快樂學習網

Life and Language (South) (Part 1 of 12)

美國人的生活及語言—南部

Visiting the southern United States drives Frank Castillo crazy. The New Yorker becomes exasperated when Southern drivers stop and let a half dozen or more cars enter their lane. "I could see letting one car in, maybe, but six?" laments Castillo. "People in the South are too polite—even when they talk. It's always 'Yes, sir,' or 'No, ma'am.' The South is a whole different world."

拜訪美國的南部使法蘭克‧卡斯提歐抓狂。當這位紐約客看著南部司機們停車，並連續讓六部以上的車子切入他們的車道時，就非常惱火。卡斯提歐大聲抱怨：「我或許可以理解讓一輛車子切入；但是六輛？南方的人太過於禮讓了；連說話也是如此。總是聽到：『是的，先生』或『不是的，女士』。南方真是一個完全不一樣的世界。」

⊙　Word Bank
　　exasperated (adj)　　激怒的；惱火的

 Life and Language (South) (Part 2 of 12)

美國人的生活及語言—南部

It certainly is. When people in the United States speak about the north or the west, they typically mean a direction. But when people converse about the South, they're talking about a state of mind. A land of good manners, mint juleps, country music, grits, and biscuits and gravy, it is a place where things slow down—way down. And to many, the South stands out as one of the most charming places in the country.

的確如此，當美國人談到「北」或「西」時，他們通常指的是方向；但當他們談及「南方」時，他們所指的是另一種觀念；一個禮儀之邦、薄荷酒、鄉村音樂、玉蜀黍粉、餅乾與肉汁。這是一個腳步放慢，非常慢的地方。但是對許多人而言，美國南方卻是全美最迷人的地方。

⊙　Word Bank
　　mint julep (n phr)　薄荷酒

 Life and Language (South) (Part 3 of 12)

美國人的生活及語言—南部

Humorist Mark Twain once said that a Southerner "talks music," referring to the speech patterns of those south of the Mason-Dixon line. They converse s-l-o-w-l-y, actually waiting until the other person has finished speaking before responding. "Southerners tend to allow a slightly longer pause between the turns in a conversation, when one person stops talking and another starts," adds Bill Kretzschmar, director of the linguistics program at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. "In the North there is a shorter pause, so conversations tend to go back and forth perceptibly faster."

幽默大師馬克‧吐溫曾說南方人「出口成樂」，所指的就是在美國昔日南北分界線——Mason-Dixon Line 以南之人們的談話模式。他們說話時慢條斯理，直等對方談話告一段落後，才開始答腔。美國喬治亞州雅典市的喬治亞大學語言學系系主任——比爾‧克茲馬爾補充說：「南方人交談時，習慣在對方說完話後，停頓較長時間，才開始說話。在北方，此一停頓時間較短，因此交談時，對應的往來就明顯地較快。」

⊙　Word Bank
　　Mason-Dixon line (n phr)　美國昔日之南北分界線，於Pennsylvania與Maryland 之間
　　perceptibly (adv)　　明顯地；顯而易見地

 Life and Language (South) (Part 4 of 12)

美國人的生活及語言—南部

By far the most talked-about speech characteristic of Southerners is their drawl. But there isn't a universal one. A Virginia accent differs distinctly from the slow drawl of South Carolina. Those from Alabama and Louisiana both draw out their vowels, but they sound completely different. Even the pronunciation of a place name can differ depending on where you are. Beaufort, North Carolina, is pronounced "Bo-fort" while several hundred miles away, Beaufort, South Carolina, is referred to as "Bew-fort."

