Visiting the southern United States drives Frank Castillo crazy. The New Yorker becomes
exasperated
exasperated
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。
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。」
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'll 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。」
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。」
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。」
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 Bankexasperated (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
vernacular (n) 地方話；日常語
vernacular (n) 地方話；日常語
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
@TheDay's Phrase
Which movies are showing tonight?
今天晚上有哪些電影在上演?
Let's go for a bike ride.
我們一起去騎單車吧!
I'll exercise daily... starting tomorrow.
我將天天運動... 從明天開始
Did you remember to call home?
你是否記得打電話回家?
"Please clean your room." "Do I have to?"請整理你的房間. "我一定要嗎?"
It's been a long week.這禮拜事情好多.
What are your plans for the weekend?這個週末你的計劃是什麼?
Can we go shopping?我們去逛街購物好嗎?
Will you call your teacher tonight?今晚你會打電話給老師嗎?
I have a dentist appointment today. I'm dreading it!今天我和牙醫有約. 我好怕喔!
What can I do for you?我能為你做什麼?
