Ep. P: Pháinn-sè Sorry/Excuse Me 歹勢

30/07/2021

(想聽2021年7月30日的廣播節目可以點開上面音符圖案的檔案 If you'd like to listen to the original 7/30/2021 radio episode, please click on the above music note to play the file)

Every language is connected to the culture it comes from. Growing up in my home, I was taught the 3 main "magic words": please, thank you, and you're welcome. But of course, in American English culture, we have other words to be polite too, right? We say "How are you?" as a nice way to say hello, and we say "excuse me" if we've inconvenienced someone, and "I'm sorry" if we've hurt someone in some way. Taiwan has magic words too. And just like the culture I grew up with as a child, Taiwan's language culture is unique. For example, when Americans say "How are you?", Taiwanese people will say "Have you eaten?". They're both nice ways to say hello to someone. Let me tell you, that caused a lot of confusion for me when I first arrived in Taiwan! Everyone asked me "Have you eaten?", and from my American perspective, I thought they were all asking me to eat lunch with them!

"Excuse me" and "I'm sorry" are also a bit different in Taiwan; they're used even a lot more commonly than in other places. Whereas in America, the "magic words" are please, thank you, and you're welcome, if I decided the magic words for Taiwan I think I'd say: 1) excuse me, 2) sorry, as well as 3) thank you. The wonderful thing about the Taiwanese word pháinn-sè (pronounced like the English words pie and say) is that it covers two of those magic words! It can be said casually, like if you want to ask someone a question: "Excuse me (pháinn-sè), do you know what time bus 88 arrives?", and it can be said if you accidentally step on someone's foot and hurt them: "I'm so sorry (pháinn-sè, pháinn-sè, pháinn-sè)! Are you okay?" And the interesting thing is, in Mandarin there are two different terms for excuse me and I'm sorry, so if you want a one-size-fits-most word that almost all Taiwanese understand, you should definitely learn pháinn-sè! (Remember to look at the bottom of the post for the song chords!)

每種語言都與它所來自的文化有關．在我自己家裡長大時，我被教導了三個主要的「魔法詞」（很多英語系國家都用「魔法詞」這個說法來教導孩子如何做有禮貌的人）：「Please」「請」、「Thank you」「謝謝」、「You're welcome」「不客氣」．但是當然，在美國英語文化中，除了這三個詞之外我們還有其他表示禮貌的說法，對吧？我們會說「How are you?」（「你好嗎？」）作為打招呼的方式，而且如果我們給某人帶來不便，我們會說「Excuse me」（「不好意思」），如果我們以某種方式傷害了一個人，我們會說「I'm sorry」（「對不起」）．在台灣我們也有所謂的「魔法詞」，而且就像我小時候長大的文化一樣，台灣的語言文化也是獨一無二的．例如，美國人所謂的「How are you?」，應該是台灣人所謂的「你吃飯了沒？」．兩個說法都是問好的禮貌方法．但讓我告訴你，當我第一次到台灣時，「你吃飯了沒」這個說法給我帶來了很多困惑！每個人都問我「吃飯了沒」，然後從我美國人的角度來看，我以為都在約我跟他們一起去吃午餐！

「Excuse me」（「不好意思」）和「I'm sorry」（「對不起」）在台灣也有點不同；它們的使用甚至比其他地方更普遍．美國的「魔法詞」是「Please」「請」、「Thank you」「謝謝」、「You're welcome」「不客氣」，但如果你問我台灣的「魔法詞」是哪幾個?我想我會選：「不好意思」、「對不起」還有「謝謝」．因此，台灣人用台語「歹勢」（發音很像英語單詞pie和say）的奇妙之處在於它涵蓋了其中兩個「魔法詞」！歹勢可以隨便說，比如如果你想問別人一個問題：「歹勢，你知道88號公車幾點來嗎」，也可以在你不小心踩到別人的腳的時候讓他們受傷：「歹勢歹勢歹勢！你沒事吧？」．有趣的是，在國語中要用兩個不同的說法（不好意思，對不起），所以如果你想要能用一個幾乎所有台灣人都理解的最時的說法，絕對該學「歹勢」！（記得看網頁最下面的地方就可以找到歌曲的和絃囉！）

Scooter Song Lyrics歌詞

The lingua franca in Taiwan　台灣的通用語
Mandarin is what it's called　國語就是它的名字
But, for Chinese speakers in Taiwan　但對在台灣講中文的人
We know that Mandarin doesn't cover it all　我們知道國語無法涵蓋一切

You gotta learn a little Taiwanese　你得學習一點台語
And maybe pick up some Hakka while you're at it　或許同時也可以學習一些客家話
So here you go, your first lesson　因此先給你，你的第一課
A Taiwanese word to start with　一個台語詞的開頭

Pháinn-sè　歹勢
It's the thing you should say　是你該說的話
For excuse me　想說不好意思的時候
Or when you're sorry　或者當你感到對不起
To somebody　對別人
Just remember, hey　只要記得，嘿
It's good to say pháinn-sè　說歹勢很好
Pháinn-sè, pháinn-sè　歹勢，歹勢

In Taiwan we've got a　在台灣我們有
lot of languages　很多種語言
And we　而且我們
We like to be very friendly　喜歡對人非常友好
So if you want to show　所以如果你想表示
Your love for local culture　你對當地文化的熱愛
Saying pháinn-sè will put a smile　說歹勢會讓
On everyone's faces　別人臉上露出笑容

You gotta learn a little Taiwanese　你得學習一點台語
And maybe pick up some Hakka while you're at it　或許同時也可以學習一些客家話
So here you go, your first lesson　因此先給你，你的第一課
Is a great word to start with　一個很棒的詞的開頭

Excuse me pháinn-sè　不好意思，歹勢
Pháinn-sè pháinn-sè　歹勢，歹勢
I'm sorry pháinn-sè　對不起，歹勢
Pháinn-sè, pháinn-sè　歹勢，歹勢

Pháinn-sè!　歹勢！