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Its 05.22 and I haven't slept yet so you may a few ramblings from my addled mind. So another thing I always wonder is who decides the denotion of a person's nationality. Why am I 'English' and not 'Englander'. Why are people from USA not Americanish? Someone must get to decide all this. Oh and I give up with Holland because some bits 'The Netherlands' and some bits are Holland but the people ard Dutch. People from Belgium are Flemish...its so confusing. Gonna try and sleep. Being on leave is not good for a brain like mine. Oh I do this drug and alcohol free!

Amisja 8 Aug 19
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11 comments

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What is he even more confusing is if you were from New England you would be a New Englander not New English. Americanish would not work for the states because there is a North and South America. People from Belgium ARE Belgian. There are two ethnicities the Germanic Flemish and the French Walloons. You are mixing nationalities and ethnicities, that is why it is confusing. Holland is a province of the Netherlands.

I'm glad no one calls me a walloon. It sounds like an insult

@MsDemeanour yes it sounds like a crazy walrus.

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A sort of adddendum.
The Germans call it Deutschland because it is the land of the Dutch people. The Dutch call home Nederland, the low country, and themselves Nederlanders.
A real disconnect is Finland. The Fins call it Suomi, which in an early European language meant "Land". (I presume as opposed to water, which is plentiful there.) I guess to most other people it was the back end of nowhere, where the land finished.

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I thought Belgians lived in Belgium. It is certainly a head scratcher. I can't even get my head around why America has Black Americans, Asian americans etc. It's a multicultural country......Can't they all be called just 'American'? I don't know if people from Scotland are Scottish or the Scots. And then there are the Swiss which sounds like a dance. As for Luxemburgers.....probably better than a vegieburger. And try calling a Bavarian a German and you're likely to get a smack in the face. I'm happy to be Australian where to be called a 'mad cunt' is the highest complement.

People from Scotland may be called Scottish or Scots, but NEVER Scotch - that is their national beverage!
Residents of Vienna do not appreciate being called Austrian. They are Viennese!
I see you live on "West Island", as opposed to North or South islands. 🤣🤣😁

Haha

'Sick cunt' is also acceptable. Never 'shit cunt'.

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Thank you all for your replies and @Petter explanation. When my children were little when I was studying, I worked nights for many years. Hence, unless otherwise encouraged not to (as in being at work) I quickly becone nocturnal. Doesn't help that I lived in different time zones for years. Hence long periods of leave mean I have day night reversal and an overactive mind. Its now 11:45 and I have been up a couple of hours. I have a full day ahead and will try and sleep tonight.

I have always been a vampire.

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Wow I was really tired. Not sure if that even makes sense!

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You need to look at the early tongues spoken in those countries. The Angles were the Anglish people, just as Norman is Viking for "North Man". To this day, Norwegians say "jeg er Norman", meaning I am a North man.
Holland is a new country, as is Belgium. Originally there were many loosely allied states, referred to as the "Low countries" for pretty obvious reasons. Dunkirk was at the Southern end. Further North was Flanders, with semi-French territory between them. That is why Southern Belgians speak French, but Northern Belgians speak Flamand. (Flemish)
(Listening to it being spoken, one could be forgiven for calling it "Phlegmish" )
The fascinating one is the place the locals call Deutschland. (Note the connection with Dutch)
In English it is Germany, in French it is Allemande, in Spanish Alemania, in Italian Tedesco.
Right, I hope I have now bored you to sleep!! 😄😁🛏️🛏️💤😴

you sound an interesting knowledgable sort of fellow. How is it that we have a Peter from Spain and not a Pedro?

@MsDemeanour Because I am a Petter (double "t" ) and I didn't move to Spain until 32 years ago.
My ethnic origin is 50% Norwegian, 25% South African and 25% Swiss. To add to the mongrel mix, I am 100% Kenya born and bred,. All my education is Kenyan, and my main career was in Kenya. My true "nationality" is therefore "colonial".
In short, one could say I am one of the last remaining pillocks of the British empire. 😁🤣🤣

@Petter Oh if I were you I'd definitely be telling people I was African!

@MsDemeanour I do indeed qualify for that title. I'm the third known generation of my family to be born in Africa. It may be more, but my grandmother's past is unknown.
If you saw the film "Out of Africa", then you've seen the very farm which my grandmother owned. She bought it when the Blixen estate was put up for auction. I spent a lot of my childhood living on it, as well as on a farm in the Highlands of Limuru.

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In Germany, you are a Engländerin, if that makes you feel better.I hope you had a good night.

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SLEEP ... I like a lemon ginger and honey tea in the evening - doesn't help me sleep, but tastes ok
The origins of countries is shrouded in the clouds of history

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I like the Australian term for Americans - Seppoes. Combines rhyming slang with the Australian thing of unnecessary word shortening.

Oh Australians are darling. With your upper inflection mate 😉

Derogatory word used by the English and Australians for all American nationals. Derived from rhyming slang (Septic Tank = Yank)
(e.g. Will those stupid seppos ever shut up bragging about how much lemonade they can drink?).

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Get some sleep honey

bobwjr Level 10 Aug 19, 2019
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Same puzzle with residents/citizens of states within America. I live in Hawaii, but I can't describe myself as Hawaiian or people would think I'm ethnically Hawaiian/Polynesian. All the rest of the states seem to just add "ian" or "er" or "ite" to designate a citizen of that state. Hawaii doesn't seem to have an acceptable designation for a resident not of Polynesian descent. It doesn't keep me up at night, but it's a puzzle all the same. 🙂

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