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 Mon Feb 20, 2006 0:06 am Spaniard |
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Hi Ahmadov,
I should have thought the simplest word to describe the whole nation is simply the Spanish.
Alan
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English as a Second Language
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Alan
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| Mon Feb 20, 2006 13:22 pm Gentilics with or without plural form? |
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| It has never struck me before, but maybe the reason for gentilics like French, English, Irish, Swedish, Finnish, Spanish, Lebanese, Balinese, etc. not taking an ‘s’ in the plural is only a phonetic one, as they all end in a sibilant sound. All other demonyms (I don’t like the sound of this word!) take a plural form, as far as I know. |
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Conchita
Language Coach
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| Tue Feb 21, 2006 15:05 pm Indian vs. native American |
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Speaking of nationalities it occurred to me that there are two words to describe the indigenous people of America - native American and Indian. Or is Indian only used to speak about the people who live in India? I remember seeing an American movie called An Indian in the cupboard and the hero was a native American not a person from India. That's very confusing, at least to me. What do you think about it?
Nicole
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Nicole
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| Tue Feb 21, 2006 15:31 pm Indians |
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| You’re right, Nicole, it can be confusing. How often have I heard or had to say myself, ‘I mean American Indians’ or ‘I mean the ones from India’. And we owe it all to Christopher Columbus, who called them ‘indios’, thinking he was in ‘the Indies’... |
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Conchita
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| Tue Feb 21, 2006 15:36 pm Indian vs. native American |
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Hi Conchita, thanks for your immediate response. Maybe, people from different countries use different words when talking about the indigenous inhabitants of America. I think the politically correct term in the US is native American but then again I'm not sure because that movie was American too and the title was An Indian in the Cupboard not a Native American in the Cupboard...
What about Canadians, Mexicans or other people living in the Americas, what words do they use? And what is Indian in Spanish?
Regards
Nicole
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Nicole
I'm here quite often ;-)
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| Wed Feb 22, 2006 0:49 am Indian vs. native American |
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Hello Nicole,
This will clear our doubts:
| Quote: | | The majority of American Indians/Native Americans believe it is acceptable to use either term, or both. |
| Quote: | Indian:
A member of any of the Native American peoples except the Eskimos, Aleuts, and Inuits. |
Indian in Spanish is 'indio'.
Good night! |
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Conchita
Language Coach
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Posts: 2702
Location: Madrid, Spain
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| Fri Feb 24, 2006 15:33 pm Gentilics with or without plural form? |
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| Conchita wrote: | | It has never struck me before, but maybe the reason for gentilics like French, English, Irish, Swedish, Finnish, Spanish, Lebanese, Balinese, etc. not taking an ‘s’ in the plural is only a phonetic one, as they all end in a sibilant sound. All other demonyms (I don’t like the sound of this word!) take a plural form, as far as I know. |
You'll also notice that they are all adjectives, and therefore can't be plural. In fact, we are more likely to say "the Spanish" than we are to say "the Spaniards". ("The Spaniards" can sound slightly derogatory to me.)
We can also say "Swedes" and "Finns". The problem comes when there is no noun that is not gender-neutral. We can't refer to the whole French nation as "the Frenchmen", although I'm sure some people occasionally try.
I think your phonetic theory comes into play only where you have the same word doing double duty as noun and adjective, such as Lebanese and Balinese. |
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Jamie (K)
Guest
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| Fri Feb 24, 2006 15:43 pm Indian vs. native American |
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| Nicole wrote: | | Speaking of nationalities it occurred to me that there are two words to describe the indigenous people of America - native American and Indian. Or is Indian only used to speak about the people who live in India? I remember seeing an American movie called An Indian in the cupboard and the hero was a native American not a person from India. That's very confusing, at least to me. What do you think about it? |
Until around the late 1960s, these people were almost always called "American Indians" or just "Indians". "Native American" is a "politically correct" term that came later. Many non-Indians find the term insulting, because all "native" means is that someone was born in a place. Many whites, blacks and others are also native to the United States (we were born here). Saying taht others are "native Americans" and we are not is similar to saying we don't belong in the land of our birth.
Some years ago, the US Department of Commerce did a survey to find out what various people wanted to be called. More Indians preferred the term "American Indian" than preferred the term "Native American". However, this won't help you with university professors, journalists and political activists, because they will insist on the term "Native American". People in these professions also insist others use the term "African-American", even though most African-Americans call themselves "black".
In any given situation, you never know for sure which term to use if you don't want trouble. |
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Jamie (K)
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