我们先看一看“Pact”和“Accord”这两个词。从网上(realdictionary.com)所给的简明定义来看,这两个词都是指“A written agreement between two states or sovereigns”,并无意义上的重大区别。我们从一些中型词典得到的定义是:
Pact: A formal agreement between two people or groups of people/An agreement between two or more nations or states usually less elaborate than a treaty but nearly equivalent thereto. 例句:The US and Canada have signed a free-trade pact. The Liberal Democrats may form a pact with Labour to try to beat the Conservatives in the next election.中文对应的解释是:契约、协议;条约、公约、盟约。
Accord: A formal agreement/An amicable arrangement between parties, especially between peoples or nations, a less formal agreement. 例句:An accord signed by the two sides in January brought a formal end to the war in Bougainville. On 31 May the two leaders signed a peace accord. Before 1987, the accord between the labour government and the Union was a simple affair.中文对应的解释是谅解;协议、条约。
Agreement: A compact entered into by two or more nations or heads of nations.这个定义说明“Agreement”这个词,可以用于指高层次的协议。其中文的对应的解释是:协定、协议;契约。
我们从一些新近网上获得的例子,再体味一下这几个词的用法。在第一组例句中,美国国防部部长就朝鲜问题所作的努力时,有两则报道,其中一个报道使用了“Formal Pact”而另一个报道却是使用“Formal, Written Agreement”。
Powell seeks formal pact with N. Korea.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday he is trying to satisfy North Korea securing concerns through a formal, written agreement in which that country’s neighbors would participate.
从言外之意来看,既然是“Formal X”那么,“Pact”和“Agreement”在一般情况下是非正式的用法,当然会有例外,而“Agreement”则是一个所指最宽泛的词。有时,我们又会见到“Accord”、“Pact”、“Agreement”同时出现,如下面的例子:
Debates Ethiopia and Eritrea Sign Formal Peace Accord. Ethiopia … statement. SEVERAL COMMISSIONS TO IMPLEMENT PACT. The six-article agreement commits both sides to a permanent cessation of military activities along their border.
甚至是出现在同一短语中:
For Immediate Release Statement of Senator Chris Dodd On Possible Peace Accord Agreement in Kosovo June 3, 1999, “All of us want to see a political settlement that results in peace in Kosovo. While there are promising signals out of Belgrade …”
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