Listening skill

Nicknames for New York City

 

        One language expert describes why New York City might be called "The Big Apple."

 

       A nickname is a shortened form of a person's name. A nickname also can be a descriptive name for a person, place or thing.Many American cities have nicknames. These can help establish an identity, spread pride among citizens and build unity. A few years ago, some marketing and advertising experts were asked to name the best nickname for an American city. The winner was the nation’s largest city, New York. The top nickname was the Big Apple.

       You might wonder how New York got this nickname. In the early 1970s, the city had many problems. The number of visitors was falling. So a campaign was launched to give the city a new image. The head of the New York Conventions and Visitors Bureau decided to call the city The Big Apple.

       There are several explanations for where this name came from. Language expert Barry Popik studied the question and wrote about it on his website. He says John Fitz Gerald, a writer for a New York newspaper, used the name the Big Apple to mean New York in the 1920s. Mr. Fitz Gerald wrote about horse races. He heard the name used by men who worked at a racetrack in New Orleans, Louisiana.

       Mister Fitz Gerald wrote: “The Big Apple. The dream of every lad that ever threw a leg over a thoroughbred and the goal of all horsemen. There’s only one Big Apple. That’s New York.” In horse racing, the expression meant “the big time,” the place where large amounts of money could be won.

       The Big Apple became the name of a night club in the Harlem area of New York City in 1934. It also was the name of a popular dance and a hit song in the 1930s. But it is not the only nickname for America’s largest city. Barry Popik’s website lists almost 100 nicknames that describe New York. The best known are the Capital of the World. Empire City. Gotham. The City So Nice They Named It Twice. And the City That Never Sleeps. You can hear about the city in the song, “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra.

 This program was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Barbara Klein.

Listening skill <Original Manuscript>

Nicknames for New York City

 

      Name is important for people, place or thing. People use name to find everything. It can help people to find easier if they know the name of people, places or thing. Nickname or surname can tell me about nationality, country. The good name will help people proud in their name. So, name can be descriptive name person, place or thing and it show about identity and history of country.

First, name can describe person, places or things. It will good for people if they have good name because name can explain about particularity of person. Places or things are same like that. For example, Thailand has name that is “Land of smile”. The tourists know and belief that Thai people are kind and generous. So, if we make good thing or make good behavior people will see us in the good way.

        Second, name show about identity and history of country. Sometimes, name comes from history. It shows about develop or problem in country. For example, the marketing and advertising experts get the best nickname for New York City. The top nickname is Big Apple. Big Apple has many means. For example, a New York newspaper use the name the Big Apple to mean New York City in 1920s, the Big Apple means a night club in the Harlem New York in 1934. So, name can tell us about history or event in that time.

    To sum up, name is important for people, place or thing. It can describe person, places or things. Name can use for events. It will help people to understand about background of person or country. If we have good name it will make us to proud for their name. So, I’m very proud for the name of Thailand that is the land of smile. It shows about culture and characteristic of Thai people.   

 

Vocabulary	Pronunciation	Meaning in English	Meaning in Thai
Campaign(V.)	/kamˈpeɪn/	work in an organized and active way towards a goal: people who campaigned against child labour	รณรงค์
Races(N.)	/reɪs/	a competition between runners, horses, vehicles, etc. to see which is the fastest in covering a set course: Hill started from pole position and won the race	แข่งขัน
Racetrack(N.)	/ˈreɪstrak/	a racecourse.  a track for motor racing.	ลู่วิ่ง
Lad(N.)	/lad/	a group of men sharing recreational, working, or other interests: she wouldn’t let him go out with the lads any more	เด็กหนุ่ม
Expression	/ɪkˈsprɛʃ(ə)n, ɛk-/	the action of making known one’s thoughts or feelings: the prisoners developed a dialect as an everyday means of expression	การแสดงออก

 

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