classifier
classifier — 名詞
1. a letter, group of letters, or word that is added to a word to indicate what gen
類別標記
表示單詞所屬意義類別的詞綴
a letter, group of letters, or word that is added to a word to indicate what general type of meaning it belongs to — such as the prefix 'un-' (which gives words a negative sense) and the suffix '-er' (which names a person who performs an action).
The prefix 'un-' acts as a classifier, telling readers the word has the opposite meaning.
前綴「un-」是一個類別標記，告訴讀者這個單詞有相反的意思。
prefix 'un-' marks opposite meaning
The suffix '-less' is a classifier that shows lack of the root word's quality.
後綴「-less」是一種類別標記，表示某事物缺乏根詞的特性。
suffix '-less' marks absence
Layla learned that '-ness' changes an adjective to a noun — a noun-forming classifier.
Layla 學到「-ness」能把形容詞變成名詞——這是構成名詞的類別標記。
When Yuki saw that 're-' means 'again,' she understood how classifiers affect meaning.
Yuki 看到「re-」的意思是「再次」時，她明白了類別標記如何影響意義。
Stefan noticed that the classifier '-ful' changes 'help' into an adjective meaning 'full of help.'
Stefan 注意到類別標記「-ful」把「help」變成形容詞，意思是「充滿幫助的」。
文法句型
[classifier] + [base word] forms new word
2. someone or something whose job is to sort things into groups or categories — for
分類器
將事物分門別類的人或程式
someone or something whose job is to sort things into groups or categories — for example, a scientist who divides animals into species, or a computer program that decides whether an email is spam or not.
At the museum, Nadia works as a classifier sorting fossils by type and age.
在博物館裡，Nadia 擔任分類員，依照類型和年代整理化石。
classifier + sorts [items] by [criteria]
A spam classifier in the email program automatically moves unwanted messages to a separate folder.
郵件程式中的垃圾郵件分類器會自動把不想收的訊息移到另一個資料夾。
Without a good classifier, organising a library of ten thousand books would take months.
如果沒有好的分類器，整理一座藏書萬冊的圖書館可能要花上好幾個月。
Mira's phone has an image classifier that spots cats, dogs, or trees in photos.
Mira 的手機有影像分類器，能辨識照片中的貓、狗或樹。
Baraka trained a simple classifier, and now his movie collection is sorted by genre.
Baraka 訓練了一個簡單的分類器，從此他的電影收藏就按類型排序了。
- categoriser
almost the same meaning, but less common in technical writing
- sorter
less formal; often used for physical objects rather than abstract data
文法句型
[classifier] + sorts/classifies + [items]
用法筆記
Often used in computing and machine learning to refer to an algorithm that assigns data items to predefined categories.
常見錯誤
3. in certain languages, a word that appears alongside a number to indicate what ty
量詞
用於計數時表示物品類別的詞
in certain languages, a word that appears alongside a number to indicate what type of item is being counted — for example, in Chinese you use '张' (zhāng) for flat things like paper and tables, and '条' (tiáo) for long things like fish and roads.
In Thai, each noun type needs its own classifier for counting.
在泰語中，每種名詞都有自己專用的量詞來表示數量。
noun type + needs + its own classifier
Saira struggled to remember whether to use '张' or '条' as the classifier for a river in Chinese.
Saira 想了很久才記起，中文的河流應該用「條」還是「張」當量詞。
In Japanese, Heather used the classifier 'mai' when she asked for three sheets of paper.
Heather 用日語要三張紙的時候，用了量詞「mai」來搭配數字。
The classifier '杯' is used for drinks, so 'yī bēi chá' means 'one cup of tea.'
量詞「杯」用於飲料，所以「yī bēi chá」就是「一杯茶」的意思。
Andrés found it odd that Korean uses different classifiers for people and objects.
Andrés 覺得很奇怪，韓語對人和物體要用不同的量詞。
- measure word
the preferred term in many textbooks; slightly broader in meaning
- counter word
used especially in descriptions of Japanese; refers to the same concept
文法句型
number + [classifier] + noun
用法筆記
Common in East and Southeast Asian languages such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese. Also called 'measure word' or 'counter word.'