The word used to denote where one is from. Many are quite interesting and fun:
Liverpool - Liverpudlian
Glasgow - Glaswegian
etc.
I had to ask a classmate about Benin. I figured Beninian wouldn't quite make the grade, but had forgotten about -ese. Beninese it is.
Why's someone from Moscow a Muscovite? Way back when, the place was known as Muscovy.
There are lots more out there, so feel free to pile on.
This is a new word, perhaps less than 20 years old, but I think it would make a good Good Word.
Demonym
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Re: Demonym
Nice word, new one on me - it seems to be a word that needed coining.
Natives of my own fair-ish city are Sotonians.
Presumably less formal names also qualify as demonyms? For instance Liverpudlians would commonly be referred to as Scousers, and Glaswegians as Weegies in the UK.
Natives of my own fair-ish city are Sotonians.
Presumably less formal names also qualify as demonyms? For instance Liverpudlians would commonly be referred to as Scousers, and Glaswegians as Weegies in the UK.
Iain
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Re: Demonym
Sotonian - A new one for me, so I guess we're even.Nice word, new one on me - it seems to be a word that needed coining.
Natives of my own fair-ish city are Sotonians.
Presumably less formal names also qualify as demonyms? For instance Liverpudlians would commonly be referred to as Scousers, and Glaswegians as Weegies in the UK.
As to the less formal ones, I'd go for calling them nicknames.
I do like Weegies, though. Reminds me of the Gibb brothers' band from nearly way back when.
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Re: Demonym
Demonym: Legion
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Re: Demonym
A similar word, ethnonym, was discussed last year.
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Re: Demonym
Gail, you wrote, "Demonym: Legion". Are you referring to a Biblical event on the east shore of Galilee? You could compile an Apocrypha of your own.
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Re: Demonym
Thanks for reminding us, Audiendus. Odd that I forgot, as I posted ethnonym myself.A similar word, ethnonym, was discussed last year.
Does anyone have any idea on how these two might actually differ? Or are they just two recently coined words with essentially the same meaning?
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Re: Demonym
Stabbing without reserch, I'd guess ethnonym might connote a racial or ethnic location or refer to a collection of ethnic groups in a location such as a ghetto, "quarters," or Cajun country. I might expect demonyms to be more neutral, perhaps used more like, "I'm from Podunk."
pl
Re: Demonym
It was a pun on demon (and the implied plural from demos) + nym.Gail, you wrote, "Demonym: Legion". Are you referring to a Biblical event on the east shore of Galilee? You could compile an Apocrypha of your own.
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Re: Demonym
I've always been interested in ethnicities and such, and the way I understand it, demonym is basically a group's name for itself. Deutschen versus Germans, for example, or Chechens (English) vs. Nokhchiy (Chechen). Ethnonym can be any name applied to an ethnic group, meaning that Deutschen (German), Germans (English), Alemanes (Spanish), Doitsu (Japanese), and Tedeschi (Italian) are all ethnonyms for Germans but in different languages.
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