北爱尔兰的旗帜问题：英语精读讲义

Poor no flag Northern Ireland.

可怜的北爱尔兰没有旗帜。

While England, Scotland, and Wales all have flags

虽然英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士都有旗帜

as countries in the United Kingdom,

作为联合王国的组成国，

not her.

但她却没有。

But rather than a transparent skirt

但与其为了追求技术上的正确性

of technical correctness,

而给她穿上一条透明的短裙，

which would be weird,

那样会很奇怪，

bam, these videos use this flag

砰！这些视频直接使用了这面旗帜

that's often used to represent Northern Ireland in the real world.

这面在现实世界中经常被用来代表北爱尔兰的旗帜。

If it's good enough for sports, 表達脈絡

如果它足以用于体育赛事，

it's good enough for skorts.

那它也就足以用来当裤裙（skorts）了。

But why isn't this flag official?

但为什么这面旗帜不是官方的呢？

And why do some people prefer not to use it?

为什么有些人又不愿意使用它？

To discuss this,

为了讨论这个问题，

we must follow a narrow path through the forest of all knowledge. 習語

我们必须沿着知识森林中的一条狭窄小径前行。

And be careful not to stray.

并小心不要偏离方向。

It's easy to get lost in these woods

在这片树林里很容易迷路

for there are always distractions and dangers to pull us aside.

因为总会有令人分心的事情和危险把我们引开。

Focus on the flag.

专注于旗帜。

Don't leave the path.

不要离开小径。

This flag is the Ulster Banner,

这面旗帜叫阿尔斯特旗（Ulster Banner），

named after Ulster,

以阿尔斯特命名，

one of Ireland's traditional regions.

那是爱尔兰的传统地区之一。

The flag first flew above the Northern Irish Parliament in 1953

这面旗帜于1953年首次在北爱尔兰议会上空飘扬

as part of a visit by the then newly coronated queen.

作为当时新加冕女王访问活动的一部分。

But straight away, 短語搭配

但紧接着，

there was a bit of an asterisk 習語

就附带了一个“星号说明”，

as quote "The Minister of Home Affairs announced that while the Union Flag was the only officially recognized standard,

引用如下：“内政部长宣布，虽然联合杰克旗是唯一官方认可的旗帜，

those who wish to have a distinctive Ulster symbol might use the banner," 語法

但那些希望拥有独特阿尔斯特标志的人可以使用这面旗帜。”

which is a bit "Here's your new flag, 語氣意圖

这感觉有点像“这是你的新旗帜，

but not really."

但其实并不是。”

And the new flag wasn't new either,

而且这面新旗帜也不算新，

designed in 1923 along with the Ulster Coat of Arms.

它与阿尔斯特盾徽一起设计于1923年。

Coat of Arms are symbolic objects, 文化背景

盾徽是象征性的物品，

so let's talk about the parts.

所以我们来谈谈它的组成部分。

The Irish elk represents the local Irish

爱尔兰麋鹿代表当地的爱尔兰人，

and the red lion represents the Ulster Scots.

而红狮代表阿尔斯特的苏格兰人。

Wait,

等等，

why are there so many Scottish people in Northern Ireland

为什么北爱尔兰有这么多苏格兰人

to warrant half the Coat of Arms? 用詞

足以占据盾徽的一半？

Have we wandered off the path?

我们偏离小径了吗？

The shield design is a red cross,

盾牌的设计是一个红十字，

which is totally not at all the Saint George Cross 語氣意圖

它“绝对不是”英格兰使用的

England uses,

那个圣乔治十字，

plus the crown of the UK and this red hand,

加上英国的王冠和这只红手，

which is a defining Northern Irish element

红手是北爱尔兰的标志性元素

as it's unique,

因为它是独一无二的，

unlike the crown and the cross,

不像王冠和十字，

which are on everything.

到处都有。

The hand comes with a Lady Godiva -style story 文化背景

这只手带有一个“戈黛娃夫人”式的传说

about how the first to touch the land of Ulster would own it. 語法

关于谁第一个触摸阿尔斯特的土地，谁就能拥有它。

So, of course,

所以，当然，

in the race,

在比赛中，

someone cut off his own hand to win on technicality,

有人砍下了自己的手，靠钻技术规则的空子赢了，

which can't possibly be true. 語法

这不可能是真的。

Not because people haven't been yelling first,

不是因为人们没有为了抢第一而大喊大叫过，

technically, since the dawn of time, 習語

从技术上讲，自从开天辟地起就有，

but because one,

而是因为，第一，

have you ever tried to cut off your own hand?

你试过砍下自己的手吗？

It's a lot harder than it sounds. 語法

这比听起来难得多。

And two,

第二，

while several important Northern Irish families claim creation of the hand,

虽然有几个重要的北爱尔兰家族声称创造了这只手，

the stories go back to the 13th century where the paper trail runs cold. 習語

但这些故事可以追溯到13世纪，从那时起纸质记录就中断了。

So let's spin the wheel of historical claims and just say it was the O'Neills

所以让我们转动历史主张的转盘，就当是奥尼尔家族（O'Neills）吧，

because they're the easiest ones to pronounce

因为他们的名字最容易发音，

and they're going to show up briefly later. 短語動詞

而且他们稍后会短暂出场。

From creation until now,

从创造到现在，

there's been debate about if the hand switched from a sinister version, 用詞

一直有争论，探讨这只手是否从一个“左（sinister）”版本

no seriously,

不，说真的，

that's what you're supposed to call the lefty version, 語法

纹章学里的左手版本确实叫这个词，

to a righty version.

