HowdidIndianagetitsnicknameas“TheHoosierState”?36____TherearemanydifferenttheoriesabouthowthewordHoosiercametobeandhowitcametohavesuchaconnectionwiththestateofIndiana.Oneoftheearliestknown

  HowdidIndianagetitsnicknameas“TheHoosierState”?36____TherearemanydifferenttheoriesabouthowthewordHoosiercametobeandhowitcametohavesuchaconnectionwiththestateofIndiana.

  Oneoftheearliestknownusesofthetermisfoundinan1827letterthatstates“Thereisatrickforyou—doneupbyaHoosier."37____AroundthistimeJohnFinleyofRichmondwroteapoemcalledTheHoosier'swhichwaswidelyread.

Hewrotethewordas“hoosher”anddidnotexplainitsmeaningwhichleadshistorianstobelievethatFinleyfelthisreaderswouldalreadyknowandunderstandtheword.Finleywrote“WithmenofeveryhueandfashionFlocktothisrising‘Hoosher’nation."

  38____In1848Bartlett*sDictionaryofAmericanismsdefined“Hoosier”as“AnicknamegivenatthewesttonativesofIndiana."InJohnFinley'spoemtheword“Hoosher”seemstoreferlesstothepioneersofIndianaandmoretothequalitieshethoughttheypossessedlikeself-relianceandbravery.

  39____SomepeoplethinkitwascreatedtolaughatIndian訌asaroughandbackward(落后的)place.

Othersthinkthatearlysettlersusedthetermwithpridetodescribethemselvesasacourageousgroup.Onehistorian.JacobPiattDunnevensuggestedthattheword“Hoosier”originallyreferredtoboatmenwholivedontheIndianashore.Wemayneverknowforsure.40____

   A.Sowhatdoesthewordmean?

   B.Theword“Hoosier”waswidelyusedbythe1830s.

   C.Nooneseemstoknowhowtheword“Hoosier”cametobe.

   D.AndhowdidpeoplefromIndianacometobecalled“Hoosiers”？

   E.Otherearlyusesprovidesomeideasaboutthemeaningoftheword.

   F.Howeverresearchanddebatearelikelytocontinueaboutthismysteriousword.

   G.Sometheoriesandstoriesabouttheoriginoftheword“Hoosier”areknowntobefalse.