いま使っている高校1年生用の英語教科書クラウンリーダー(The Crown English Readers Book One Third Edition) には熊のプーさんのレッスンが載っている。
学校ではサイドリーダーを別に用意して学んでいるが、今回"Winnie-the-Pooh" A.A.Milne (Methuen) with Decorations by E.H.Shepard の原書を使うことになった。
知らない単語・語句が多いので、日本語を書き込んで読み進める。
Introduction で知らない単語・語句は以下のとおり。
happen to do something
swan
the rest of it
WAYIN
WAYOUT
Polar Bears
wander
passages
steep
trot
furry
Piglet
squeaky
jealous
deny
slips into
have brains
Chapter I "In which we are introduced to Winnie-the-Pooh and some Bees, and the stories begin"で、わからない単語・語句は以下のとおり。
bump, bump, bump
Christpher Robin
as far as he knows
Anyhow
What about a story?
growly
oak-tree
there came a loud buzzing-noise
First of all
funny
further
complain
Crack!
You see, what I meant to do
crashed
slithered
gracefully
gorse-bush
crawled
brushed
prickles
awed
went round
balloon
go after
underneath
deceive
in case
muddy
blow up
string
gracefully
Hooray
not like something
suspect
somthing tells me
suspicious
walk up and down
every now and then
Tut-tut
deception
practise
aloud
be so fond of something
definitely
put my umbrella up
practical
a pity
sweet
called out
decision
spoil
put = say
stiff
Heffalump
hasn't any brain
That's just how I feel
walk off
trailing
今後、次のように読み進めていく予定。
Chapter Three "In which Pooh and Piglet go hunting and nearly catch a Woozle
Chapter Four "In which Eeyore loses a tail and Pooh finds one"
Chapter Five "In which Piglet meets a Heffalump"
Chapter Six "In which Eeyore has a birthday and gets two presents"
Chapter Seven "In which Kanga and Baby Roo come to the Forest, and Piglet has a bath"
「熊のプーさん」では、たとえば、以下のようにわざと綴りを間違えているところがある。この辺が、初心者にはわかりづらい。
PLES RING IF AN RNSER IS REQIRD.
=Please ring if an answer is required. (Chapter Four)
PLEZ CNOKE IF AN RNSR IS NOT REQID.
＝Please knock if an answer is not required. (Chapter Four)
Chapter Eight では、タイトル自身が問題。
In which Christpher Robin leads an expotition to the North Pole
これは expedition の綴りをわざと間違えているのだろう。この辺のユーモアを楽しめないところが初級ということですね。
