Why“Sorry”Is the Easiest Word for Canadians to Say为什么“对不起”是加拿大人最易脱口而出的话

肖雅琪

Elton John once sang， “Sorry seems to be the hardest word.”But in Canada，there arent many words that are more easily spoken. Or， thats the way it lookslike， say visitors to the country. And its something that Canadians admit1themselves. So why do they apologize2 so much， even when they dont need to？

Its part of Canadian culture3， say some people. That doesnt mean othercultures are less polite4. But saying sorry does at least show youre trying to benice—and many people think Canada is a polite country， so Canadian may be tryingto protect5 that idea.

For many Canadians， apologizing has become something they do withoutthinking， says a writer of the CBC. Even if someone walks into you in the streetand you arent at fault6， you may say sorry. She adds that it could be a way toavoid7 conflict8， and its often easier to say sorry than to shout at someone andhave a fight.

And according to some Canadians， when they say sorry， it doesnt always meantheyre really sorry. Sometimes it means they think that something bad happened9，but they dont think its their fault.

So how do you apologize and meanit？ A survey from 2020 found that only62% of Canadians actually think“I amsorry”is a good apology. And 80% think“I sincerely10 apologize” is the bestthing to say.

埃尔顿·约翰曾唱道：“抱歉似乎是最难的词。”但是在加拿大，没有什么词比它更容易说出口了。或者，来这个国家的旅客说，看起来就是如此。加拿大人自己也承认这一点。那么，为什么他们如此频繁地道歉，即使他们并不需要这么做呢？

有些人说，这是加拿大文化的一部分。这并不意味着其他文化不礼貌。但是说对不起至少表明你在努力地表现出友好———而且许多人认为加拿大是一个有礼貌的国家，所以加拿大人可能在试图维护这种看法。

加拿大广播公司的一位作家说，对许多加拿大人来说，道歉已经成了他们不假思索就会做的一件事。即使有人在街上撞了你，你本身并没有错，你也可能会说对不起。她补充说，这可能是避免沖突的一种方式，而且说对不起往往比冲着某人大喊大叫和打一架更容易。

根据一些加拿大人的说法，当他们说对不起时，并不意味着每次他们都是真的感到抱歉。有时说对不起意味着他们认为有不好的事情发生了，但他们并不认为是自己的错。

那么你确实感到抱歉时该如何表达呢？2020 年的一项调查发现，只有62%的加拿大人认为“对不起”是得体的道歉用语。而80%的人认为“我真诚地（向你）道歉”才是最好的说法。

Notes

1. admit. 承认

2. apologize. 道歉apology . 道歉

3. culture . 文化

4. polite .有礼貌的

5. protect . 保护；防护

6. fault . 错误

7. avoid. 避免袁防止

8. conflict. 争执；争论；分歧

9. happen . 发生

10. sincerely.由衷地；真诚地