Life and Language (Midwest)

When American humorist Mark Twain was once asked where he was born, the author of Tom
Sawyer proudly stated the Midwest—Missouri to be exact— because it was an unknown area
“and needed attractions.” The region certainly got one in Samuel Clemens. Thousands travel to Hannibal, Missouri, each year to visit the great man’s birthplace and boyhood home. But not all Midwesterners agree that the Midwest needed Mark Twain as an attraction to lure folks onto its Great Plains.
當美國幽默作家馬克‧吐溫有一次被問到他的出生地時，這位「湯姆歷險記」的作者很
驕傲地說：「中西部，嚴格來說應該是密蘇里州，因為那是一個沒沒無名的地方，所以
需要有吸引人之處。」而該地區當然因為他——撒木爾‧克萊門斯（馬克吐溫的本名）
——就有了一處吸引人的地方。每年有數以千計的遊客到密蘇里州的漢尼拔去探訪這位
偉人的出生地及童年時代的家。但並不是所有中西部的人都同意當地需要以馬克‧吐溫
為誘餌，來吸引人們到這片大草原來。
During the 19th century, plenty of people poured into America’s heartland to carve out farms on the windswept prairies and later, to join the Industrial Revolution in the region's up-and-coming cities. Farms producing many varieties of grain cover America's center states, making it the breadbasket of the nation. Iowa is 90 percent farmland and famous for mile after mile of rustling cornfields. Kansas wheat farms and Nebraska cattle also feed the nation and the world.
在十九世紀時，許多人蜂擁地來到美國心臟地區，在這微風吹拂的草原上開墾農地。隨後，
並在這個地區中積極進取的城市裡參與工業革命。生產各種穀物的農場遍佈美國中部各州，
使它成為美國的穀倉。愛荷華州百分之九十的土地是農田，並以綿延數哩沙沙作響的玉米田
聞名。堪薩斯州的小麥田及內布拉斯加州的牛群也供應美國及全世界的食物所需。
The Midwest’s hardy farmers characterize the region. They dedicate themselves to the Protestant ethic of hard work and believe strongly in self-reliance and self-determination. The Midwest is celebrated for its small-town, farm-based conservatism and is home to historic American populism. Midwesterners are straightforward and unpretentious

