Is it really "impolite" that some peoples and countries have different names in different languages?

[Rumpel]

This is a guess but is it possible the clerk knew darned well what you meant but was simply being a jerk?

That is what I think exactly!

 

[Rumpel]

@ the 50 states of the USA

49 of them do not change their names in German.
But Califonia becomes "Kalifornien".

 

[Rumpel]

in German:

Canada becomes "Kanada"
Mexico becomes "Mexiko"
Brazil becomes "Brasilien"
and Argentina becomes "Argentinien".

 

[brothern]

If a group of people asks you to not refer to them using a particular name, because they find the term insulting, derogatory or suggestive of some tragic circumstance - then you should not use that name. To do otherwise is insulting. Your views are not relevant in such a situation.

 

[NewfieMom]

So the French is "origan?" I'm not clear if that's what you meant in your first post.

Yes. I'm sorry if I was unclear.

 

[EMNofSeattle]

Those who are interested in languages may ask Google how many different names are there for Germany.

Starting with Allemagne - and not ending with Tyskland ....

And nobody here thinks this "impolite" or "insulting".

I know from Spanish that they say alemania for Germany. I’ve been to several cities in Chile full of Ethnic Germans (Valdivia and Valparaíso) and many of them use Alemania.

In fact Chile’s most popular... you guessed it!..... brewery! ... is owned by a German family



If you look at the subtitles in Spanish at 00:15 “que cruzaron el oceano Desde Alemania” is “who crossed the ocean from Germany”

 

[NewfieMom]

Oregano is origano in Italian -- very close to the French origan. Then again the English word is as well.

My husband is Italian and I always thought it was "oregano". He and his cousins were too busy making jokes about fennel (finocchio), which had a double entendre and was the cause of much laughter, for me to pay attention to anything as mundane as oregano. Basil, tomato, and garlic seemed easy to remember. Italian men are goofballs. At least in Italy.

 

[Rumpel]

I know from Spanish that they say alemania for Germany. I’ve been to several cities in Chile full of Ethnic Germans (Valdivia and Valparaíso) and many of them use Alemania.

In fact Chile’s most popular... you guessed it!..... brewery! ... is owned by a German family

If you look at the subtitles in Spanish at 00:15 “que cruzaron el oceano Desde Alemania” is “who crossed the ocean from Germany”

As it happens, I am a real "Alemanne".
Even in Germany.
Lots of languages used our regional name "Alemannien" to describe the whole of Germany

 

[Rumpel]

It is exactly the same, which is why it's weird....at least, in English. I can't think of any other example where we'd change a proper noun in this fashion. We don't do it with cities either...and that's a lot closer of an example.

Here is a short list of German cities and their names in English

Hameln - Hamelin
Köln - Cologne
München - Munich
Nürnberg - Nuremberg
Regensburg - Ratisbon

Now if those politically correct people are to be believed, the good citizens of those towns should be very offended and insulted and in tears, because somewhere in this world there are some who do not use the "correct" names of their home towns.

Only those who have no idea of how languages work can think of such politically correct nonsense.

 

[venice_ca]

jokes about fennel (finocchio), which had a double entendre

Still has a double entendre . . . but maybe a bit rude these days.

If a group of people asks you to not refer to them using a particular name, because they find the term insulting, derogatory or suggestive of some tragic circumstance - then you should not use that name.

Please, please, please do not use EYE-talians when referring to Italians. The county is not EYE-taly, so there's no reason for this pronunciation in English.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Now if those politically correct people are to be believed, the good citizens of those towns should be very offended and insulted and in tears, because somewhere in this world there are some who do not use the "correct" names of their home towns.

Are you STILL on about place names in different languages? This obsession has been going on for months now.

 

[venice_ca]

Mention is made above of English using Genoa for the Italian port of Genova. Same for Padua instead of Padova, and Mantua for Mantova.

 

[RetiredUSN]

I was called "John" once in Canada, and "Juan" a few times in Puerto Rico.

