美国文化：美国东海岸五大独特俚语

 　Thanks to a mix of different cultures and advancing technology, American slang has been rapidly evolving over the past years, with new expressions popping up and fading out regularly. The ease of communication in our digital age has allowed local coinages to spread more quickly than ever before. Many slang expressions are also developed on college campuses, which attract students from across the country – and indeed around the world – and therefore are not tied to a single geographic¹ region.

　　多亏了独特的多元文化和飞速发展的科技，过去几年，美国的俚语也光速进化着。各种新式表达和词语层出不穷，此起彼伏。信息时代交流的便捷让一些本地新词得以快速传播，还有许多俚语是在大学校园里被造出来的，大学里汇集着全美乃至世界各地的学生，因此其使用也并不限于某个地区。

　　But even with this unprecedented² ability to cross boundaries, there are still some expressions that are more common in certain parts of the country, and unknown in others. Below are five bits of East Coast slang that just aren’t as popular on the West Coast, traditionally seen as almost two different countries within the nation of America:

　　但是即便跨边界的交流前所未有地便利，仍然有一些表达在美国的某些区域更为常见，在其他地方则鲜少听闻。下面就是五个风靡东海岸，却是西海岸人鲜少听闻的俚语!让东西海岸看起来简直就像是美国内部的两个国家!

　　1) “WICKED”

　　Conventionally, of course, this adjective might be attached to someone dastardly (witches, especially) – but not any more. This New England expression of approval for something that is “cool” or “awesome” is something West Coasters might understand, but would never use. It would make you stand out a mile.

　　按照以往的惯例，这个词是用来形容某些邪恶之人的(尤其是女巫)，但如今再也不是了。在新英格兰地区，它用来表达认同某件事很酷或者很赞。西海岸的人或许可以理解，但绝对不会这么使用它。一说出这个词，大家绝对能明白你来自东海岸!

　　2) “WORD”

　　Another familiar friend in everyone’s vocabulary that has taken on a whole new meaning in the 21st century. This expression of approval – tantamount to saying “I agree”, albeit³ less formally – has infiltrated⁴ somewhat into West Coast lingo⁵, but is certainly not as popular as out East.

　　这也是一个人人都很熟悉的常用词汇，在21世纪被赋予了新的含义。它可以用来表示赞同，意思等于“我同意”，不过不那么正式。西海岸也偶尔会见到这一用法，但肯定没有在我们东海岸这么流行!

　　3) “JANKY”

　　Nobody is quite sure where this adjective – used to describe something that is “untrustworthy” or of “poor quality” – originated, but one possible candidate is the ghettos of New Jersey⁶. Thanks to high internet exposure, it can be heard anywhere across the country, and even the West Coast – but only in certain pockets, and usually with very heavy irony⁷. One to avoid if you are out in California.

　　这个形容词的意思是“不值得信任的”或“质量很差的”。没人能说出它的确切来源，不过很可能起源于新泽西的贫民窟。多亏了在互联网上的高曝光率，现在全美国到处都有人用这个词了，甚至包括遥远的西海岸，不过也仅限于一些特定场合，并且带有浓浓的嘲讽意味。如果去到加州可要小心慎用哟!

　　【编辑语：如果你想抱怨自己的工作电脑，那可以说I have a dinky screen and a janky keyboard~啦啦啦啦】

　　4) “BRUH”

　　Originally a means of greeting among men – like “Wassup bruh” – this word seems to have derived⁸ from “brother”, as a casual way of greeting close friends. It recently gained internet fame with the #BruhMovement, launched by a series of humorous clips on short video sharing site Vine. Nonetheless, its usage has mostly been confined to the Southeast, and would be another example of an awkward addition to West Coast speak.

　　最初是男人之间打招呼的一种方式，类似于“嘿咋了哥们(Wassup bruh)”。这个词语似乎来源于“brother”，被用来和亲近的朋友随意地打招呼。最近，由视频分享网站Vine上一系列幽默短片引发的#BruhMovement话题让它开始在网上流行起来。不过，这个词的使用目前也仅限于美国东南部，要强加进西海岸的词典里似乎不太可能。

　　5) “DAWG”

　　Another form of greeting among friends, this word seems pretty obviously to have come from “dog”, which has also evolved as a way of addressing familiar faces: “Wuddup dawg”. It has been in usage for long enough that most people will recognize it, especially on the East Coast – but be prepared to encounter blank faces if you use it to much out West.

　　这个词是朋友之间打招呼的另一种方式。很明显，它来源于“dog”，并逐渐进化成了对亲近朋友的称谓：“咋了兄弟(Wuddup dawg)”。“Dawg”一词已经被使用了太久，大多数美国人都能明白它的意思，尤其是在东海岸。不过如果你在西海岸用这个词，对方还是有可能会一脸茫然，不知所云!

1 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

2 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

3 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

4 infiltrated   

adj.[医]浸润的v.（使）渗透，（指思想）渗入人的心中( infiltrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The headquarters had been infiltrated by enemy spies. 总部混入了敌方特务。
• Many Chinese idioms have infiltrated into the Japanese language. 许多中国成语浸透到日语中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 lingo   

n.语言不知所云，外国话，隐语

参考例句：

• If you live abroad it helps to know the local lingo.住在国外，学一点当地的语言自有好处。
• Don't use all that technical lingo try and explain in plain English.别尽用那种专门术语，用普通的词语解释吧。

6 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

7 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

8 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》