譯自 VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

字詞故事：洛杉磯暱稱

暱稱是人名的簡化型。它也可以是個人、地區或事情的特徵描述。許多美國城市也都有暱稱。它能讓不同城市的居民產生獨特的價值觀與認同。當然多數時候暱稱都命名的非常有意思。

加州的洛杉磯是全美國人口第二多的大城，僅次於紐約。這個城市暱稱眾多，最簡單的就是以首字構成的「L.A.」。有時也會被稱作「天使之城」，因為Los Angeles在西班牙語是「天使」的意思。

洛杉磯多數時候是一個溫暖、陽光普照的城市。所以它另一個暱稱是「花與陽光之城」。像紐約是人們口中的大蘋果，相對的洛杉磯就是「大柳橙」，原因在於這個溫暖的天氣孕育了這種代表性的水果。

美國的電影及電視工業也立基在這個城市，所以稱它「世界影藝之都」一點都不令人意外。許多電影完成於洛杉磯內的好萊塢區，吸引了上百萬的遊客。如果到訪這個城市卻沒見識過山丘上的 Hollywood大字地標，就不算來過洛杉磯了。

這城市有時也因為諸多影視明星住在當地，而被叫作「浮華世界」，根植於好萊塢的影視工業為這地方增添光采，也多了許多不真實的感覺。

另一個較為有趣且不嚴肅的字眼是「拉拉城」，取自Los Angeles 的第一個字母，這個暱稱讓它頗有脫離現實的味道。

洛杉磯市其實是洛杉磯郡的一部分，郡內同時還有一些別的小城市。以富人居住其中的「比佛利山」（Beverly Hills）也在內。至於帕沙迪那（Pasadena）則以每年新年舉行玫瑰花車遊行而聞名。另外太平洋濱的聖大莫尼卡和馬里布（Santa Monica and Malibu），也是愛好衝浪者的天堂。

另一個喜歡嘗鮮的人們會喜歡的景點，是位在洛杉磯西邊的威尼斯（Venice），它有一座模仿義大利威尼斯設計建造而成的水道系統。

喜愛洛杉磯的人們大都是愛上了它充滿溫暖陽光的天氣、壯麗的山色與海灘、還有電影明星們，還包括了經常在歌曲裡唱出家鄉的Randy Newman。

(MUSIC - Randy Newman - "I Love L.A.")
This program was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Barbara Klein. You can find more WORDS AND THEIR STORIES at voaspecialenglish.com.

VOA的原文如下：

Words and Their Stories
 23 July 2011
Words and Their Stories: Nicknames for Los Angeles

Now the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
A nickname is a shortened form of a person's name. A nickname can also 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. Nicknames can also be funny.
Los Angeles, California is the second largest city in population, after New York City. Los Angeles has several nicknames. One is simply the city’s initials, L.A. It is also called the City of Angels because Los Angeles means “the angels” in Spanish.
Los Angeles often has warm, sunny weather. So another nickname is City of Flowers and Sunshine. New York is called The Big Apple. So Los Angeles is sometimes called The Big Orange because of the fruit that grows in that city’s warm climate.
The American motion picture and television industries are based in Los Angeles. So it is not surprising that it is called The Entertainment Capital of the World. Many films are made in the area of Los Angeles called Hollywood. Millions of people visit the area. No trip to Los Angeles is complete without seeing the word "Hollywood" spelled out in huge letters on a hillside.
Many movie stars live in Los Angeles. The city is sometimes called Tinseltown. This nickname comes from the shiny, bright and often unreal nature of Hollywood and the movie industry.
Another nickname for Los Angeles is La-La Land, using the first letters of Los and Angeles. This means a place that is fun and not serious, and maybe even out of touch with reality.
The city of Los Angeles is part of Los Angeles County. There are many smaller cities in the county. Beverly Hills, with its rich people, is one of them. So is Pasadena, with its Rose Parade each New Year's Day. So are the coastal cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, where people like to ride surfboards on the Pacific Ocean waves.
A good place for watching unusual-looking people is Venice, an area on the west side of Los Angeles. A system of waterways designed after the Italian city of Venice has been built there.
Many people love Los Angeles for its warm sunny weather, beautiful mountains and beaches, and movie stars. That includes Randy Newman, who sings about his hometown.
(MUSIC - Randy Newman - "I Love L.A.")
This program was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Barbara Klein. You can find more WORDS AND THEIR STORIES at voaspecialenglish.com.