Nationalities, countries and regions
Introduction
In order to refer to a nation or region and its affairs it is usually necessary to know four words:
- the name of the country or region
- Denmark
- Japan
- France
- Catalonia
- the adjective
- Danish
- Japanese
- French
- Catalan
- the singular noun used for a person from the country
- a Dane
- a Japanese
- a Frenchman/woman
- a Catalan
- the plural expression the … used for the population as a whole
- the Danes
- the Japanese
- the French
- the Catalans
Usually the singular noun is the same as the adjective (e.g. Greek, Mexican). The plural expression is usually the same as the adjective + -s (e.g. the Greeks, the Mexicans); words ending in -ese, and Swiss, remain unchanged for plural meanings (e.g. the Japanese; the Swiss). (see here) below for more examples. However, there are a number of exceptions. Some of these are listed in (see here).
All words of this kind (including adjectives) begin with capital letters.
- American literature (not
american literature)
The name of a national language is often the same as the national adjective.
- Danish is difficult to pronounce.
- Do you speak Japanese?
Examples
| Country/region | Adjective | Person | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| America (the United States) | American | an American | the Americans |
| Belgium | Belgian | a Belgian | the Belgians |
| Brazil | Brazilian | a Brazilian | the Brazilians |
| Europe | European | a European | the Europeans |
| Italy | Italian | an Italian | the Italians |
| Kenya | Kenyan | a Kenyan | the Kenyans |
| Morocco | Moroccan | a Moroccan | the Moroccans |
| Norway | Norwegian | a Norwegian | the Norwegians |
| Palestine | Palestinian | a Palestinian | the Palestinians |
| Russia | Russian | a Russian | the Russians |
| Greece | Greek | a Greek | the Greeks |
| Iraq | Iraqi | an Iraqi | the Iraqis |
| Israel | Israeli | an Israeli | the Israelis |
| Thailand | Thai | a Thai | the Thais |
| China | Chinese | a Chinese (person) | the Chinese |
| Congo | Congolese | a Congolese (person) | the Congolese |
| Portugal | Portuguese | a Portuguese (person) | the Portuguese |
| Switzerland | Swiss | a Swiss | the Swiss |
Exceptions
| Country/region | Adjective | Person | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Britain | British | a British person (also Briton) | the British |
| England | English | an Englishman/woman | the English |
| France | French | a Frenchman/woman | the French |
| Ireland | Irish | an Irishman/woman | the Irish |
| Spain | Spanish | a Spaniard | the Spanish |
| the Netherlands / Holland | Dutch | a Dutchman/woman | the Dutch |
| Wales | Welsh | a Welshman/woman | the Welsh |
| Denmark | Danish | a Dane | the Danes |
| Finland | Finnish | a Finn | the Finns |
| Poland | Polish | a Pole | the Poles |
| Scotland | Scottish, Scotch | a Scot | the Scots |
| Sweden | Swedish | a Swede | the Swedes |
| Turkey | Turkish | a Turk | the Turks |
Notes
- Scottish is the usual word for the people and culture of Scotland; Scotch is used for whisky.
- The word Briton is unusual except in newspaper headlines – for example TWO BRITONS KILLED IN AIR CRASH. Brit is sometimes used informally.
- English is not the same as British, and is not used for Scottish, Welsh or Irish people (see here).
- English (the name of the language) can be used in the plural to talk about varieties of English, for instance World Englishes.
- Although American is the normal English word for United States citizens and affairs, people from other parts of the American continent may object to this use, and some people avoid it for this reason.
- Inuit is now considered a more respectful term than Eskimo for the Arctic races of Northern Canada and elsewhere.
- Arabic is used for the language spoken in Arab countries; in other cases, the normal adjective is Arab. Arabian is used in a few fixed expressions and place names (e.g. Saudi Arabian, the Arabian Sea).
- Note the pronunciation of words like Irishman/men, Dutchman/men: the singular is the same as the plural (/ˈaɪrɪʃmən, ˈdʌtʃmən/).