|
Why do the British say 'sorry' so much? 英国人为什么那么愿意说“对不起”？ 获得16.6k好评的回答@Lee Ballentine： It means something different over there. In the United States, “sorry” has a few widely used meanings. “sorry”这个词在英国的含义和别处完全不一样。在美国，“sorry”这个词有几个广泛应用的含义： (1) As a form of apology. I’m sorry I kicked your shin. （1）用来道歉。很抱歉踢到你腿了。 (2) As an expression of sympathy. I’m sorry for your loss. （2）表达同情。对你的损失我深感遗憾。 (3) As an adjective meaning inadequate. You are a sorry specimen. （3）形容“不合适”。你这个家伙不合适。 To these, the British add 说到这儿，英国人要补充一句 (4) As an interjection meaning “I didn’t hear you, could you repeat that?” （4）用作插入语“我没听清，你能重复一下吗？” A: "Lie nuff cacophany?" “谎话连篇？” B: "Sorry?" “抱歉能再说一遍吗？” A: "I said, would you like another cup of coffee?" “我说，你再来杯咖啡吗？” 获得70好评的回答@Nicholas Hayes： 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. | 
