Life and Language‏

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。」
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。
umorist 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。」
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。
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：i f
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。」
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。
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。」

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。

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。

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。

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

exasperated (adj) 激怒的；惱火的
mint julep (n phr) 薄荷酒
grits (n pl) 磨碎的玉米粉
Mason-Dixon line (n phr) 美國昔日之南北分界線，分於 Pennsylvania與 Maryland 之間
perceptibly (adv) 明顯地；顯而易見地
drawl (n) 字尾拉長的語調
vernacular (n) 地方話；日常語
chivalry (n) 騎士精神（體貼婦女，扶助弱者）；俠氣
beauty pageant (n phr) 選美會
unencumbered (adj) 不受到妨礙的；不為所動的
moniker (n) 綽號；標識
poke fun at someone (v phr) 嘲弄或嘲笑某人

The Day's Phrase

Learn what not to do when going for a job interview
了解求職面試時不該犯的錯誤

Keep an eye on the children while I'm gone. Make sure they don't get into trouble.
我不在時幫我看著小孩。千萬別讓他們惹麻煩。

Keep an eye on the children while I'm gone. Make sure they don't get into trouble.
我不在時幫我看著小孩。千萬別讓他們惹麻煩。

Don't make everyone think there's a lot of trouble if there is none. That's called crying wolf.
如果沒有麻煩，別弄得每個人都以為大有麻煩。那樣就是「叫狼來了」。

Reduce pollution by bringing the outdoors into the home
把戶外帶進家裡來降低污染
I want an expensive car for my birthday, but that's just wishful thinking. I doubt that will ever happen.
我生日想要一部昂貴的車子，不過那是很天真的想法。我懷疑這種事會發生。

If you use your head, owning a home should be very satisfying
如果能多動動腦筋，擁有自宅應該是非常令人心滿意足的事

Don't go back on your word. If you promised me you would take me to dinner, you need to take me to dinner.
你可別食言喔。如果你答應我要請我吃晚餐，你就要帶我去吃晚餐。

Showing the world what true patience looks like
郭泓志:讓全世界見識到何謂真正的耐力
You shouldn't go spending money so freely like that. Money doesn't grow on trees, you know.
你不應該那樣隨性地花錢。你要知道，錢不是從天上掉下來的。

He frequently insults other people, but gets furious when someone insults him. He can't take his own medicine.
他經常羞辱其他人，可是別人羞辱他時他又火冒三丈。他不能接受以其人之道還治其人之身。

Getting an early start in music
從小就開始浸淫在音樂之中
We've gone through many struggles to finish today as well as we did. All's well that ends well.
我們就像從前一樣盡其所能，克服萬難，度過今天。一切都很圓滿。

Plan for the possibility of problems
為可能發生的問題未雨綢繆

She took advantage of the free room service and called for it every half hour.
她衝著客房服務是免費的，每半個小時就叫一次服務。

A healthy and delicious way to enjoy spring!
用吃蘆筍這種健康、美味的方式享受春天！
Father came home from work very angry. Don't fan the flames by disobeying him.
爸爸今天下班回家時非常生氣。不要不聽話而招惹他了。

Will this tropical escape be voted as one of the New7Wonders of Nature?
這個熱帶度假島嶼會獲選為世界新七大自然奇景嗎？

You need to be patient when arguing with someone. Don't ram your opinions down their throats.
當你與人辯論時要有耐心。不要強迫他們接受你的看法