つながりの固有性

「つながり」に関する本が英語教材界隈を賑やかにしているようですが、言葉の繋がりには一般的なものと固有なものとに分けられますね。あくまで予想通りだった民主党の副大統領候補に選ばれたKamala Harris。Bidenはfearless fighter for the little guyと形容していました。

Joe Biden Twitter

I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate.

どうやらfearlessという言葉は彼女の上院選挙運動にも使われていたようで彼女特有の繋がりのある言葉のようです。

ついでにfearless fighter for the little guyのlittle guyの方を確認します。学習英和辞典には載せていませんね。

（ウエブスター）

little guy

chiefly US, informal

: an ordinary person who is not wealthy, famous, or powerful —used to refer to such people in general

a politician who portrays himself as a friend of the little guy

以下のような本がアマゾンにあったのですが、説明文を読むとlittle guy=regular peopleでいい感じです。

Financial Planning for the Little Guy

Suffice it to say, I saw the little guy get shafted over and over again with high fees, poor service, lack of communication, incompetent financial advice, or just plain bad luck. 

This guide will help regular people learn the ins and outs of investing and financial planning. 

トランプにとっては“forgotten” Americansを指すようです。まあ庶民の味方を標榜するのはどの政治家もやることだと下記のニュース記事では語っていますが、トランプの場合は言っていることやっていることが違うよねという真っ当な指摘です。

Champion of the ‘Little Guy’? Trump’s Actions Tell Another Story

By Michael Tackett and Jim Tankersley

Dec. 17, 2017

WASHINGTON — President Trump rarely misses a chance to offer himself up as the champion of “forgotten” Americans, men and women who feel ignored or derided by elites and believe, as he frequently says, that the “system is rigged” against them.

“You will never be ignored again,” he said this month at a campaign-style rally in Pensacola, Fla., a phrase that became the banner headline the next morning in the local newspaper.

******

Being the champion of the “little guy” is a staple of presidential rhetoric, and wealthy occupants of the Oval Office like Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy have used it to great effect. But Mr. Trump has taken it to a new level, and Democrats have been quick to note that there is little in his background to suggest any basis for empathy for those who live paycheck to paycheck.

******

Mr. Trump’s campaign-style rallies, like the one in Pensacola, are packed with supporters who sign up for tickets in advance, and he rarely hears dissident voices. He knows his audience, and he almost always returns to the theme of being the guardian of the working class.

But others see a yawning gap between the emerging list of winners in the Trump era and the little guy he pledged to help.

一般的な語の繋がりは、コロケーション辞典や普通の英和辞典でもある程度カバーで来ますが、固有の繋がりの方は対象の知識がないとピンとこないものです。語学学習は知識をつけないといけないのはこのようなことからも言えますね。