, with a reputation as resolute individualists who can be somewhat hardheaded. Missouri’s nickname is the “Show-me State,” because people there tend to be a skeptical sort who live by the motto “seeing is believing.”
中西部刻苦耐勞的農人就是這個區域的寫照。他們自律於新教徒辛勤工作的倫理規範，
並深植於自信及自決的原則。中西部以小鎮和以農為本的保守主義為名，也是美國歷史
上的人民黨主義之發源地。中西部的人直截了當而不矯飾，他們一向被認為是堅決的個
人主義者，但可能有點固執。密蘇里州的別號是「眼見為信之州」，因為那裡的人傾向
多疑，且秉持「眼見為信」的座右銘。
Like citizens of other regions of America, Midwesterners don’t have one particular dialect in common, thanks to the thousands of Northerners and Southerners who came to settle in the region. They carried with them their linguistic characteristics, which show up in pockets around the Midwest. Some areas, such as sections of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois insert an “r” in words like wash and gosh. So a resident might get up in the morning and say, “Gorsh, I must do my warsh today if I want clean clothes.”
就像美國其他地區的居民一樣，由於有數以千計到此定居的北方人及南方人，中西部
的人沒有一個特別的共同方言。他們帶來的語言特性在中西部各地不同的小團體中突
顯出來。在某些區域，像是俄亥俄州、印第安那州及伊利諾州，居民會在像wash及
gosh等字加入「r」。所以人們早上起來會說：「哎呀( Gorsh )，假如我想要有乾淨的
衣服穿，我今天必須洗衣服( warsh )。」
In addition to the Northerners and Southerners who relocated further west,
thousands of German, Dutch, Irish, Polish, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Finnish immigrants added their particular accents to the Midwest melting pot. Some of their vocabulary found its way into the language, too. Americans can thank the Germans for words such as kindergarten, delicatessen, ouch, sauerkraut and dumb. The Dutch also brought their own words: pit (as in a fruit stone), boss, snoop, coleslaw, cookie and waffle . Scandinavians contributed the sauna and the smorgasbord .
除了往更西部遷徙的北方人及南方人之外，數以千計的德國人、荷蘭人、愛爾蘭人、
波蘭人、挪威人、丹麥人、瑞典人及芬蘭人都把它們獨特的口音加入了中西部這個大
鎔爐中。而他們用的某些字彙也融入英語中。美國人應該要謝謝德國人帶來了像是
kindergarten（幼稚園）、delicatessen（特製熟食店）、ouch（哎喲）、sauerkraut
（泡甘藍菜）及dumb（啞或笨）這些字眼。荷蘭人也將他們自己的字彙帶了進來；
pit（果核）、boss（老闆）、snoop（窺伺）、coleslaw（涼拌生菜絲）、cookie（餅乾）
以及waffle（鬆餅）。斯堪地那維亞人提供了sauna（蒸汽浴）及smorgasbord（百匯自助餐）。
Throughout the Midwest, German, Norwegian and Dutch Americans remember their heritage
with cultural festivals. There’s the Dutch Tulip Festival in Pella, Iowa; German Oktoberfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and many Swedish and Norwegian festivals in Minnesota, where one in four of the residents is of Scandinavian descent.
在整個中西部，德裔、挪威裔及荷蘭裔的美國人經由文化慶典延續他們的傳統。在愛
荷華州的佩拉市有荷蘭鬱金香節；威斯康辛州的密爾瓦基市有德國的十月節；在明尼
蘇答州有很多的挪威及瑞典節慶，那兒四分之一的居民有斯堪地那維亞血統。
Ask any American to name a city in the Midwest, and most will reply, “Chicago.” Famous
for Michigan Avenue, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Sears tower, the Windy City has made quite a name for itself outside the Midwest. But the Midwest has other “big name” cities, too. Detroit builds autos for the country and the world. Kansas City, Missouri, is home to the headquarters of Hallmark Cards.
隨便請一個美國人說出一個中西部的城市名，大多數的人都會回答「芝加哥」。以密西根
大道、建築設計師法蘭克‧萊特及席爾斯塔著名，這個風城確實為自己在中西部以外之地
打響了名號。但是中西部也有其他赫赫有名的都市。底特律生產的汽車行銷全美國及全世
界。密蘇里州的堪薩斯市是Hallmark（賀軒）卡片總公司所在地。
In addition to cities and farms, the Midwest is known for its “comfort food”—cuisine that is neither nouvelle nor exotic, just good, solid sustenance: meat loaf and mashed potatoes, for instance. In spite of their good, hearty cooking, the Midwest gave rise to a staple of today’s fast food fad: hamburgers. Before McDonald’s dominated the fast-food world, the Midwest had White Castle. Its hamburgers were a nickel apiece and not very big, but they were so good nobody could eat just one.
除了城市及農場之外，中西部還以它「美味營養」的食物而聞名——其烹調既不新奇
也不奇特，但卻好吃又營養豐富。例如碎肉烤餅及馬鈴薯泥。儘管它有好吃又豐盛的
烹調，中西部也帶起了一個重要的今日速食流行風潮——漢堡。在麥當勞支配速食世
界之前，「白城堡」速食店就崛起於中西部。它的漢堡不大，一個才五分錢，但是它
太好吃了，沒有人忍得住只吃一個。
The same could be said of the Midwest’s Eskimo Pie. Originally called an “I-Scream-Bar,” it was invented by an Iowa high school teacher and part-time ice cream salesman. The public went wild with the dessert combination; within three months of its introduction it was selling a million bars a day.
同樣著名的大概就中西部的愛斯基摩派。它一開始叫做「I-Scream-Bar」，它是由愛荷華州
的一位兼賣冰淇淋的高中老師所發明的。大眾為此甜點而瘋狂；在該產品上市的三個月之
內，它一天已可以賣出一百萬支。
That was pretty dramatic action for the Midwest, where citizens want concrete proof that a change is for the better. They will change, mind you, but only when fully convinced that advancement is an improvement. They feel the past—including their language and traditions—is definitely worth preserving— particularly when it is as colorful as theirs.
這對中西部來說是項戲劇性的舉動，因為那兒的居民對於某項改變能有更好的結果通常
需要具體的證明。我告訴你們，他們會改變，只要他們相信推進代表進步。他們覺得過
去（包括他們的語言及傳統），特別是像他們的過去一樣多采多姿是絕對值得保存的。



⊙Word BankGreat Plains (n phr pl) 大草原（北美落磯山脈以東美國與加拿大 境內之大草原）

populism (n) 人民黨的主義
unpretentious (adj) 不露鋒芒的；不矯飾的；謙虛的
resolute (adj) 毅然的；堅決的
pocket (n) 孤立或受保護的小團體
relocate (v) 遷徙至另一地方
melting pot (n phr) 鎔爐

nouvelle (adj) 新穎的；新潮的
sustenance (n) 食物；營養物
staple (n) 主要的部份
fad (n) 一時的流行；一時的熱中

@The Day's Phrase
Please call if you'd like me to help you.
若要我幫忙, 請儘管來電.
So what are you going to do about the broken window?
你打算怎麼處置那個破窗戶呢?

I smiled at a stranger today. It was easy.
今天我對一個陌生人微笑. 那很容易. Have you been to the mall recently?
最近你有沒有去購物中心?When was the last time you went jogging?
你上次去慢跑是什時侯?
I'd like to make a pizza. What do I do first?
我想要作一個披薩, 首先我該作什麼?Is something wrong? You look sad.
怎麼啦! 你看起來很難過的樣子.
Happy springtime, everyone!各位, 春天好!
Tomorrow is a national holiday. What are your plans for the day?明天是國定假日, 您有何計劃呢?
Do not withold good from those who deserve it.你手若有行善的力量, 不可推辭.
徐慈旋 went from being "in a relationship" to "single."