EntranceCountries nations languages in English. Names of countries, languages and nationalities in English
The topic "Countries and Nationalities" is studied at the very beginning of the elementary level. If you open any textbook at this level, one of the first lessons will definitely touch on the topic of countries and nationalities. This is because using the names of different nationalities, it is convenient to practice the use of the verb to be.
From the very first lessons, students learn how to form the names of nationalities from the names of countries, but the list of words considered is usually small: a maximum of twenty of the most popular countries and nationalities. This is enough to get you started, but you will need more knowledge to further explore. In this article we will explain the basic rules by which the names of nationalities are formed, and also talk about the various features of using these words.
First of all, please remember that names of countries, languages, nationalities in English are written with a capital letter.
An adjective can be formed from the name of any country using a specific suffix. For example:
Italy - Italy; Italian - Italian, Italian - Italian.
Do you speak Italian? - Do you speak Italian?
I like Italian food. - I love Italian food.
He is from Italy. He is Italian. - He's from Italy. He's Italian.
As you can see, the same word, derived from the name of a country, can be used in different ways. This adjective is the name of the language of this country and the name of the nationality. Many students, for example, forget about these derivative words and simply use the name of the country (Japan food, Spain singer, and so on). The name of a country cannot be an adjective, nor can it describe the nationality or language of the country, so do not make such mistakes.
Please note that the name of the nationality and the language of the country do not always coincide. For example, in Brazil (Brazil), although there are Brazilians (Brazilians), they speak Portuguese (Portugese). It is the same with Arab countries, where the nationality of the country does not coincide with the language (Arabic).
However, it is impossible to classify all suffixes according to any one criterion; there are always exceptions. Take the suffix -ESE as an example: it would seem to combine with the names of countries in Asia and Africa, but it also forms adjectives from the names of some countries in Europe and South America.
Let's look at the main suffixes that serve to form adjectives from country names:
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Adjectives are formed using this suffix, regardless of what letter the name of the country ends with and where it is located. If the country name ends in -IA, then only -N is added: |
Argentina - Argentinian Russia - English |
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If the name of a country ends in -A, then only -N is added, if the name ends in another vowel, -AN is added: |
Korea-Korean |
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Mainly Asian countries, some African countries, other European and South American countries: |
China - Chinese |
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Some adjectives are formed using the suffix -ISH: |
Britain - British |
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Almost all countries that are combined with this suffix are Islamic countries, or countries where Arabic is spoken. |
Iraq-Iraqi |
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suffixes |
Other suffixes can also be called exceptions, since some of them are singular and are used to form one nationality. |
France - French |
As mentioned earlier, many adjectives that can be formed using suffixes serve as names for languages spoken in a particular country. In addition, these adjectives, when combined with nouns, describe something characteristic of that country:
French literature - French literature
Japanese food - Japanese food
Mexican traditions - Mexican traditions
Egyptian culture - Egyptian history
To talk about nationalities in general, there are several ways in English, which we will now get acquainted with.
1. The + ADJECTIVE
From the article about you know that the can be combined with adjectives when the adjective denotes a group of people:
The Chinese are very traditional. - The Chinese are very traditional.
The Americans like fast food. - Americans love fast food.
Have you noticed that in the given examples the word Americans is used with the ending -S, while Сhinese is used without the ending? There are a few rules to remember about this:
If nationality-adjectives have endings -SH, -CH, -SS, -ESE, -I then they do not have a plural form (no -S is added to them):
the French - the French
the Swiss - the Swiss
the Japanese - the Japanese
the Scottish - the Scots
the Iraqi - Iraqis
the Israeli - the Israelis
Adjectives with endings -AN and some others have plural forms. These adjectives (unlike the above) can also act as nouns:
the Ukrainians - Ukrainians
the Brazilians - Brazilians
the Greeks - the Greeks
the Thais - residents of Thailand
2. ADJECTIVE + PEOPLE
Any nationality can be designated using the word people in combination with an adjective. The article the is not needed:
