grapevine的词源

英文词源

grapevine (n.)

also grape-vine, 1736, from grape + vine. Meaning "a rumor; a secret or unconventional method of spreading information" (1863) is from the use of grapevine telegraph as "secret source of information and rumor" in the American Civil War; in reference to Southerners under northern occupation but also in reference to black communities and runaway slaves.

The false reports touching rebel movements, which incessantly circulated in Nashville, brings us to the consideration of the "grapevine telegraph"--a peculiar institution of rebel generation, devised for the duplex purpose of "firing the Southern heart," and to annoy the "Yankees." It is worthy of attention, as one of the signs of the times, expressing the spirit of lying which war engenders. But it is no more than just to say that there is often so little difference between the "grapevine" and the associated press telegraph, that they might as well be identical. ["Rosecrans' Campaign with the Fourteenth Corps," Cincinnati, 1863]

中文词源

grapevine：葡萄藤，小道消息

来自18世纪初电报系统初问世时，铺设的线路杂乱无章形如葡萄藤而得名。由电报引申词义小道消息。

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：grapevine 词源，grapevine 含义。

grapevine：小道消息

grapevine本意是“葡萄滕”，也可作“谣言”或“小道新闻”解。两个词义之间似乎没有什么关系，它们是如何联系在一起的呢？

追根溯源，grapevine产生新义恐怕要首先归因于电报发明家奠尔斯（Samuel Morse，1791 - 1872）。莫尔斯原是画家，后来改行，立志从事电报的发明研究。为了完成用电传递信息的伟大使命，他耗费了整整10年心血才把电报研制成功。1844年5月24日奠尔斯从华盛顿向40英里外的巴尔的摩发出电文，结果试验获得极大成功。这是人类首次进行的长途电报通讯。电报诞生后，美国各地纷纷建立起电报线路。然而，由于缺乏经验，加之技术低劣，所架电线多半七歪八扭。有人遂以grapevine（葡萄滕）喻之。于是出现了短语by the grapevine，意思是“用电线（通讯）”。

　　许多词源学家认为，若不是发生了始于1861年的美国南北战争，上述短语过不多久就会消失。战争爆发后，军事指挥官开始用电报传递战报。与此同时，怪事也随之发生。除了真实报道外，各种流言蜚语也不胫而走，致使人们真伪难辨。于是人们相信各地都存在着grapevine telegraphs（传递消息的秘密途径）。匿迹一时的短语by the grapevine也再度活跃起来。不过，此时该短语中的grapevine已经获得与grapevine telegraph相同的含义，即“传递消息的秘密渠道”。嗣后，grapevine的词义进而引申为“小道消息”。