选篇导读
在语堂先生的眼里，北方人高大健壮，粗暴豪迈，南方人则是润泽矮小，柔荏驯良。南北之差异，也可见于其音乐与语言。今日，我们一起品味南北方音乐与语言之差异。
赏析批注
The raw, rugged North and the soft, pliable South—one can see these differences in their language, music and poetry. Observe the contrast between the Shensi songs, on the one hand, sung to the metallic rhythm of hard wooden tablets and keyed to a high pitch like the Swiss mountain songs, suggestive of the howling winds on mountain tops and broad pastures and desert sand-dunes, and on the other, the indolent Soochow crooning, something that is between a sigh and a snore, throaty, nasal, and highly suggestive of a worn-out patient of asthma whose sighs and groans have by force of habit become swaying and rhythmic. In language, one sees the difference between the sonorous, clearcut rhythm of Pekingese mandarin that pleases by its alternate light and shade, and the soft and sweet babbling of Soochow women, with round-lip vowels and circumflex tones, where force of emphasis is not expressed by a greater explosion but by long-drawn-out and finely nuanced syllables at the end of sentences.
1
The raw, rugged North and the soft, pliable South—one can see these differences in their language, music and poetry.
rugged, 指“（男人）粗犷的”，e.g. The actor is famous for his rugged good looks. 这位演员因其粗犷而英俊的容貌而出名。
pliable，指“柔顺的；顺从的”，e.g. Love is vulnerable, pliable, and receptive. 爱是脆弱、柔顺、包容的。
句子分析：此句通过运用raw,rugged,soft,pliable等四个形容词突出南北方人民性格之差异，接着写到其差异可见于语言、音乐和诗歌等方面。简明扼要，总领下文。
本句译为：粗暴豪迈之北方，与柔荏驯良之南方——二者之异点，可以从他们的语言音乐与诗歌观察而得。
2
Observe the contrast between the Shensi songs, on the one hand, sung to the metallic rhythm of hard wooden tablets and keyed to a high pitch like the Swiss mountain songs, suggestive of the howling winds on mountain tops and broad pastures and desert sand-dunes, and on the other, the indolent Soochow crooning, something that is between a sigh and a snore, throaty, nasal, and highly suggestive of a worn-out patient of asthma whose sighs and groans have by force of habit become swaying and rhythmic.
on the one hand...on the other，指“一方面，另一方面”，常用于比较两个事物，e.g. On the one hand I admire his gifts, but on the other I distrust his judgment. 一方面我羡慕他的才华，而另一方面我却怀疑他的判断力。
metallic，指“似金属撞击的”，e.g. The key turned in the lock with a loud metallic click. 钥匙在锁里转动发出金属撞击的咔嗒声。
be suggestive of sth，指“使人联想到……”，e.g. The natural images in the poem are meant to be suggestive of realities beyond themselves. 诗中描绘的自然景象意在让人联想到景象以外的现实。
indolent，指“懒惰的”，e.g. Their indolent attitude was the cause of much unnecessary pain and suffering. 他们懒惰的态度是引起很多不必要的痛苦和折磨的原因。
crooning，指“低吟”，e.g. Her crooning soon put the child to sleep. 她的低吟不久就让孩子们进入了梦乡。
throaty，指“低沉的”，e.g. Through his tears and grief, the song came, a deep and throaty lullaby. 满含着泪水和悲伤，这首歌是一段低沉、嘶哑的摇篮曲。
nasal，指“鼻音的”，e.g. Her voice was nasal and penetrating. 她的声音带点儿鼻音，富有穿透力。
asthma，指“哮喘”，e.g. She suffers from bronchial asthma. 她患有支气管哮喘。
swaying，指“摇动；摇晃”，e.g. The slender willow branches were swaying gently in the breeze.
细柔的柳枝迎风摇曳。
句子分析：此句主要是对比陕西歌曲与苏州歌曲之差异。将on the one hand和on the other插入主句Observe the contrast between the Shensi songs and the indolent Soochow crooning中，在结构上形成了鲜明的对比。On the one hand后面的内容“sung to…keyed to…suggestive of...”在此作定语修饰Shensi songs，简洁生动地刻画出陕西歌曲铿锵嘹亮的特点；在on the other后面的句子中，something是Soochow crooning的同位语，该句将苏州歌曲比喻成久困哮喘病者哼嘘的音律，生动形象的体现了苏州歌曲低沉暗哑的特点。
本句译为：你可以把陕西的歌曲跟苏州的歌曲作一对比，立刻发觉其决然不同之差异。一方面陕西歌曲声调铿锵，乐器用击筑拊嗒板而和歌，音节高而嘹亮，颇类瑞士山中牧歌，歌声动则回风起舞，似在山巅，似在旷野，似在沙丘。另一方面则有那耽安淫逸之苏州的低音歌曲，其声调呜咽哽嗌，似长叹息，似久困喘哮病者之呻吟，因其勉强哼嘘而成颤抖之音律。
3
In language, one sees the difference between the sonorous, clearcut rhythm of Pekingese mandarin that pleases by its alternate light and shade, and the soft and sweet babbling of Soochow women, with round-lip vowels and circumflex tones, where force of emphasis is not expressed by a greater explosion but by long-drawn-out and finely nuanced syllables at the end of sentences.
sonorous，指“响亮的”，e.g. His voice is so sonorous and piercing that it penetrated the farthest alleys. 他的声音如此尖锐响亮，都传到了镇上最远的小巷。
clearcut，指“ 清晰的；清楚的”，e.g. Lei Feng’s childhood experiences determined his clearcut class stand. 雷锋童年的遭遇决定了他鲜明的阶级立场。
circumflex，指“声调符号”，e.g. Matches modifier symbols such as circumflex accent, grave accent, and macron. 匹配修饰符号，如抑扬音、抑音符号和长音符号。
nuanced，指“微妙的”，e.g. Learning not to compete with ourselves is a more nuanced and difficult skill. 学会不与自己竞争是一项更微妙更困难的技能。
句子分析：本句是对南北方语言的比较。主句为In language, one sees the difference between the sonorous, clearcut rhythm of Pekingese mandarin, and the soft and sweet babbling of Soochow women。 That引导的定语从句修饰Pekingese mandarin， with round-lip vowels and circumflex tones修饰babbling of Soochow women，where引导的定语从句修饰tones。句式看似复杂，实则简明扼要地体现了北方语言明朗清晰，南方语言柔悦婉转的特点。
本句译为：从寻常对话中，亦可以察觉明朗清楚之北平官话，其声调轻重之转变分明，令人愉悦；而苏州妇女之甜蜜柔软之喋喋琐语，多圆唇元音，抑扬波动，着其重处不用高朗之发声，而徒拖长其柔悦婉转之缀音以殿于句末。二者之差异固甚显然。
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