Chinese people - Chinese
Italian people - Italians
English people
3. Nouns.
Some nationalities have special nouns that do not match adjectives. These nouns can be used when talking about all representatives of a nationality:
Denmark - the Danes
Finland - the Finns
Great Britain - the British
Poland - the Poles
Scotland - the Scots
Spain - the Spaniards
Sweden - the Swedes
thе Netherlands - the Dutch
Turkey - the Turks
If you're talking about one person, then if this nationality has a noun, you can use it:
an American - American
an Italian - Italian
a Pole - Pole
a Turk - Turk
a Spaniard is Spanish
a Briton - British
a Swede - Swede
If there is no noun, or you want to clarify the gender of the person, then use the formula ADJECTIVE + MAN/ WOMAN/ BOY/ GIRL:
an English boy
a Chinese woman
a French man(can be written together: a Frenchman)
an English man(can be written together: an Englishman)
There is a term in English demonym(from Greek demos- people and onym- Name). This term is intended to describe the people living in a certain area. These are the names of nationalities, ethnic groups, residents of a particular area or a particular city. All the above adjectives and nouns derived from the names of countries are demonyms. Demonyms are formed mainly by suffixation:
London - Londoner - resident of London
Kiev - Kiev - resident of Kyiv
Rome - Roman - resident of Rome
In this article we will not provide a list of all nationalities and other demonyms. To begin with, you just need to know the names of the nationalities of large and frequently mentioned countries. If the need arises, you can easily find lists of all nationalities without exception on the Internet. The main thing is to remember the general rules and constantly expand your knowledge. And don't forget to subscribe to our updates! Good luck to you!
In this article we will touch on the topic nationality in English. Along with nationalities, we present countries in the summary tables, as well as exceptions based on the method of word formation of the noun that defines the representative of the country.
Nationality education in English
Adjectives meaning nationality, can be turned into a noun, denoting a representative of a given nationality, and can be used in the singular or plural.
Rules for the formation of nationality:
- -an , then in the singular the form of the word is preserved, and in the plural the ending is added -s ;
- if the adjective ends in -se , -ss , then the singular and plural form of the noun that is formed from it are the same.
Below is a table of the formation of nationality from adjectives according to the above rules.
| Country | Adjective | Country representative | The whole nation as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🔊Russia | 🔊Russian | 🔊 a Russian | 🔊 the Russians |
| 🔊 America (the USA) | 🔊 American | 🔊 an American | 🔊 the Amaericans |
| 🔊Belgium | 🔊Belgian | 🔊 a Belgian | 🔊 the Belgians |
| 🔊Brazil | 🔊 Brazlian | 🔊a Brazilian | 🔊 the Brazilians |
| 🔊 Bulgaria | 🔊 Bulgarian | 🔊 a Bulgarian | 🔊 the Bulgarians |
| 🔊Europe | 🔊European | 🔊a European | 🔊 the Europeans |
| 🔊 Italy | 🔊 Italian | 🔊 an Italian | 🔊 the Italians |
| 🔊Germany | 🔊German | 🔊a German | 🔊 the Germans |
| 🔊 Kenya | 🔊 Kenyan | 🔊 a Kenyan | 🔊the Kenyans |
| 🔊Morocco | 🔊Moroccan | 🔊a Moroccan | 🔊 the Moroccans |
| 🔊 Norway | 🔊Norwegian | 🔊a Norwegian | 🔊 the Norwegians |
| 🔊 Tyrol | 🔊 Tyrolean | 🔊 a Tyrolean | 🔊 the Tyroleans |
| 🔊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 | 🔊 the Chinese |
| 🔊 Congo | 🔊 Congolese | 🔊a Congolese | 🔊 the Congolese |
| 🔊 Portugal | 🔊Portuguese | 🔊a Portuguese | 🔊 the Portuguese |
| 🔊Switzerland | 🔊 Swiss | 🔊 a Swiss | 🔊 the Swiss |
Exceptions to the rules for the formation of nationalities in English
In addition to the formation of a nationality according to the rules defined above, there are exceptions. Nationality education not according to general rules is presented in the table below.
