アメリカ合衆国の州のニックネームについて

概要

論文の詳細を見る
It is worthy of note that every state has some nicknames of its own, in addition to state names. The very existence of state nicknames seems to be typically American to us, because we have no prefectural nicknames. There are over 260 state nicknames, that is over five times the number of state names. This large number of state nicknames and varieties of their origins are most contrastive when compared with state names. The relation between state names and their nicknames is something like the head and tail of a coin. The state names representing the head echo, more often than not, with their nicknames representing the tail. They are, as it were, complementary in publicising their natural, historical, social, and cultural characteristics. This paper deals with 265 state nicknames, classifying them into 10 groups derived from (1) historical events and characters, (2) main products and industries, (3) plants and animals, (4) native Americans and pioneers, (5) topo graphical features, (6) geographical locations and natural phenomena, (7) satate mottoes, (8) English translation of state names, (9) dialects, and (10) poetic nicknames aiming at good images. The authors also try to throw general characteristics of state nicknames into full relief comparing them with state names.