# Names of Nations and Peoples **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-nations-and-peoples/260198 "2004-08-17T04:15:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-nations-and-peoples/260198/21 "2004-08-17T21:11:44Z")
> [@brix11](#): > > Hate to burst your bubble, but there’s no need to change the keyboard. Just hit option-u, then u again. Like this—ü. Instant umlaut. option-u? Where’s that option key? I don’t seem to have one on any of my PC keyboards… I struggle through the alt-130, alt-131 etc, until I hit the right one, or go consult my notebook text file ascii list. ---
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-nations-and-peoples/260198/22 "2004-08-17T21:20:09Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > [San Jose, California](http://www.sanjoseca.gov/) has recently taken to putting an accent over the “e”, even though diacritical marks are explicitly disallowed by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. Oops, we’re in violation, too. maybe we’ll get kicked out! We use the `ukina (`) to represent a glottal stop (like the pause in “Uh oh”) for Hawaiian place names, like: Hawai`i Kahalu`u Kane`ohe Kapa`a I don’t think other states or the feds recognize it, though. ---
**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-nations-and-peoples/260198/23 "2004-08-17T23:45:02Z")
I guess one thing I hate seeing is linguistic imperialism, whereby in this case, the English language is used to try to direct the destiny of every other language in the world. So, if the English-speaking powers-that-be say that, unless a nation is called by it’s English name, well…it just won’t be put on the map until the people who live there “come to their senses”!! Hey, while we’re at it we can bring back the name of Rhodesia!! As long as English-speakers can pronounce it, then it’s all right! (Whats this Zimbabwe stuff anyway??!!) And let’s not forget French Indochina!!! (Then we’d be using the English translation of the French designation of their former colonial possessions!) And Finland – the English-speakers can’t seem to pronounce the name Suomi, so you are henceforth and forever called Finland (no matter how that makes you feel!!) And the Malvinas? In English it’s the Falkland Islands! And don’t forget the “Eye-talians” and “Eye-rack” and “Eye-ran”!!! It’s been said that if you shout LOUD enough in English at someone who can’t speak the language, then they’ll eventually understand it!! Learning a little about other nations and peoples (even if it’s just the name of their country in their language) shouldn’t prove such an insurmountable obstacle!! Can you remember the name of one thing? How about two or even three things? Four things? Hey, you’re ready for MENSA!! There’s nothing wrong with making an effort to take a step in trying to know another-- even if it means having to learn a word of their language. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-nations-and-peoples/260198/24 "2004-08-18T04:04:08Z")
The names Burma and Myanmar are two variants of the same ethnic name. The strange thing is, neither name has an r in the original Burmese. The forms of these names in the Burmese language are Bama and Myanma. Now you can see why they changed it: they wanted to avoid confusion with (Ala)bama. The name of Rangoon wasn’t changed in Burmese, only the spelling in English. Its name in Burmese script is still spelled the same as it always was. The reason for the difference is a sound shift over time in Burmese phonetics. The letter that historically corresponds to r is now pronounced y. If that sounds odd to you, consider how many English speakers pronounce February as Febyuary. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-nations-and-peoples/260198/25 "2004-08-18T04:08:33Z")
Ok, so Siam changed it’s name. Next your gonna tell me ‘Owah’ and "Taygu’ have followed suit. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-nations-and-peoples/260198/26 "2004-08-18T04:16:22Z")
> [@rippingtons\_fan](#): > > Hey, while we’re at it we can bring back the name of Rhodesia!! As long as English-speakers can pronounce it, then it’s all right! (Whats this Zimbabwe stuff anyway??!!) Well, if you’re going to get picky, Zimbabwe is the former Southern Rhodesia; it’s only fair to require Zambia to change back to Northern Rhodesia. After all, if Korea can put up with it, the Rhodesians can too! > [@](#): > > And Finland – the English-speakers can’t seem to pronounce the name Suomi, so you are henceforth and forever called Finland (no matter how that makes you feel!!) Hey, even their national music is called “Finlandia”! The main reason English speakers won’t buy into Suomi is their stubborn refusal to adopt as their national anthem George M. Cohan’s song about them: “Suomi! How I love ya, how I love ya, my dear old Suomi!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-nations-and-peoples/260198/27 "2004-08-18T04:20:23Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I just don’t get why Spain isn’t insisting everyone call it España, why Germany isn’t insisting on Deutschland, etc. If two or three nations are going to demand that everyone call their country such-n-such, then why not all of them? Because they don’t care so much. Are you under the impression all non-US countries feel the same about every issue? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-nations-and-peoples/260198/28 "2004-08-18T04:25:11Z")
About the same time that newly independent Ukraine dropped the “the” from its name, the Sudan dropped the “the” (band name!) too, becoming just Sudan. It kind of makes sense for Ukraine, since the Ukrainian language lacks a definite article. However, the Arabic name of Sudan does use the definite article: \*\*al-\*\*Sûdân. So why they would drop it in English while keeping it in Arabic makes no sense. 😕 A name change that probably went under most people’s radar: In 1992 or so, newly independent Kazakhstan dropped the h from its name and became Kazakstan. Then, but I’m not entirely sure about this, they seem to have changed their minds a few years later and became Kazakhstan again. I admit I can’t tell any more what the country’s name is really supposed to be. Neither spelling exists in the original Kazakh language: the Kazakh name for the country uses neither k nor kh. It uses q: Qazaqstan. The people’s name for themselves is **Qazaq, which is neat because you can type it using only the leftmost keys on the keyboard, going down and back up again.** The letter Q in the modified Cyrillic alphabet used to write Kazakh is adapted from K with an extra stroke added. The Russians have not bothered to use the modified letter and just make it plain K. The rest of the world followed Russian usage when Central Asia was cut off from the rest of the world by the Iron Curtain and everything Central Asian was filtered through Russian. Thirteen years after independence, they still have not shaken off their Russian hangover. Another example is Uzbekistan. The Uzbek language is now officially converted to the Roman alphabet, and they are gradually weaning themselves off Cyrillic. The Uzbeks call themselves O’zbek, because the initial sound is actually pronounced o, not u. The country’s name is O’zbekiston. But we call it Uzbek, just because they used to write their O’ sound with a modified Cyrillic U, and the Russians of course changed it to a plain U. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-nations-and-peoples/260198/29 "2004-08-18T04:37:37Z")
Well, just southeast of the Qazaqs is the autonomous part of O’zbekistan called Qaraqalpaqistan – probably the most Q’s in any legitimate English word! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-nations-and-peoples/260198.md?page=1)