人們最常提到南方人的說話特點還是他們拉長母音，慢慢說話的態度。但是拉長的語調還不統一。維吉尼亞州的口音就明顯地與南卡羅來那州的緩慢、拖尾音之腔調不同。來自阿拉巴馬州和路易西安那州的居民雖然都拉長母音，但聽起來卻完全不一樣。甚至地名的念法，也會因地區不同而有所差異。同樣是Beaufort這個地名，在北卡念為Bofort；而數百哩外的南卡則念成Bewfort。

Life and Language (South) (Part 5 of 12)

美國人的生活及語言—南部

What is universal in the South is the occurrence of words such as y'all, a version of you all. "It is simply a way of talking," explains Kretzschmar. "It's y'all in the South vs. youse in some Northern cities. Then you have you'uns in North Carolina Appalachia vs. you guys informally as the third-person-plural pronoun in other parts of the country."

南方統一使用的單字有y'all，也即you all（各位）的另一種說法。克茲馬爾解釋說：「這只是一種說話方式。南方人說y'all，正如一些北方城市的人說youse。同時在北卡的阿帕拉契山區人們會說you'uns，正如其他地區的人使用you guys 這非正式稱呼，來代表第三人稱複數的代名詞。」  

Life and Language (South) (Part 6 of 12)

美國人的生活及語言—南部

Those polite turns of phrase that Frank Castillo noticed are also universal. Southerners are unfailingly polite, having learned to say "ma'am" and "sir" when they were toddlers. Not only that, but the Southern vernacular is replete with courtesies like "if you please" and "thank you kindly" or just "preciate it." They strongly believe that "you don't have to like anyone if you don't want to, but you do have to be polite."

法蘭克‧卡斯提歐所注意到的那些禮貌用語極為普遍。南方人的禮貌周到是不容置疑的；他們從小就學會稱呼「女士」和「先生」。不僅如此，南方的方言也是充滿了謙恭的語詞，例如：if you please（請，如何）、thank you kindly（至誠感激）或是簡單的preciate it（感激）等。南方人堅信：「你不必強迫自己去喜歡某一個人；但是，你必須要有禮貌。」

⊙　Word Bank
　　vernacular (n)　　地方話；日常語

 Life and Language (South) (Part 7 of 12)

美國人的生活及語言—南部

Chivalry hasn't succumbed to women's liberation the way it has in other parts of the country. Men still treat ladies with care and respect, giving up their seats on subways and buses and opening doors for them. Maybe as a result, ladies—who are never referred to as "women" by real Southern gentlemen—still retain the famed "Southern belle" image. You'll rarely see members of the female population out in public dressed in sloppy clothes, and sales of make-up in the South are the highest in the country.

在南方，禮貼女士的騎士精神，並未如美國其他地區一般，屈服於婦女解放運動。女士依然受到男士的愛護與尊敬；他們會在地鐵和公共汽車上讓座，並替女士們開門。可能因為如此，那些從不被真正的南方紳士稱為「婦女」的女士們，始終能保持負有盛名的「南方淑女」的形象。你很難在公共場所看到女性穿著草率；同時，南部化妝品的銷售量也是全國最高。

⊙　Word Bank
　　chivalry (n)　　騎士精神（體貼婦女，扶助弱者）；俠氣
　　succumb (v)　　屈服；（因...）死亡

 Life and Language (South) (Part 8 of 12)

美國人的生活及語言—南部

To hear Southerners tell it, Southern ladies have a corner on the market for beauty. For evidence, they point to their outstanding track record at national beauty contests. Indeed, Ann Barrett Batson, who has written a book on Southern culture, comments that "life down South is one continuous beauty pageant."

南方人自己承認，南方女士們在美女市場上獨占鰲頭，他們可列出南方女士們在全美的選美比賽中的輝煌記錄為證。的確，曾出書敘述南方文化的作家安‧巴特森說：「南方的生活就是——持續的選美盛會。」

⊙　Word Bank
　　beauty pageant (n phr)　選美會

Life and Language (South) (Part 9 of 12)

美國人的生活及語言—南部

Although Southern belles and Southern gentlemen still populate the South as they did in the 1800s, the South of today is far from the picture painted in the epic movie Gone With the Wind. The huge plantations where black slaves picked cotton by hand disappeared after the Civil War.

