来自《耶鲁大学开放课程：美国革命 第2集 第2集》

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  in a place where there was a really established aristocracy.
  区分并不是很明显
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  So basically even though you could tell who the elite are and
  基本上 即使你可以区分社会名流
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  you could tell who the masses are,
  和普通大众
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  there is slippage up and down between the two.
  但这两个阶层不是绝对的
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  It's not as though there is a dividing line
  并没有一个明显的界线区分
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  and you could never hope to become an aristocrat.
  成为贵族并不是遥不可及的
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  It's a little blurrier; it's again a middling society;
  界限模糊不清 中产阶级众多
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  it's part of what that means.
  这便是殖民地的特征
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  And because of that,
  正因为这点
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  things like formal titles and fine clothing
  正式的头衔和上等服饰这类东西
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  were of extreme importance in the colonies.
  在殖民地显得尤为重要
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  And in a lot of ways more important
  在很多情况下