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sorry for being a little rude... shoelaces is surely more popular than shoestrings, but the latter is perfectly fine also. i've seen native speakers making wrong judgments a lot of times, so.... here are some links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/shoelace
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  • 工作学习 / 外语学习 / 小心台阶
    本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛“小心台阶”用英语怎么说? 很多人会觉得是be careful of the steps 或者 watch out the steps.

    上中学的时候,有一阵英语热,经常有人来学校做报告。有一次,一个外语学院的老师来讲课。他有时候也到外面带旅游团。他说有一次,和几个美国游客外出,下一个山坡的时候发现台阶比较陡,他就提醒身后的老头,be careful of the steps! 老头一听很感动,忙向后传达,但他讲的却是 “mind the steps.” 这位老师当时很惊讶,虽然是教英语的,但他却是第一次听到这种说法。

    我对这个故事印象很深,因为发现书本上学的,和实际中用的,存在很大的差别。如果只是为了考试,这种差别对你没任何影响,你永远也不用分清rubber和eraser的区别。但如果是生活在英语世界里,这个差别,轻则令你闹笑话,比如前阵有人贴过的几个英语表达错误笑话。把straw说成是pipe, 要napkin说成要 paper,分不清 jam 和 ketchup;重则可能会让你丧命。1992年,日本留学生Yoshihiro Hattori,因为找错地址,又没听懂屋主说的"Freeze"是什么意思而遭射杀。

    所以,想在英语世界里生活的人,应该多花功夫学习本地英语的词汇和表达方法。当你把牛皮鞋/猪皮鞋说成made of beef or pork的时候,不管你嘴型怎么对,牙齿和舌头的位置如何正确,鼻后发音多么流畅,美音模仿的如何象,得到的都是售货员石化的表情。更多精彩文章及讨论,请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
    • 小心
      Insomnia. 哈哈哈。早晨!
      • 早晨!今天天气还不错。
        • Watch your step! It's snowing outside.
          Kidding. Have a nice day!
    • I learned it from "teletubbies" with my daughter: Mind the puddle, LaLa :-)
    • 那天俺去买鞋带,告诉售货员俺要shoestring,售货员就给俺show了一张石化的脸
      俺解释这是系在鞋上的东西。我身后的一个顾客先听懂了,告诉售货员,这家伙想要lace。
      • 别太敏感。shoestring is perfectly ok, same as shoelace...as long as you said it clearly!;) so, clear pronounciation still matters.
        • Thanks, Commander, for sharing your opinion. However, this is definitely not a pronunciation issue. I don't think my accent is perfect, but I do client consulting and support every day on the phone, so I believe my accent is acceptable to say the least.
          I just asked my native coworker whether "shoestring" could be used here, and he said he "never heard of it". He said it should be "shoelace" too.
          • Some native speakers are smart enough to correctly guess ESLs' "new words". An example
            Many years ago I asked some co-workers what to do if the "houselord" didn't allow us to use the dryer, blah, blah. Only one co-worker could tell I meant "landlord".
            • shoestring不能算错,确有这种说法。很可能有点地方特色,一些地方的人从来不这么说。
              • agree....(shoe)laces more likely used by north americans (;)).
          • sorry for being a little rude... shoelaces is surely more popular than shoestrings, but the latter is perfectly fine also. i've seen native speakers making wrong judgments a lot of times, so.... here are some links:
            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/shoelace
            • 俺知道词典上说shoestring是鞋带,要不然俺也不会那么说了。俺同意coolmao的意见,这种说法可能有地方特色。如果本地的人从来不这么用这个词儿,那么你要是用,就不是"perfectly OK"了,很可能要多费一些唇舌。
              俺有一次在美国找washroom,说了两遍人家没明白,直到俺改口说bathroom。他立马就清楚了。
              • 这也是楼主所建议的“多花功夫学习本地英语的词汇和表达方法”的意义。
              • this example maybe a little extreme. i actually tried it at eaton centre (just for fun) and the salesgirl took no effort understanding it ;) however i agree we are better off speaking the local dialect/jargons. washrom/bathroom is a typical example. thx!
                • 去店里试过了?俺还真想过建议你去试试,不过又一想有太较真儿的嫌疑,也就算了。向你学习你这种认真精神。:-)
    • reminds me of yankee doodle, the song ;)
      .
      Yankee Doodle went to town
      A-riding on a pony.
      He stuck a feather in his hat
      And called it macaroni .

      Chorus:

      Yankee Doodle keep it up,
      Yankee Doodle dandy,
      Mind the music and the step,
      And with the girls be handy.
    • 我们在这里需要的是加音,不是美音~~also, "watch your step" is perfectly ok and not any less common!
    • "Mind the Gap!" --- on TTC subway,
      • 还带这么做广告的哪
      • mind the gap头次听到在香港地铁。所以mind the steps的表达就很自然而然,几乎不可能用错。本地词汇听多了就能掌握,地道的句子表达难度大些,但真正难的是有文化有典故的东东,几乎永远不可能象中文那样
        • 别说英文,中文的人文典故我还一知半解哪。咱要求也不高,还不想混入人家家谱,就把话说明白就行了。
    • good !
    • 曾经看过这样一个笑话:
      一中国留学生在国外的高速公路出车祸了,连人带车翻下悬崖,交警赶到后向下喊话道:“How are you?” 留学生答:“I’m fine,thank you!”然后交警走了,留学生就死了。
      • A good one!
    • 这种说法国内天天听见。坐地铁4号线时,有广播提醒“please mind the gap between the train and platform”
      • 同学,我说的是二十年前的事。那时候,地铁刚刚开通二号线。香港还是殖民地呢。
      • 欧洲的机场也是说Mind your step的.