How Did Thanksgiving 'Turkey' Get Its Name?

The U.S. Thanksgiving holiday is symbolized by its traditional food, a large bird we call a turkey.

美国感恩节的象征是它的传统食物——一种我们称为火鸡（turkey）的大鸟。

But turkey is certainly not from Turkey.

但火鸡（turkey）肯定不是来自土耳其（Turkey）。

In fact, its English name is based on one big mistake.

事实上，它的英文名字源于一个大错误。

We could say it is a case of mistaken identity.

可以说这是一场“认错身份”的误会。

Let's set the record straight.

让我们来澄清事实。

The word “Turkey” has meant “the land of the Turks” since ancient times.

自古以来，“Turkey”一词就表示“突厥人的土地”。

The word “turkey” as it refers to the bird first appeared in the English language in the mid-1500s.

指这种鸟的“turkey”一词最早出现在16世纪中叶的英语中。

The misunderstanding over the word happened because of two similar-looking kinds of birds.

这个词的误会源于两种外形相似的鸟。

There is an African bird called the guinea fowl.

有一种非洲鸟叫珍珠鸡。

It has dark feathers with white spots and a patch of brown on the back of its neck.

它的羽毛颜色深，带有白色斑点，脖子后面有一块棕色。

Portuguese traders brought the guinea fowl to Europe through North Africa.

葡萄牙商人经由北非把珍珠鸡带到了欧洲。

This foreign bird came to Europe through Turkish lands.

这种外来的鸟是经由土耳其人的地盘传入欧洲的。

So, the English thought of the bird as a “Turkish chicken.”

于是，英国人就把这种鸟当成了“土耳其鸡”。

When Europeans came to North America, they saw a bird that looked like the guinea fowl.

欧洲人来到北美时，看到了一种长得像珍珠鸡的鸟。

This bird was native to the North American continent.

这种鸟原产于北美大陆。

Orin Hargraves is a lexicographer, someone who writes dictionaries.

奥林·哈格雷夫斯是一位词典编纂者，也就是编写词典的人。

Hargraves explains what happened.

哈格雷夫斯解释了事情的经过。

But English is not the only language with interesting -- and even questionable -- names for this North American bird.

但给这种北美鸟起了有趣甚至令人存疑的名字的语言，并不只有英语。

The Turkish, for their part, call turkey “hindi,” the Turkish name for India.

土耳其人则把火鸡叫作“hindi”，这是土耳其语中对印度的称呼。

The reference to India probably comes from the old, wrong idea that the New World was in Eastern Asia.

提到印度，可能源于过去认为新大陆位于东亚的错误观念。

The French call it “dinde,” a name that also connects the bird to India.

法国人叫它“dinde”，这个名字同样把这种鸟和印度联系在一起。

“D'Inde” means “from India” in the French language.

“D’Inde”在法语中的意思是“来自印度”。

“Turkey” has similar names in several other languages.

火鸡在其他几种语言里也有类似的名字。

So, what do they call this North American bird in India?

那么，在印度人们怎么称呼这种北美鸟呢？

But wait, there's more.

等等，还有呢。

In Portuguese, the same bird is called “Peru,” after the South American nation.

在葡萄牙语里，这种鸟被称为“Peru”，与那个南美国家同名。

Our Facebook friend Nguyen Duc explains that “local chicken is smaller than western chicken.”

我们的脸书朋友阮德解释说：“本地鸡比西洋鸡小。”

A Facebook friend in Myanmar explained that the Burmese word for “turkey” is “kyat sin.”

缅甸的一位脸书朋友解释说，缅甸语中的“火鸡”一词是“kyat sin”。

The name translates to “elephant chicken” in English.

这个名字译成英语就是“大象鸡”。

The Dari language name for the bird, "fel murgh" also translates to “elephant chicken.”

达利语中这种鸟的名字“fel murgh”也意为“大象鸡”。

Abdulla Kawer explained to us that “here in Afghanistan this name represents the size of this delicious meal.”

阿卜杜拉·卡韦尔向我们解释说：“在阿富汗，这个名字体现了这道美食的分量。”

He adds that he thinks the descriptive name “elephant chicken” is “better than a country name.”

他还说，他认为“大象鸡”这个形象的名字“比用国家命名更好”。