| Country | Adjective | Country representative | The whole nation as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🔊 Britain | 🔊British | 🔊 a British person (🔊 Briton) | 🔊 the British |
| 🔊 England | 🔊English | 🔊 an Englishwoman/man | 🔊 the English |
| 🔊France | 🔊 French | 🔊 a Frenchman/woman | 🔊 the French |
| 🔊 Ireland | 🔊Irish | 🔊 an Irishwoman/man | 🔊 the Irish |
| 🔊 Spain | 🔊 Spanish | 🔊 a Spaniard | 🔊 the Spanish |
| 🔊 The Netherlands / 🔊 Holland | 🔊 Dutch | 🔊 a Dutchwoman/man | 🔊 the Dutch |
| 🔊 Wales | 🔊 Welsh | 🔊 a Welshman/woman | 🔊 the Welsh |
| 🔊 Danmark | 🔊 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 |
Even in the phrase " he is Russian" word Russian- also a noun, although it looks like an adjective. In English, nationalities are often denoted by adjectives.
EltonJohnisEnglish – Elton John – Englishman
Pablio Picasso was Spanish / a Spaniard - PabloPicassowasSpaniard
Adjective endings
Countries on – ia take an adjective ending – n .
Russia — Russian
Nationalities on – ian :
Belgian, Brazilian, Canadian, Egyptian, Ghanaian, Hungarian, Iranian, Italian, Jordanian, Norwegian, Palestinian, Peruvian, Ukrainian.
Nationalities on –(e)an :
American, Angolan, Chilean, Costa Rican, Cuban, German, Kenyan, Korean, Libyan, Mexican, Moroccan, Paraguayan, Singaporean, South African, Sri Lankan, Ugandan, Uruguayan, Venezuelan, Zairean, Zimbabwean
Nationalities on – ish :
British, Danish, English, Finnish, Irish, Polish, Scottish, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Nationalities on –ese :
Burmese, Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese, Maltese, Nepalese, Portuguese, Senegalese, Sudanese, Surinamese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese
Nationalities on – i :
Bangladeshi,Bengali,Iraqi,IsraeliKuwait,Omani,Pakistani,Panjabi/Punjabi,Qatari,saudi,Yemeni
Special exceptions – Afghan/Afghani, Argentine/Argentinian/Argentinean, Czech, Cypriot, Dutch, Philippine, Greek, Hindu, Mozambican/Mozambiquan/Mozambiquean, Pashto/Pushto/Pushtu, Swiss, Thai, Welsh.
Nationality nouns
Adjectives and nouns of nationalities in -an match:
American - American =anAmerican - American
Nouns of other nationalities differ from adjectives.
Arabian – an Arab
British – a Brit(on)/Britisher
Danish - a Dane
Dutch – a Dutchman/Dutchwoman(Dutchman)
English - an Englishman/Englishwoman
Finnish - a Finn
French - a Frenchman/Frenchwoman
Irish – an Irishman/Irishwoman
Polish - a Pole
Philippine – a Filipino
Scottish – a Scot/Scotsman/Scotswoman
Spanish - a Spaniard
Swedish – a Swede
Turkish – a Turk
Welsh – a Welshman/Welshwoman
Substantivizationnationalities
When generalizing nationality to – i/an become nouns. Therefore, they can and should end with –s , and the article the serves here only to enhance collection.
Americanslove hamburgers - Americanslovehamburgers
Other collective nationalities, on the contrary, require the and exclude — s.
The Englishthink the sense of humor is very important – Englishthink, WhatfeelinghumorVeryimportant
The Irishsing very well – IrishVeryFinesing
English Joke
A woman in the mountains of Tennessee was seated in the doorway of the cabin, busily eating some pig’s feet. A neighbor hurried up to tell of how her husband had become engaged in a saloon brawl and had been shot to death. The widow continued munching on a pig’s foot in silence while she listened to the harrowing news. As the narrator paused, she spoke thickly from her crowded mouth:
“Jest wait till I finish this-here pig’s trotter, an’ ye’ll hear some hollerin’ as is hollerin’.”