英國人為什么總愛說“sorry”？

?It means something different over there. In the United States, “sorry” has a few widely used meanings.

“sorry”這個(gè)詞在英國的含義和別處完全不一樣。在美國，“sorry”這個(gè)詞有幾個(gè)廣泛應(yīng)用的含義：

(1) As a form of apology. I’m sorry I kicked your shin.

(1)用來道歉。很抱歉踢到你腿了。

(2) As an expression of sympathy. I’m sorry for your loss.

(2)表達(dá)同情。對你的損失我深感遺憾。

(3) As an adjective meaning inadequate. You are a sorry specimen.

(3)形容“不合適”。你這個(gè)家伙不合適。

To these, the British add

說到這兒，英國人要補(bǔ)充一句

(4) As an interjection meaning “I didn’t hear you, could you repeat that?”

(4)用作插入語“我沒聽清，你能重復(fù)一下嗎?”

A: "Lie nuff cacophany?"

“謊話連篇?”

B: "Sorry?"

“抱歉能再說一遍嗎?”

A: "I said, would you like another cup of coffee?"

“我說，你再來杯咖啡嗎?”

I’m terribly sorry but we’re just doing it to be polite. Much like Japan, when your country develops it’s sense of manners under a system where armed warriors are the norm (knights/samurai), you tend to establish patterns of speech designed to reduce aggression.

我特別抱歉我們這樣說只是為了表達(dá)禮貌。這一點(diǎn)跟日本人很像，當(dāng)你們國家的禮儀是在武裝力量常規(guī)化的體制(騎士和武士)下發(fā)展出來的話，你們就傾向于利用語言來降低攻擊性。

At this point the swords are more or less gone, but the speech patterns are traditional and cultural so we carry on carrying on.

現(xiàn)在武力幾乎已經(jīng)消失了，但語言模式仍保留著傳統(tǒng)和文化特點(diǎn)，所以我們繼續(xù)說著“sorry”。

Sorry if that doesn’t illuminate it for you.

如果沒解釋明白我深感抱歉。