Traffic VS transportation

总的来说，Collins词典给出的词条解释还不够清楚，但起码可以明白的是：

1.traffic与transportation语义重合部分

2.traffic有动词含义，贩毒、人口，走私的含义，而transportation不具备此意义。

3.traffic特指交通状态是“拥挤、流畅等”transportation指的所有交通工具构成的体系。

根据COCA语料库检索可以发现

transportation 搭配的名词：

department, board, safety(二者相当)，system(traffic略少), secretary,

state, service, infrastructure, cost, authority, energy, means, officials，committee, mode, problem(二者相当)，bill, education, need, space, access, cost, ground, center(traffic略少)

transportation搭配的形容词:

public, national, regional, federal, metropolitan, mass, alternative, available, personal, efficient, industrial, rural, hazardous, entire, special, limited, united

分析解读：搭配的名词和形容词都体现出政府交通行政管理部门以及其语义场所属词汇（见斜体标识）。

transportation 搭配的动词:

provide, take, use, include, cost, lodge, arrange, support, need, commute, require, serve,

分析解读：搭配的动词体现出与交通行政管理语义场配套的动词，比如提供、使用、安排、支持等都是与行政（见斜体标识）。

traffic搭配的名词：

air, jam, control, congestion, highway, safety(二者相当)，light, flow, street, road, accident, police, stop, lot, controller, time, percent

population, truck, car, law, parking, hour, year, volume, ticket

violation, information, sign, freeway, rush, sound, avenue, route, night,

分析解读：搭配的名词体现出交通方式（air等）、交通工具通畅（jam, control, congestion, highway, light flow, accident) 交通工具的管理（police, accident, controller, time, volume, ticket, violation）交通工具的停放（parking, truck, car, parking, avenue, route）

traffic搭配的形容词：

heavy, oncoming, rush-hour, bad, light, increased, high, downtown, human, vehicular, red, minor, blocking, busy, congested, passing, normal, slow, distant, steady, narrow, terrible, sparse 分析解读：搭配的形容词体现出交通工具的通畅程度，与上述名词情况构成搭配（heavy, oncoming, rush-hour, bad, light ,increased ,busy, blocking, congested, passing, normal, slow, steady, narrow, terrible ,sparse)

traffic搭配的动词：

tuck, get, stop, moving, caught, caused, slowed, beat, control, backed, drive, hear

分析解读：搭配的动词体现出交通工具通畅，与上述名词、形容词构成搭配（stuck, get, stop, moving, caught, caused, slowed, beat)

小结

transportation的搭配语义接近于交通行政方面，倾向于宏观层面；traffic搭配的语义接近于路面可见的具体交通工具，倾向于微观层面。