禮貌有多重要？ ⏲️ 6分鐘英語：英語精讀講義

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com 的《六分鐘英語》。

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，這裡是 BBC Learning English 的《六分鐘英語》。

I'm Neil.

我是 Neil。

And I'm Beth.

我是 Beth。

In this program, we're talking about politeness. 表達脈絡

在本期節目中，我們將討論禮貌。

Britain has a reputation for being a polite place 片語搭配

英國素來以講究禮貌而聞名，

where children are told to say please and thank you. 文法

在這裡，孩子們被教導要說「請」和「謝謝」。

But in real life, that isn't always true. 片語搭配

但在現實生活中，情況並非總是如此。

You, give me that pen. 語氣意圖

你，把那支筆給我。

I'm sorry.

不好意思。

That was a bit rude. 語氣意圖

那有點粗魯了。

Well, what should I have said? 文法

好吧，那我應該怎麼說？

How about 語氣意圖

這樣如何：

Neil, please, could you pass me the pen? 語氣意圖

Neil，能請你把筆遞給我嗎？

Fine.

好的。

Neil, could you please pass me the pen?

Neil，能請你把筆遞給我嗎？

There you go. 片語搭配

給你。

That's much better.

這樣好多了。

Now, listen as BBC Radio 4 presenter Michael Rosen,

現在，請聽 BBC Radio 4 的主持人 Michael Rosen——

who is a well-known poet and children's author in Britain,

他是英國著名的詩人和兒童作家——

describes what happened to him one day.

描述某天發生在他身上的一件事。

Recently, this is how it went. 表達脈絡

最近，事情是這樣的。

A boy was walking past me in the street,

一個男孩在街上從我身旁走過，

stopped and said,

停下來說：

"Hey, you're thingy, innit! 講解

「嘿，你是那個誰，對吧！

Now, that one seems to break all the rules. 慣用語

那麼，這句話似乎打破了所有的規則。

And because it broke the rules,

而且因為它打破了規則，

it gave me a problem.

這給我出了個難題。

How do I answer it?

我該如何回答呢？

A boy saw Michael Rosen and said,

一個男孩看到了 Michael Rosen 並說：

"Hey, you're innit!

「嘿，你是……對吧！

He used the word thingy because,

他用了 thingy（那個誰）這個詞，因為

although he recognised Michael,

儘管他認出了 Michael，

he couldn't remember his name.

卻不記得他的名字了。

He also said,

他還說，

innit,

innit，

which is short for "isn't it," 片語搭配

這是 isn't it 的縮寫，

to emphasise what he'd said.

用來強調他所說的話。

So, was the boy being impolite

那麼，這個男孩是不禮貌呢，

or was he just happy meeting a famous person in the street?

還是僅僅因為在街上遇到名人而感到高興？

And why do we teach kids to be polite in the first place? 片語搭配

以及我們一開始為什麼要教孩子懂禮貌？

That's what we'll be discussing in this program, 表達脈絡

這就是我們將要在本期節目中探討的內容，

using some useful new vocabulary.

同時還會學習一些有用的新詞彙。

But first,

但首先，

I have a question for you, Neil.

Neil，我有一個問題要問你。

The British are well known for being polite, as we've said,

正如我們所說，英國人以禮貌著稱，

and there's even an idiom we use in certain situations

我們甚至在某些特定場合下使用一個習語，

to remind someone to be especially polite.

來提醒某人要格外講禮貌。

But what is it?

但它是什麼呢？

Is it A, mind your A's and B's?

是 A，mind your A's and B's 嗎？

B, mind your P's and Q's?

是 B，mind your P's and Q's 嗎？

Or C, mind your X's and Y's?

還是 C，mind your X's and Y's 嗎？

Well, I know the answer to this,

好的，我知道答案，

but I'm going to say C, mind your X's and Y's,

但我選 C，mind your X's and Y's，

because I think it's brilliant.

因為我覺得它很絕妙。

Okay, interesting.