雖然美國南方仍和一八○○年代一樣，隨處可見淑女與紳士們，但今日的南方已經不復「亂世佳人」這部宏偉電影中所描繪的景色了。美國南北戰爭後，大片的棉花田以及徒手收採棉花的黑奴已經消失。 

 Life and Language (South) (Part 10 of 12)

美國人的生活及語言—南部

The "War between the States" deeply affected the South, leaving behind proud memories— and uneasy race relations. What has remained constant throughout the years, however, is an unencumbered way of life: the importance of family, getting together with friends and extending that all-important Southern hospitality to neighbors and strangers alike.

此一「州際戰爭」帶給南方深遠的影響，留下了一些驕傲與回憶，以及彆扭的種族關係。但歷年來，南方生活方式依然不為所動；家庭的重要性、親朋好友間的聚會，以及對鄰居與陌生人同等對待的南方好客之道。

⊙　Word Bank
　　unencumbered (adj)　　不受到妨礙的；不為所動的

Life and Language (South) (Part 11 of 12)

美國人的生活及語言—南部

This famous hospitality may spring from the strong Christian faith of most Southerners. The Bible calls upon Christians to love their neighbors and to reach out to strangers. Southern businesses often close on Sundays—particularly in rural areas—and folks may attend church several times a week. The church serves as a focal point of social activities, too. The strong ties to religion have earned the region the moniker of "the Bible Belt."

這種眾所皆知的好客傳統，可能源自大部份南方人強烈的基督教信仰。聖經囑咐基督徒要愛護他們的鄰居，以及對陌生人伸出援手。南方的商店，尤其在鄉下地方，通常星期日都不營業，而民眾可以一個禮拜上好幾次教堂。教堂同時也是民眾社交活動的中心。這種和宗教的緊密集合，使南方獲得「聖經地帶」的綽號。

⊙　Word Bank
　　moniker (n)　　綽號

 Life and Language (South) (Part 12 of 12)

美國人的生活及語言—南部

Jokes abound that poke fun at Southerners and their ways, but Southerners say those who make jokes about their land are just jealous. A popular bumper sticker says it all: "American by birth, Southern by the grace of God."

美國有許多笑話都在嘲笑南方人以及他們的生活方式；但是，南方人卻認為，那些嘲笑他們家鄉的人，都只不過心生嫉妒罷了。一個廣為流行的汽車保險槓貼紙說明了一切：「生為美國人：蒙上帝恩賜，成為南方人。」

⊙　Word Bank
　　poke fun at someone (v phr)　嘲弄或嘲笑某人

 Let's open a window and let in some fresh air.

我們打開窗子，讓一些新鮮空氣進來吧。

 The sky is so clear today. I can see the mountains.

今天天空真是晴朗。我可以看到山。

 After all that fresh air, we should sleep well tonight!

呼吸了那些新鮮空氣以後，我們今晚應該可以睡得很好。

 Put your plants in a sunny window so they don't die.

把你種的盆栽放在有陽光照射的窗戶旁，以免它們死掉。

 Fall is my favorite time of the year.

秋天是我一年中最喜愛的季節。

 You'd better zip up your jacket so you don't catch a cold.

你最好把你夾克的拉鍊拉上，免得著涼了。

 I need to shop for some warm slacks.

我得去買一些厚暖的長褲。

 It's time to unpack your heavy clothes.

該是把你衣箱中的厚暖衣物拿出來的時候了。

 I don't want to stay indoors all day.

我不想整天待在室內。

This is good weather to get some exercise.

今天是適合運動的好天氣。 

 Let's walk to the store instead of taking the bus.

我們別坐公車，用走的去那家店吧。

  Some of the stores still have summer clothes on clearance.

有些店家現在還有夏裝的清倉拍賣。