定义；简短而有力的句子”。它由aphorizein（“划分，界定”）演变而来，进一步拆分为apo（“从”——参见apo-）和horizein（“界定”——参见horizon）。

到了1580年代，英语中开始普遍使用“简短而深刻的陈述，传达普遍真理”这一含义，例如“人生苦短，艺术悠长”。与此不同的是，axiom（公理）指的是显而易见的真理；而epigram（警句）则类似于格言，但通常缺乏普遍性。Maxim（格言）和saying（谚语）可以作为aphorism的同义词，但格言往往更实用，而谚语则更为平常，且通常附有作者的名字。

[F]or aphorisms, except they should be ridiculous, cannot be made but of the pith and heart of sciences ; for discourse of illustration is cut off ; recitals of examples are cut off ; discourse of connexion and order is cut off ; descriptions of practice are cut off. So there remaineth nothing to fill the aphorisms but some good quantity of observation : and therefore no man can suffice, nor in reason will attempt, to write aphorisms, but he that is sound and grounded. [Francis Bacon, "The Advancement of Learning," 1605] 

[F]or aphorisms, except they should be ridiculous, cannot be made but of the pith and heart of sciences; for discourse of illustration is cut off; recitals of examples are cut off; discourse of connexion and order is cut off; descriptions of practice are cut off. So there remaineth nothing to fill the aphorisms but some good quantity of observation: and therefore no man can suffice, nor in reason will attempt, to write aphorisms, but he that is sound and grounded. [Francis Bacon, "The Advancement of Learning," 1605] 

“两个元音结合在一个音节中发音”，这个词最早出现在15世纪晚期，来源于拉丁语 diphthongus，而拉丁语又源自希腊语 diphthongos，意为“具有两个声音”。其中，前缀 di- 意为“双”，源自原始印欧语词根 *dwo-（意为“二”），而 phthongos 则意为“声音，声调”。这个词与 phthengesthai（意为“发声，鸣叫，呼喊，交谈”）相关，但据 Beekes 的研究，这个词的确切词源尚无定论。现有的与语义相似的词汇联系……在发音上都缺乏说服力。相关词汇包括 Diphthongal（双元音的）和 diphthongization（双元音化）。

In uttering a proper diphthong both vowels are pronounced; the sound is not simple, but the two sounds are so blended as to be considered as forming one syllable, as in joy, noise, bound, out. An "improper" diphthong is not a diphthong at all, being merely a collocation of two or more vowels in the same syllable, of which only one is sounded, as ea in breach, eo in people, ai in rain, eau in beau. [Century Dictionary]

正确发出双元音时，两个元音都会被发出；这个声音并不简单，而是两个声音融合在一起，形成一个音节，就像 joy（快乐）、noise（噪音）、bound（界限）、out（出去）中的发音。所谓“不正确”的双元音其实并不是双元音，只是两个或多个元音在同一个音节中的组合，其中只有一个被发音，例如 ea 在 breach（突破）中，eo 在 people（人们）中，ai 在 rain（雨）中，eau 在 beau（美丽的）中。[《世纪词典》]