tableland n.
a large area of high flat land
highland adj. [only before noun]
1 connected with an area of land that has hills or mountains
eg. highland regions, highland roads
2 Highland connected with the Highlands of Scotland
upland
n. [usually plural] an area of high land that is not near the coast
adj. [only before noun] upland agriculture
參考詞典給出的解釋, tableland 側重表示的是高原、高地的空曠;
highland 可作形容詞也可作名詞,表達的是高地上的山脈綿延之感,尤其表示與蘇格蘭高地有關;
upland 可作名詞也可作形容詞,強調的是離海岸很遠。
由此看來,三者雖然都是 “高原” ,但其詞性和側重點並不完全相同,表達的意思有區別。
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附加說明:
1、牛津高階詞典上僅說 highland 可作形容詞,不過根據百度顯示, highland 也可作名詞,但意思壹致;
2、 highland 與 upland 作形容詞時僅可作定語,不可單獨作表語。