# Why the 'i' in Canadian? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2002, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657 "2002-07-25T00:02:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/1 "2002-07-25T00:02:05Z")
For Africa we say African. For Mexico we say Mexican. America gets American. However, Canada and Florida gets an extra ‘i’ and we say Canadian and Floridian. Anyone know why? ---
**Author:** ![meyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@meyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meyer)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/2 "2002-07-25T00:06:47Z")
Because “Canadan” sounds dumb? ---
**Author:** ![Daerlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Daerlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daerlyn)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/3 "2002-07-25T00:19:55Z")
Actually, I say ‘snowbirds’ . . . that’s people from Florida, right? 😃 But yeah, as a word, ‘Canadan’ has no balance. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/4 "2002-07-25T00:21:56Z")
It sounds dumb? It must be French then! ^\_\* ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/5 "2002-07-25T00:22:22Z")
Is it “Alabamian” or “Alabaman”? [sub]The first joker who responds with some variation of “redneck” gets a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Beastal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Beastal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastal)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/6 "2002-07-25T00:22:48Z")
Canadan only ‘sounds silly’ because we aren’t used to it. ---
**Author:** ![Beastal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Beastal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastal)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/7 "2002-07-25T00:24:00Z")
Why is someone from Holland, Dutch, and not Hollandian? ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/8 "2002-07-25T00:37:13Z")
The hockey team is the Montreal Canadiens, with an “e”, but I suppose that’s French. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/9 "2002-07-25T00:42:24Z")
Because “Dutch” = “from the Netherlands”, and Holland is only part of the Netherlands. As to why they call themselves “Dutch” rather than “Nederlanders” I can’t remember, but I think it’s something to do with other people confusing them with Germans (“Deutsch”). No doubt a certain moderator will give a more accurate answer presently. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/10 "2002-07-25T01:31:00Z")
I suppose it could be done either way, but the one that sounds better to more people will dominate. Where I live we’ve got a lot of Texans, but back when we were a country the denizens were Texians. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/11 "2002-07-25T01:53:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Khadaji \* > \*\*For Africa we say African. For Mexico we say Mexican. America gets American. However, Canada and Florida gets an extra ‘i’ and we say Canadian and Floridian. Anyone know why? \*\* _NOTE - in the post below, capital V stands for “any vowel”._ From the examples you give, it’s demonstrated that names ending in “-cV/-kV/-gV” get by with a simple “-an” ending: **Costa Rican, San Fransiscan, San Diegan**. The “k” and “g” sounds are known as velar stops, as they are pronounced with the tongue against the velum. It seems that English euphony allows the weak syllable “-an” after a “strong” velar consonant. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/12 "2002-07-25T02:04:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Usram \* > \*\*Because “Dutch” = “from the Netherlands”, and Holland is only part of the Netherlands. As to why they call themselves “Dutch” rather than “Nederlanders” I can’t remember, but I think it’s something to do with other people confusing them with Germans (“Deutsch”). No doubt a certain moderator will give a more accurate answer presently. \*\* They don’t generally call themselves Dutch, but Nederlanders, as you noted. I’m sure **Coldfire** can enlighten us more. [sub]_fixed coding - **DrM** _[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Hamish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Hamish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamish)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/13 "2002-07-25T03:04:46Z")
Well, I’m pretty sure Canadian is a corruption/borrowing of the French _canadien_. The French were the first Europeans to settle this country. They were the ones who believed _kanata_ – an Iroquois word for village – refered to the whole region. And they were the first to call themselves _canadiens_. As for why the French chose _canadien_ and not _canadain_ – as in _américain_ and _mexicain_ is beyond me. Nothing in my _Précis de grammaire française_ says anything about it – so we’re back to square one. Maybe they just picked it because it sounded cool – like someone from Bordeaux being a _bordelais_ or someone from Vichy being a _vichyssois_ (sp?). Someone from Madagascar is a _malgache_ – which does sound neat, but is very counter-intuitive. French is the only language I know whose teachers will justify a grammatical rule by “Because it sounds pretty!” Choosing suffixes for citizens of a country seems to work on the same principle. ---
**Author:** ![meyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@meyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meyer)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/14 "2002-07-25T10:43:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hamish \* > \*\*Well, I’m pretty sure Canadian is a corruption/borrowing of the French _canadien_. The French were the first Europeans to settle this country. They were the ones who believed _kanata_ – an Iroquois word for village – refered to the whole region. And they were the first to call themselves _canadiens_. > \*\* “He says his land is called Ka-Na-Ta - Canada!” “But, sir, I’m sure he means these houses, this village!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Babar714](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Babar714](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babar714)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/15 "2002-07-25T14:17:49Z")
And people from Paris are Parisites, right? ---
**Author:** ![Hamish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Hamish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamish)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/16 "2002-07-25T19:01:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by meyer \* > \*\* > > “He says his land is called Ka-Na-Ta - Canada!” > > “But, sir, I’m sure he means these houses, this village!” > > 😃 \*\* Ah, where would be without the Canadian Heritage Minutes to (mis)inform us of our nations’s proud history! It’s a good thing they skip over the little things like racism, etc – wouldn’t want a little _accuracy_ to get in the way of a good, sanitized national mythology! 😃 This Canadian Heritage Rant has been sponsored by Heritage Ministry. Additional funds were supplied by the National Film board ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Gaughan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ec9cab/32.png) [@Bob\_Gaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Gaughan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-i-in-canadian/120657/17 "2002-07-25T19:06:23Z")
I thought the name Canada originated from explorers not being able to come up with a name so they put a whole bunch of letters in a hat and then someone picked them out one at a time- “C - eh?” “N - eh?” “D - eh?”