芬蘭到底算不算斯堪地那維亞國家？：英語精讀講義

Scandinavia.

斯堪地那維亞。

Look at this Arctic wonderland.

看看這個北極仙境。

Fjords, saunas, fjords, lutefisk, blondes,

峽灣、桑拿、峽灣、鹼漬魚、金髮美女、

Vikings, blonde Vikings, fjords, IKEA,

維京人、金髮維京人、峽灣、IKEA、

babies in government issued boxes, 文化背景

睡在政府發放紙箱裡的嬰兒、

Santa, death metal, and fjords.

聖誕老人、死亡金屬和峽灣。

But like, where exactly are the borders of Scandinavia?

但是，斯堪地那維亞的邊界到底在哪裡？

Because not all of this stuff is in it.

因為並不是所有這些東西都在裡面。

Scandinavia is just three countries, exactly.

確切地說，斯堪地那維亞只有三個國家。

Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

瑞典、挪威和丹麥。

Three kingdoms to be more precise, 片語搭配

更準確地說，是三個王國，

all of which are on the Scandinavian peninsula. 文法

統統位於斯堪地那維亞半島上。

Well, except Denmark and or plus Finland.

嗯，除了丹麥和/或加上芬蘭。

Wait, this doesn't help at all.

等等，這根本沒用。

Forget that.

忘了它吧。

The three countries on this peninsula

這個半島上的三個國家

can be collectively called Fennoscandia. 片語搭配

可以統稱為Fennoscandia（芬諾斯坎底亞）。

But if you do, 文法

但如果你這樣叫，

everyone will look at you weird

所有人皆會用奇怪的眼神看你，

because no one except the nerdiest of geography nerds

因為除了最死忠的地理怪咖之外，沒人

uses that word.

會用這個詞。

Fennoscandia.

Fennoscandia。

So, Scandinavia is a term that's one part geography, 表達脈絡

所以，斯堪地那維亞這個詞包含了一部分地理、

one part history,

一部分歷史、

and one part linguistics,

以及一部分語言學，

which is why people will argue 文法

這就是為什麼人們會爭論

about who exactly is included.

到底誰包含在內。

Finland is normally excluded

芬蘭通常被排除在外，

because she used to be considered one of the Baltic sisters 文法

因為她曾被認為是波羅的海姊妹之一，

with her historical ties to mother Russia

與俄羅斯母親有著歷史淵源，

and Denmark, though on the other side of the sea,

而丹麥，儘管在海的另一邊，

is included because of her relationship, it's complicated, with Sweden.

卻因為她與瑞典（關係很複雜）的關係而被包含在內。

They've had something like 15 to 21 wars between them, 用詞

她們之間打過大概15到21次仗，

depending on how you want to count it. 文法

取決於你怎麼算。

And it's complicated-er because they mostly fought over Norway. 講解

更複雜的是，她們主要是在爭奪挪威。

And who wouldn't? 語氣意圖

誰不想呢？

She's beautiful and rich.

她又美又富有。

Anyway,

無論如何，

when outsiders say Scandinavia,

當外人說斯堪地那維亞時，

they probably mean the Nordic countries.

他們可能指的是北歐國家（Nordic countries）。

That's these three plus Finland and Iceland.

也就是這三個國家加上芬蘭和冰島。

Though, you can hardly blame people for confusion 語氣意圖

不過，你很難責怪人們感到困惑，

when organizations like the American-Scandinavian Foundation

畢竟像American-Scandinavian Foundation這樣的組織

lists everyone as members.

把所有人都列為成員。

And all the Nordic countries

而且所有的北歐國家

sometimes advertise abroad

有時在海外宣傳時

under the banner of Scandinavia anyway. 慣用語

也會打著斯堪地那維亞的旗號。

This is the Holland approach to international relations.