变成了右手版本。

But any flip-flop might just have been the whimsy of individual flag makers.

但这其中的任何翻转反复都可能只是个别制旗人的心血来潮。

Same with the thumb position,

拇指的位置也是如此，

which is all over the place. 習語

到处都不一样。

There wasn't exactly a vexillological standards board 講解

毕竟一千年前并没有一个所谓的

a thousand years ago keeping consistency.

旗帜学标准委员会来维持一致性。

Anyway,

总之，

sometime after the 1300s,

在14世纪后的某个时候，

the hand of the O'Neills was added to the symbol of another important Northern Irish family,

奥尼尔家族的手被加到了另一个重要的北爱尔兰家族的标志上，

a red cross on a yellow background to form the Ulster Coat of Arms.

即黄底红十字，构成了阿尔斯特盾徽。

Oh, it really is the Saint George Cross.

哦，它还真是圣乔治十字。

Earlier sarcastic remark withdrawn. 語氣意圖

收回刚才的讽刺性言论。

The designer of the new arms and flag 400 years later changed the color for reasons no one knows.

400年后，新盾徽和旗帜的设计师改变了它的颜色，原因无人知晓。

The flag was then modified with a crown and a star

随后，旗帜被修改，加上了王冠和星星

and made sort of official from 1953 語氣意圖

从1953年起变成了一种半官方的旗帜

all the way until 1973

一直沿用到1973年

when the Northern Irish Parliament ceased to exist during the Troubles. 短語搭配

当时北爱尔兰议会在“动乱期”（The Troubles）期间不复存在。

The Troubles were, 講解

这个“动乱期”过去是，

are, an irregular conflict around Northern Ireland. Is she part of Ireland

现在也是，一场围绕北爱尔兰的非正规冲突。她属于爱尔兰

or is she part of the United Kingdom?

还是属于联合王国？

The dispute started when Great Britain colonized Northern Ireland,

这场争端始于大不列颠殖民北爱尔兰，

confiscating the land from local families such as the O'Neills,

没收了像奥尼尔等当地家族的土地，

with the goal to quote "pacify, civilize, and develop the land," 表達脈絡

目标引用原话说是“平定、开化和开发这片土地”，

redistributing it to English and lots of Scottish settlers.

并将其重新分配给英格兰人和大量苏格兰定居者。

Oh, that's why the lion's there.

哦，这就是为什么那里会有狮子。

So, just like other places Great Britain colonized

所以，就像大不列颠殖民的其他地方一样

there's a modern muddle of ownership and identity.

这里存在着关于所有权和身份认同的现代混乱。

In these islands,

在这些岛屿上，

the conflicts build across them for so long that it's represented in Ireland's flag, 語法

冲突持续了如此之久，以至于体现在了爱尔兰的国旗上，

with the white stripe being the hope for peace. 語法

白条代表着对和平的希望。

Huh, Ireland's flag still uses the 2:1 ratio of former UK places

咦，爱尔兰的国旗仍然使用前英国领地2:1的比例

rather than the more common 3:2 ratio of most flags.

而不是大多数旗帜更常见的3:2比例。

Interesting, the US is a former UK place,

有趣的是，美国也是前英国领地，

but it goes with a 10:19 ratio. 短語動詞

但它采用的是10:19的比例。

Very unusual.

非常不寻常。

Ah, we got pulled off the path. 表達脈絡

啊，我们被扯得偏离小径了。

We need to get out of here.

我们需要离开这里。

So, though the flag is composed of traditional Northern Irish symbols,

所以，尽管这面旗帜由传统的北爱尔兰符号组成，

mostly, it's not official because it never really was 100% 用詞

在很大程度上，它并不是官方的，因为它从来没有100%正式过

and the government that used it doesn't exist.

而且使用它的政府也不复存在了。

And when the most divisive issue in your land is

当你的土地上最具分裂性的问题是

should it be part of a kingdom,

它是否应该成为王国的一部分时，

having a crown on your flag isn't exactly neutral 語氣意圖

在旗帜上印个王冠就不太中立了

and is also why there are periodic calls for a new Northern Irish flag. 短語搭配

这也是为什么定期会有人呼吁设计新的北爱尔兰旗帜。

But the power of flags is less about if they're official or not 語法

但旗帜的力量与其说在于它们是否官方，

and much more about do people use them

不如说更多地在于人们是否使用它们

and do other people recognize them.

以及其他人是否认可它们。

And within these fair Isles, 表達脈絡

在这些美丽的岛屿内，

it's fair to say that,

可以公允地说，

at least currently,

至少在目前，

the flag is used and recognized.

这面旗帜正在被使用并且被认可。