Names of countries

[beejaybee]

Why is it that most countries in the world are NOT known by what they`re called in that country. EG. Deutchland, Espania, Italia, Cymru etc

[beejaybee]

This is now getting ridiculous. A simple question is now being taken completely out of context.

[shaneystar2]

Well....you asked it !!

[Jude123]

Nice one Shaney

[jno]

relax, beejaybee, it has been answered by shaneystar among others, quite early on, and now people are discussing the issues it raised (which are interesting ones, including manners, international amity and the uses of language). That's what AB is for. If you've really had enough, you can click on the 'Got an answer?' panel somewhere top right and stop receiving any more emails notifying you of answers.

[shaneystar2]

Thank heavens for common sense.If all countries were to have a name that everyone in the world recognised then you would have to have a name common to everyone in the world regardless of their native language. Hard to implement with variety of languages spoken in the world.
By the way I am bilingual and have no difficulty in grasping this theory.We would be in a sorry state without the rich world of language and it would be sad to hear people who have a wonderful language forced to say something commonplace in a language not native to them. Some of these placenames roll off the tongue wonderfully .
Ouagadougou...perhaps we could all call it..".Where people get honor and respect."....bit of a mouthful though.!

Which is where we came in ......it's a language thing :)

[THECORBYLOON]

A few hours ago we were all Boat People...

[shaneystar2]

Yes I know TCL... and poor old Brenda was keeping us low in the water .It's all them buns ....are we allowed to say Buns ..or should it be a worldwide word ...Scones perhaps or Teacakes !!
Perhaps poor Brenda shuold be renamed Heffalump so we all know to whom we are referring.

[THECORBYLOON]

I think you've hit on an interesting point there, I have assumed she is Brenda The Elelphant when in fact she could be Elephant the Brenda and has been too polite to correct me. As for the risk of capsizing, Brenda The Elephant does come wi an in-built water pump so I think that more than makes up for her plumptiousness.

[mightyWBA]

Did you know that Spain or Espana is derived from Hispania,the name given by the Romans for the region which now contains Spain.
This means "Land of the Rabbits" So if we really wanted to we could call Spain "Rabbit Land".
National anthem "Good Vibrations" ?

[Madmonks]

Is it just an English expectation that the whole world should write, speak and think in English? I once experienced an idiot on a cross channel ferry shouting at a crewman to speak to him in English as it was an English boat. The crew on shift that day were all French ( they alternate with an English crew) and the boat was the 'Pride of Calais'!!!
I told him he was just making a fool of himself but my Scottish accent got a reply that wouldn't get past the AB censors.

[jno]

seems not unreasonable to expect the crew of a ship travelling three times a day to England to speak English. (And French too. And Gaelic, in case they get blown off course.)

[Madmonks]

jno, the crew member was trying to communicate with this cretin in English but he was not getting through. I agree that the crews should be able to speak both languages but it is also only right that someone travelling to a foreign country trys to speak the local language where possible. It is an inherent laziness on the part of the British that people of other nationalities should learn English while we just shout loud and add 'O' to the end of English words.
I am bi- lingual ( Engish / French, not Gaelic) and try to get by in German, Italian and Spanish. Trying to converse in the local language always endears you to the locals, who forgive the odd mistake.

[jno]

not too sure what the local language is in the middle of the Channel, perhaps something salmony?