這就是國際關係中的「荷蘭法則」。

If there's a fun name

如果有個有趣的名字，

that everyone likes and keeps using wrongly,

大家都喜歡還一直用錯，

just go with it. 片語動詞

那就將錯就錯吧。

The Nordic countries get along well enough 講解

北歐國家相處得很融洽，

that they've made an official union,

他們建立了一個官方聯盟，

the Nordic Council,

北歐理事會（Nordic Council），

a Viking cool kids club

這是一個維京酷小孩俱樂部，

that other Northern European places

其他北歐地區

occasionally unrealistically dream of joining.

偶爾也會不切實際地夢想加入。

Though, the Baltic sisters do get to sit with them, 文法

雖然波羅的海姊妹確實可以和他們坐在一起，

but not actually vote on anything.

但實際上對任何事情都沒有投票權。

The Nordic Council is largely a collection of committees

北歐理事會在很大程度上是一個委員會的集合，

that tries to get its members 文法

試圖讓其成員

to cooperate on common problems

在共同問題上合作，

like the Arctic environment

比如北極環境，

and social welfare and business in the region

以及該地區的社會福利和商業，

and also finds time to make 片語搭配

並且還能抽出時間來制定

a surprisingly long and hilariously specific list

一份長得令人驚訝且極其詳細的規定清單，

of rules for how their logo can be used,

規定他們的標誌該如何使用，

including a respect distance,

包括一個保護距離，

the sovereignty of which 文法

其主權

must not be violated.

不容侵犯。

But the biggest deal of the Nordic Council 慣用語

但北歐理事會最重要的一點是，

is that citizens of these five countries

這五個國家的公民

get to live and work in any of the others, 文法

可以在其他任何國家生活和工作，

which, if you've seen the EU video,

如果你看過關於歐盟的影片，你就會知道，

adds yet another semi-overlapping bubble

這在一個原本就複雜的區域中

of complexity to an already complex region.

增加了一個半重疊的複雜氣泡。

The immigration rule, however, doesn't apply to Icelandic horses, 片語搭配

然而，這項移民規則不適用於冰島馬，

which are one, super adorables, 用詞

第一，牠們超級可愛，

and two, banished from returning to Iceland

第二，一旦牠們離開冰島，

should they ever leave. 文法

就會被終身禁止返回。

But that's a story for another time. 片語搭配

但那是另一個故事了。

Now, it wouldn't be a political union in Europe 文法

如今在歐洲，如果沒有一些特殊的領土奇聞要提，

without some special territorial weirdness to mention.

那就不算是一個政治聯盟了。

Mainly, Aland, an autonomous region of Finland 用詞

主要是Aland，芬蘭的一個自治區，

that speaks Swedish,

說的是瑞典語，

and the Faroe Islands and Greenland,

還有法羅群島（Faroe Islands）和格陵蘭，

both countries in the Kingdom of Denmark.

兩者都是丹麥王國境內的國家。

Greenland is really the odd girl out in the Nordic club, 慣用語

格陵蘭在北歐俱樂部裡絕對是個異類，

given that she's in the wrong hemisphere 文法

考慮到她身處錯誤的半球，

and that Greenlanders aren't historically or linguistically related to Nords.

而且格陵蘭人在歷史上或語言上都與北歐人無關。

Also, her flag ruins the otherwise consistent design motif. 用詞

另外，她的國旗破壞了原本一致的設計風格。

But she's part of Denmark because Vikings. 表達脈絡

但她屬於丹麥，因為維京人。

Lastly, there's Svalbard,

最後，還有斯瓦巴群島（Svalbard），

an unincorporated territory of Norway 用詞

挪威的一個未建制領地，

that must be mentioned because it has prepared for the apocalypse

必須提到它，因為它為了應對世界末日做好了準備，

with a seed bank of every plant to rebuild all of agriculture 用詞

擁有包含所有植物的種子庫以重建全部農業，

should it be necessary. 文法

以備不時之需。

And it's also guarded by armored bears.

此外，它還有全副武裝的熊在守衛。

So, that's that. 慣用語

所以，事情就是這樣。

Next time you say Scandinavia and you're not 100% sure who that includes,

下次你說斯堪地那維亞，而你又不是100%確定它包括誰時，

just say the Nordic countries instead.

還是直接說北歐國家吧。