1960 年代起,人們開始從電視上目睹太空船發射的場景。起飛前塔台和太空人的對話是一連串的機件狀況檢查,每一項目,狀況正常,就回以 "GO",表示OK。最終起飛前,太空人還會通知控制台 "Houston, we are go"
go 在這裡是個名詞,意思如同中文 "行",可解釋成 "採行,進行,放行"。符合文法的用語是 "We are a go",但這個 "a" 讓人覺得累贅。
在工程 (engineering) 和 品管 (quality control) 的範疇裡,go/no go test 就是一個常見的用語,用來判定 "可" 或 "不可","採行" 或 "放棄"。而在交通工具,如車子,人們也習慣用 "go" 來表達 "出發,啟動"。
Florida以"太空船起飛"為觀光訴求,州政府特別編列預算,推出 "We are go" campaign。並有網站,(
http://www.wearegofl.com/) 倒數每次太空船發射時刻。
"We are go" 也出現在歌曲的名稱,實際的意思就必須依創作者想表達的意思來決定。
參閱:
https://www.italki.com/question/270973
[補充]
翻閱英文字典,沒有將 go 視為 "形容詞"的例子。事實上,母語人士在說出"we are go"時,並不會有名詞或形容詞的認知,只求便於溝通和詞語達意上去使用,聽者也不會誤解。
日本的"文法匠",不去深究 "go",在此一用法上的演變過程,一廂情願地,只因為出現於 be 動詞之後,所以在詞性上,就非得是形容詞不可。
"只知有英文法,不知有英語"
2
[singular] US, informal : permission to do something
My boss gave the project a go. [=my boss gave permission for the project to go ahead]
◊ In informal U.S. English, if you say that something is a go, you mean that it will or can happen in the way that was planned or hoped for.
The rocket launch is a go.
After many delays, we finally received word that the project is a go.
◊ If you say all systems (are) go, you mean that everything is working correctly so that something can continue or proceed in the planned or expected way.
NASA officials have declared all systems go for the rocket launch.
The problems have been fixed, and now all systems are go.
http://learnersdictionary.com/definition/go
是的,字典上,將非常態的用法,常標示為 "informal"。然而,go, no go 這詞語,卻是許多重大決策的結語。
***要判定go 是名詞,還是形容詞,非常簡單
1.) We are go. 的反義是 We are no go.
2.) We are not go. (X)