好的，有意思。

Well, we'll find out the correct answer later in the program. 片語動詞

好吧，我們將在節目的後半段揭曉正確答案。

So, let's return to the boy who said, 表達脈絡

那麼，讓我們回到那個男孩，他對

"Hey, you're thingy, innit!

著名詩人 Michael Rosen 說：

to famous poet Michael Rosen.

「嘿，你是那個誰，對吧！

Was that impolite or not?

那是不禮貌嗎？

Professor Louise Mullany, who studies the language of politeness,

研究禮貌語言的 Louise Mullany 教授

has an answer.

給出了答案。

She thinks that politeness is as much to do with the person being spoken to 文法

她認為禮貌在很大程度上既與聽話者有關，

as the person speaking, as she explained to BBC Radio 4 program Word of Mouth.

也與說話者有關，正如她在 BBC Radio 4 節目《Word of Mouth》中所解釋的那樣。

I think the crucial thing there is in how you've perceived it. 用詞

我認為其中的關鍵在於你是如何看待它的。

So, obviously, he's not giving us the conventional, 用詞

所以很明顯，他沒有給出常規的

"Oh, good afternoon, Mr. Rosen,"

「喔，下午好，Rosen 先生」，

or a more formal approach.

或者更正式的打招呼方式。

It's very, very informal.

這是非常非常不正式的。

And he can't remember your name,

他不記得你的名字，

and he's saying innit!

然後他說 innit！

Now, that has been interpreted by you as non-threatening to you. 文法

那麼，你把這解釋為對你沒有威脅。

You don't see him as insulting you, 文法

你不認為他是在侮辱你，

and you're actually quite kindly disposed to that person.

實際上你對那個人相當有好感。

So, you haven't interpreted it as offensive or aggressive.

所以你並沒有把它理解為冒犯或具有攻擊性的。

You've said, I think you described it as being quite civil, actually. 用詞

你說過，我想你是把它描述為相當客氣的。

Michael Rosen didn't feel that the boy was insulting him.

Michael Rosen 並沒有覺得男孩在侮辱他。

To insult someone means to be rude or offensive to them. 用詞

侮辱（insult）某人意味著對他們粗魯或無禮。

Although his speech was very informal, 文法

儘管他的話語非常不正式，

Michael thought the boy was actually pleased to see him,

Michael 認為男孩其實見到他很高興，

not rude at all.

一點也不粗魯。

Michael was well disposed to the boy. 用詞

Michael 對男孩抱有好感（well disposed）。

He liked and approved of him.

他喜歡並認可他。

So, you could say that politeness is subjective. 用詞

所以你可以說禮貌是主觀的。

If Michael doesn't feel offended, 表達脈絡

如果 Michael 沒有覺得被冒犯，

then where is the offense?

那冒犯又從何談起呢？

Then why do we teach children to be polite at all?

那我們到底為什麼要教孩子講禮貌呢？

Well, according to Professor Mulaney,

那麼，根據 Mullany 教授的說法，

it's to do with the rules of society. 片語搭配

這與社會規則有關。

That's right.

沒錯。

Louise thinks that by teaching our kids politeness, 文法

Louise 認為，透過教導我們的孩子懂禮貌，

they enjoy the benefits of being accepted in society. 片語搭配

他們能享受到被社會接納的好處。

So, imagine how embarrassed she felt 表達脈絡

所以想像一下，她感到多麼尷尬，

when her 2-year-old daughter repeatedly ignored the cook at her nursery school

當她兩歲的女兒在幼兒園多次無視廚師，

and refused to say hello. 片語搭配

並且拒絕問好時。

Here's Louise Melanie telling the story to BBC Radio 4's Word of Mouth.

以下是 Louise Mullany 在 BBC Radio 4 的《Word of Mouth》講述這個故事。

The cook looked so disappointed.

廚師看起來非常失望。

And as I mentioned in the book,

正如我在書中所提到的，

it felt to me like there were lots of other children 文法

我感覺好像有許多其他的孩子

skipping and skipping and jumping past going, "Hello." 表達脈絡

蹦蹦跳跳地走過去說：「你好。」

Being really friendly children.