Boy was I pissed.

 

[Rumpel]

Mention is made above of English using Genoa for the Italian port of Genova. Same for Padua instead of Padova, and Mantua for Mantova.

Question:
And are the Italian citizens there now very sad and in tears because somewhere out there some persons do not use the "correct" names?

 

[Rumpel]

Please, please, please do not use EYE-talians when referring to Italians. The county is not EYE-taly, so there's no reason for this pronunciation in English.

Italian: Italia
English: Italy
German: Italien
Russian: Ита́лия

And now?

 

[venice_ca]

Question:
And are the Italian citizens there now very sad and in tears because somewhere out there some persons do not use the "correct" names?

Just that I find it curious that Genova, Padova, and Mantova are easily pronounced, but English chooses to change the names. These names are not like Pozzuoli or Cagliari where English speakers could be lost in pronunciation.

 

[NewfieMom]

Are you STILL on about place names in different languages? This obsession has been going on for months now.

Sometimes you just hit on a hot topic.

 

[Rumpel]

I was called "John" once in Canada, and "Juan" a few times in Puerto Rico.

As a Bernhard I usually introduce myself as a Bernard in England and France and as a Bernardo in Italy and Spain.
My family name I do not change, though.

 

[Rumpel]

Mention is made above of English using Genoa for the Italian port of Genova. Same for Padua instead of Padova, and Mantua for Mantova.

And Alto Adige or Sudtirolo is Autonome Provinz Bozen or Südtirol in German - and South Tyrol in English

 

[Deuce]

I've never in my life seen someone complain about the existence of different languages with different words for things.

Well, except nationalist idiots screaming SPEAK ENGLISH THIS IS MURCA

 

[OlNate]

Here is a short list of German cities and their names in English

Hameln - Hamelin
Köln - Cologne
München - Munich
Nürnberg - Nuremberg
Regensburg - Ratisbon

Now if those politically correct people are to be believed, the good citizens of those towns should be very offended and insulted and in tears, because somewhere in this world there are some who do not use the "correct" names of their home towns.

Only those who have no idea of how languages work can think of such politically correct nonsense.

See, I find the whole thing weird, and it's got nothing to do with "political correctness" (a bawling that makes this thread far less interesting, by the way...is this what this is all about? Boo).

Anyway...it's not something I thought of before this thread, and likely not something I'll think much about after, so long as it is socially acceptable to do so. It does seem to be, as you and others have been said, a historic practice - I would expect far less instances of this with newer city and country names - I mean, I looked up Canada, and it would appear that for the most part the most controversial it gets is replacing the C with a K... Perhaps it's that we're getting a little less ignorant about geography then the folks were who came up with this concept of renaming places...perhaps we're just a bit more savvy. I don't know. But linguistically it is an interesting practice that I hadn't really thought about before, so...yay for everything other than the oh so boring bawling about political correctness?

 

[Rumpel]

and it's got nothing to do with "political correctness"

Of course this thread has got a lot to with political correctness.
That is the main topic.

But that does not mean that we cannot talk about linguistic topics now and then as well.

 

[Rumpel]

"political correctness"

Lest you forget:
It is political correctness to maintain that we should name every country and nation and people and town by exactly the same name as they use themselves.
That would be "a point of Honour and Politeness!"
You can read and hear this again and again.

And in this thread we have undertaken to de-mask this "correctness" as the nonsense that it is.
And we have made good progress so far.

 

[Rumpel]

German cities often have different names in English.
But at the moment I cannot think of any English city with a different name in German.

And England = England and Wales = Wales.

Only 3 countries are slightly different:

Scotland = Schottland
Ireland = Irland
Northern Ireland = Nord-Irland

 

[Rumpel]

In Belgium lots of cities have 3 official names:

French >>> Liège
Dutch >>> Luik
German >>> Lüttich

And in the language of Luxembourg >>> Léck