美語情景對話 第536期:The Languages of India

Todd: Nitya, in the U.S. we have many different parts of the country and people are very different. What about India? Are the people very different in different regions?

託德：妮提亞，我們美國有許多不同的地區，在不同地區生活的人也有所不同。那印度的情況呢？人們會因爲居住在不同的地區而有所不同嗎？

Nitya: Yeah, I like, I think that in India the different parts, they have totally different languages, that's sometimes it's a problem because somebody who comes for a travel, for traveling or something in the northern part of India, from South, it's really difficult for them to manage the language, because though are national language is Hindi, and also like, the constitutional national language is English, but still, I mean, India is really huge, people coming from South, there are some people like who do, who do understand Hindi to some extent, but there are many people who don't understand at all.

妮提亞：會，印度不同地區的語言完全不同，這有時會成爲問題，如果印度南部的人去印度北部旅行，那他們很難解決語言問題，雖然官方語言是印地語，而且憲法規定英語也是官方語言，但是由於印度太大了，所以從南部來的人，可能有些人知道一些印地語，但是大部分人完全不懂印地語。

Todd: Really, they don't speak Hindi?

託德：是嗎？他們不說印地語嗎？

Nitya: Yeah, because we have 33 national languages. (Wow) so,

妮提亞：對，因爲我們有33種官方語言。（哇）

Todd: You have 33?

託德：你們有33種官方語言？

Nitya: 33, and like if you take on the whole, it's 345 or something.

妮提亞：對，33種，如果要統計所有語言的話，大概有345種。

Todd: Man, that's incredible.

託德：天哪，這太不可思議了。

Nitya: Yeah, and I think that, I think that every child from India should be able to speak around two to three languages, basically.

妮提亞：對，我認爲印度每個孩子都能說兩三種語言。

Todd: What are the most common languages that people speak in India?

託德：那印度人最常用的語言是什麼？

Nitya: I think Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, I think I cannot say common. Every state, every like, we have 27 states in India. Every state has it own language. Our general language.

妮提亞：我認爲是印地語、古吉拉特語和旁遮普語，不過我的意見並不能代表常用。每個邦……印度有27個邦。每個邦都有自己的語言，有自己的通用語言。

Todd: 27 different general languages. (Yeah) That's what divides the country is the languages?

託德：27種通用語言。（對）那印度是按語言劃分的區域嗎？

Nitya: No, it's divided by the states, I mean different states we call different parts of it, and also by the language. Yep.

妮提亞：不是，是按邦劃分的，我是說按邦來劃分區域，當然也按語言劃分。對。

Todd: Wow, that's pretty amazing. So you said Punjabi.

託德：哇，這太驚人了。那你是說旁遮普語嗎？

Nitya: Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Malayalam. (Wow) Huge, yeah.

妮提亞：我會說旁遮普語、古吉拉特語、泰米爾語、馬拉雅拉姆語等等。（哇）對，我會很多語言。

Todd: That's pretty amazing. How many languages do you speak?

託德：這太驚人了。你能說幾種語言？

Nitya: Six.

妮提亞：6種。

Todd: Six.

託德：6種。

Nitya: Yep.

妮提亞：對。

Todd: What do you speak?

託德：你都會說什麼語言？

Nitya: Ok, I can speak Hindi. I can speak Punjabi a little bit, and I can understand the whole of it all, and I can speak Tamil. I can speak Malayalam, because Malayalam is my mother's language. She's from southern part of India. My dad is from the north part of India and I speak Hindi. I understand Telugu, and I guess Marathi also a little bit.

妮提亞：嗯，我會說印地語。我聽得懂旁遮普語，但只會說一點兒，我還會說泰米爾語。因爲我媽媽用馬拉雅拉姆語，所以我也會馬拉雅拉姆語。我媽媽來自印度南部。我爸爸來自印度北部，所以我會說印地語。我可以理解泰盧固語，還有馬拉塔語我也會一點兒。

Todd: Wow, and that's not even including English or Japanese.

託德：哇，這還不包括英語和日語。

Nitya: Yeah, OK, and then you include English and Japanese and that.

妮提亞：對，我還會英語和日語。

Todd: That's amazing. OK, well, thanks Nitya.

託德：太不可思議了。好，謝謝你，妮提亞。

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重點講解：
1. to some extent
在某種程度上；
eg. They don't admire his new technique greatly, but they admire it to some extent.
他們雖不十分佩服他的新技術, 但還是多少有點服氣。
eg. To some extent, I can understand their attitude.
我在某種程度上是能夠理解他們的態度的。
2. on the whole
大體上說；總的說來；
eg. On the whole, I'm in favour of the proposal.
總的說來，我贊成這個提議。
eg. My opinion is on the whole the same as yours.
我的意見大體上同你的差不多。
3. be able to do sth.
能做到…的；
eg. He was able to cast off such an uninteresting task.
他終於擺脫了這麼一項乏味的工作。
eg. He was able to fulfil himself through music.
他通過音樂能充分地發揮自己的才能。