他們是非常友好的孩子。

And my daughter was just there,

而我女兒就呆在那裡，

and we started to make excuses for her, 片語搭配

我們開始為她找藉口，

like, "Oh, she's tired.

比如，「喔，她累了。

Oh, she's teething. 用詞

喔，她在長牙。

She's this and she's that."

她這呀那的。」

Because the embarrassment was so strong, 文法

因為這種尷尬太過強烈，

and I felt awful walking back past the kitchen on my way out. 講解

當我出去時再次走過廚房，我感覺糟透了。

I was almost trying to hide my face going, 慣用語

我幾乎是想把臉藏起來，心想，

"I'm the one with the really rude child."

「我就是那個帶著特別沒禮貌孩子的人。」

When her daughter didn't say hello to an adult,

當她的女兒沒有向一個成年人問好時，

Louise made excuses for her.

Louise 為她找藉口（make excuses）了。

If you make excuses for someone,

如果你為某人找藉口，

you try to explain the reasons for their behavior.

你就是在試圖解釋他們這麼做的原因。

For example, Louise said her daughter was tired.

例如，Louise 說她女兒累了。

She was growing new teeth.

她正在長新牙。

She was this and that.

她這呀那的。

The idiom this and that can be used to describe various unspecified things.

this and that 這個習語可用來描述各種未具體說明的事情。

For example, if someone asks what you did this afternoon,

例如，如果有人問你今天下午做了什麼，

you might reply,

你可以回答，

"Oh, not much.

「喔，沒做什麼。

I stayed at home.

我待在家裡。

I watched TV.

我看了電視。

I did this and that." 慣用語

我忙了點這個和那個（this and that）。」

Politeness means different things to different people, 片語搭配

禮貌對不同的人意味著不同的事情，

but we still like it when people are polite to us.

但當人們對我們有禮貌時，我們仍然會很受用。

And I think the polite thing to do now is reveal the answer to my question, 文法

而且我認為現在講禮貌的做法就是揭曉我問題的答案，

Neil. So, the idiom that we use to remind someone to be polite

Neil。所以，我們用來提醒某人要有禮貌的習語

is not mind your X's and Y's.

並不是 mind your X's and Y's。

I'm sorry, Neil.

抱歉，Neil。

It's mind your P's and Q's. 慣用語

而是 mind your P's and Q's。

That's a shame. 語氣意圖

真遺憾。

X's and Y's is much better.

X's and Y's 明明更好。

Okay, now let's recap the vocabulary we've learnt, 表達脈絡

好了，現在讓我們來複習一下所學的詞彙，

starting with thingy,

首先是 thingy，

an informal word that's used if you can't remember someone's or something's name.

這是一個非正式詞語，用於你不記得某人或某物的名字時。

People also use the slang words what's-his-name or what's-her-name for the same reason. 用詞

人們也出於同樣的原因使用俚語 what's-his-name 或 what's-her-name。

In it is a short form of the tag question isn't it? 用詞

In it 是附加問句 isn't it 的縮寫。

It's used to add emphasis to a statement.

它被用來給陳述句增加強調語氣。

The adjective insulting means rude or offensive.

形容詞 insulting 意味著粗魯的或冒犯的。

If you are well disposed to someone,

如果你對某人 well disposed，

you like and approve of them.

說明你喜歡並認可他們。

When you make excuses for someone,

當你為某人 make excuses，

you explain the reasons for their bad behavior.

你就是在為他們的不良行為解釋原因。

And finally, the idiom this and that describes various unspecified things.

最後，習語 this and that 描述的是各種未指明的事物。

Once again,

再一次，

our Six minutes are up,

我們的六分鐘時間到了，

but why not test yourself with the program quiz and worksheet available now on our website, 語氣意圖

不過何不拿我們網站上現有的節目測試和小練習來考考自己呢？

bbclearningenglish.com.

網址是 bbclearningenglish.com。

Goodbye for now.

先說到這裡了。

Bye.

再見。

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com 的《六分鐘英語》。