AIT與台南國立臺灣文學館合辦的「描繪美國: 美國文學行旅特展」就快要開始了！你大概知道馬克吐溫，他寫了大家耳孰能詳的美國文學作品《湯姆歷險記》(延伸閱讀：https://goo.gl/x3fl2a )，不過你知道馬克吐溫是筆名嗎? 馬克吐溫的真名為薩繆爾克萊門斯，在克萊門斯成為知名作家前，他做過各式各樣的零時工，包括駕駛輪船往來於密西西比河。1863年，時年27歲的克萊門斯寫了一篇幽默的旅行故事並決定署名「馬克吐溫」。這個名字來自於船上船員的喊叫，為了測試水深，船員會大叫「馬克吐溫！」，這代表勉強達到出航深度的水深深度：兩噚或12英尺。「吐溫」是「2」的舊式說法，而一噚等於六英尺。想要多了解其他美國作家嗎？敬請期待「描繪美國: 美國文學行旅特展」！#AmericasLiteraryLandscape #MarkTwain
“America’s Literary Landscape”- an exhibition of American literature presented by AIT and the Museum of Taiwan Literature is coming April 7! You might know of Mark Twain, the well-known American author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. But did you know “Mark Twain” is a pen name? Mark Twain's real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Before Clemens became famous as a writer, he held a variety of odd jobs including piloting a steamboat up and down the Mississippi River. In 1863, when Clemens was 27, he wrote a humorous travel story and decided to sign his name "Mark Twain." At the time, “mark twain” was a navigational term meaning “two fathoms,” which was often called out by the riverboat captain to signal a safe water level for the passage of a steamboat. "Twain" is an old-fashioned way of saying "two" and a fathom is six feet. So two fathoms is a depth of 12 feet, which is barely deep enough for a boat to navigate safely. Stay tuned for more information about other American authors! Learning English? Read or listen to this version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer adapted for English Language learners: https://goo.gl/x3fl2a
