I am CONFUSED!...Nationalities
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:31 am
(Freely lifted from an article in Smithsonian, December, 2002.)
For example..people from Asian countries take the suffix "ese." So, we have the Chinese, Japanese and Timorese. Shouldn't we also have the Cambodese, Tibetese and Indonesiaese? And if the rule applies only to Asians, what about the Congolese, Senegalese and Lebanese?
Maybe it's not geography as much as spelling. If people from Timor are Timorese, why aren't people from Ecuador called Ecuadorese or those from upper Maine called Bangorese? (Speaking of Maine, if people from Spain are Spaniards, shouldn't Down Easters be Maniards?)
And what about the "ish" suffix? Countries whose names end in "land" tend to produce "ish" people. England and Ireland are good examples. But Iceland is home to Icelanders, not Icish. Likewise, citizens of Newfoundland are not Newfoundish, but Newfoundlanders. Even worse, New England is home to New Englanders, not the New English.
If Thais come from Thailand and Finns come from Finland, why aren't people from Holland called Holls?
People from Canada and Florida somehow pick up an internal "i," becoming Canadians and Floridians, yet those from other "a" places don't, or we'd have Americians, Alaskians and Arubians.
And how did people from Peru come to be called Peruvians? Where'd that "v" come from? Why don't we have Honoluluvians and Timbuctuvians? Or, if the "o" at the end of Kosovo makes for Kosovars, where are the Congovars, Ohiovars, Pago Pagovars and the Tierra del Fuegovars? Come to think of it, are they more properly the Tierra del Fuegans or the Tierrans del Fuego?
If citizens of Rome are Romans, are people from Nome the Nomans? Is Hunan Province in China populated by Hunaners, Hunanese or Hunanians? Or Hunan beings?
Just last night, as I was drifting off into the Land of Nod, I began to wonder: Who lives there? The Nodians? Noddish? Nodlanders? Nodese? Nodovars? Noss?
For example..people from Asian countries take the suffix "ese." So, we have the Chinese, Japanese and Timorese. Shouldn't we also have the Cambodese, Tibetese and Indonesiaese? And if the rule applies only to Asians, what about the Congolese, Senegalese and Lebanese?
Maybe it's not geography as much as spelling. If people from Timor are Timorese, why aren't people from Ecuador called Ecuadorese or those from upper Maine called Bangorese? (Speaking of Maine, if people from Spain are Spaniards, shouldn't Down Easters be Maniards?)
And what about the "ish" suffix? Countries whose names end in "land" tend to produce "ish" people. England and Ireland are good examples. But Iceland is home to Icelanders, not Icish. Likewise, citizens of Newfoundland are not Newfoundish, but Newfoundlanders. Even worse, New England is home to New Englanders, not the New English.
If Thais come from Thailand and Finns come from Finland, why aren't people from Holland called Holls?
People from Canada and Florida somehow pick up an internal "i," becoming Canadians and Floridians, yet those from other "a" places don't, or we'd have Americians, Alaskians and Arubians.
And how did people from Peru come to be called Peruvians? Where'd that "v" come from? Why don't we have Honoluluvians and Timbuctuvians? Or, if the "o" at the end of Kosovo makes for Kosovars, where are the Congovars, Ohiovars, Pago Pagovars and the Tierra del Fuegovars? Come to think of it, are they more properly the Tierra del Fuegans or the Tierrans del Fuego?
If citizens of Rome are Romans, are people from Nome the Nomans? Is Hunan Province in China populated by Hunaners, Hunanese or Hunanians? Or Hunan beings?
Just last night, as I was drifting off into the Land of Nod, I began to wonder: Who lives there? The Nodians? Noddish? Nodlanders? Nodese? Nodovars? Noss?
