我觉得这样的用 family 仍为名词,只不过是不可数名词。依据如下:
以下内容摘自《牛津高阶学习词典英汉双解》第七版的 family 词条:
2. [C + sing. / pl. v, U]
· a group consisting of six or ten parents, their children and close relations
· (大)家庭(包括父母子女及近亲);亲属:
All our family came to Grandad's eightieth birthday party. 我们所有的亲属都来参加了祖父八十寿宴。
The support of family and friends is vital. 亲友的支持极为重要。
We've only told the immediate family (= the closest relations). 我们只告诉了直系亲属。
the Royal Family (= the children and close relations of the king or queen) 王室
I always think of you as one of the family. 我一直把你当成自家人。
(informal) She's family (= she is a relation). 她是我们家的人。
由此可以看出,《牛津》认为 family 可以用作不可数名词,其中第2例和最后一句均为不可数名词的用法。
另外,我查了一下《韦氏高阶学习词典》,也有 family 的不可数用法,摘录如下:
[ noncount ]
He spent a quiet evening at home with family.
trying to find a balance between work and family
She was surrounded by friends and family. [=family members]
He has family in California. [=he has relatives who live in California]
◇ To be treated like one of the family or like family is to be treated in a very warm and kind way, like a member of someone's family.
They treat their guests like family.
◇ You can informally describe someone as a member of your family by saying that he or she is family.
You're always welcome here because you're family.
My brother has a lot of faults, but we forgive him because he's family.
注:以上各句均为不可数用法。
1. We are family. (family 是形容词用法。意为“像家人一样的;一家亲的”)
我们是一家。即便没有血缘关系,也是非亲人而胜似亲人,彼此都是一家人。
刘欢的歌曲使用这个句子,表明了:五湖四海一家人,不管种族、肤色,奥运让大家心连心,体现出中华民族的好客和博大胸怀。
2. We are a family. (family 是名词用法。指“家庭、家族、家庭成员的总称”)
我们是一家人。我们是有血缘关系的,是一个家庭,一个家族。
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个人认为,We are family.中的family应为名词,前面省略了a或one,是否一定可以省略值得商榷,也许是为了歌词的简洁吧。a/one family并不一定要指“有血缘关系的一家人”。如:
Workers and peasants are one family.(《新英汉词典》上海译文出版社)
I want you to show me with your hearts that here we are all part of one big family.(人教84版《高中英语》第二册,PORTRAIT OF A TEACHER)
▲我查了好几本词典,family作形容词都是用作定语的,其中《麦克米兰英语词典》对形容词family有具体说明:
family adjective [only before noun]
1 relating to families or typical of families:
Quarrels are a normal part of family life.
2 appropriate for a family with children:
a three-bedroom family home with a pool
a family movie
a family-size box of cornflakes
【以上分析不一定正确,仅供参考】
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