英
语冷知识演讲 Good evening, everyone. Today I want to talk about some interesting facts about the English language that you might not have known. Did you know that the word “girl” used to mean “a young person of either sex”? It wasn’t until the 15th century that the word started to be used exclusively for females. Another interesting fact is that the letter “e” is the most common letter in the English language, appearing in roughly 11% of all words. Meanwhile, the letter “q” is the least common letter, appearing in only 0.1% of all words. Have you ever heard someone say “I could care less” when they actually mean “I couldn’t care less”? This common mistake can actually change the meaning of the phrase entirely. “I could care less” implies that the speaker has some level of interest or investment in the subject, while “I couldn’t care less” means that the speaker has absolutely no interest or investment in the subject. Speaking of phrases, have you ever wondered where the phrase “bite the bullet” comes from? It actually dates back to the 19th century, when soldiers would use a bullet to bite down on while undergoing surgery without anesthesia. Moving onto pronunciation, did you know that the word “hiccough” is an alternative spelling of “hiccup”? Both spellings are correct, but “hiccough” is the older spelling. Finally, have you ever heard someone say “I could murder a cup of tea”? This phrase sounds violent, but it actually just means that the speaker really wants a cup of tea. These are just a few of the many interesting facts about the English language. As we continue to use and evolve this language, I’m sure we will continue to unearth more fascinating tidbits. Thank you for listening.