Wednesday 7 August 2024

Let’s talk about demonyms!

 What is your demonym?

A demonym or gentilic is a word that identifies a person or a group of people living in or from a specific place such as a district, a town, a city, a province, a region, a country or any other place.  In English most demonyms or gentilics are formed by adding a suffix to a location. For example: -an for Italian (italiano), -ish for British (británico), -ese for Japanese (japonés),  -er for Londoner (londinense), -ite for Dubaite (dubaití), and -i for Israeli.  (israelita).

 The word demonym is rooted in the two Greek words: dēmos, which refers to an administrative division or its people, and onyma that means ‘name’. The Encyclopaedia Britannica explains that the term alludes to the nomenclature of the ancient Athenians who were named according to the deme (country district or village, as distinct from a poli, or city-state) in which they lived. 

 The word gentilic come from the Latin gentilicium. This was the name of lineage to which a male belonged, and it was written in the name of a Roman citizen. One article from BBC New Mundo points out that in the past, a tribe or a lineage was very important, much more than the city in which they lived. The gentilicium was the group of people or the community to which a person belonged.  

 Demonyms are very common in Spanish; people use them on daily basis. In English demonyms are widely used for nationality, however they are less common to refer to someone from a region or a town. For instance, to make reference to somebody from Paris people do not normally say “a Parisian” but a person from Paris and to talk about an inhabitant of Madrid it is not usually said a Madrilenian. 

 In Spanish demonyms are formed with different suffix. There is not a particular rule to indicate which suffix must be taken to form each gentilic, but rather it must be learnt with the name of the place.

 Demonyms can be very useful to add richness to students’ vocabulary when talking about the origin of people or things. They give the impression that the user knows and is able to manage the language better than someone who only uses the name of the country or the place.

 Demonyms include denominations of ethnic groups, peoples, nationalities, languages, etc. They are adjectives that help place a person in a city, town, region or country since they define geographical origin. In most cases they are easy to learn since the root of the term is the same as that of the place from which it comes. However, there are also several demonyms that are irregular. The following table provides a guidance to learn some common demonyms in Spanish.   

Demonyms are vital in intercultural communication. They not only identify the origin of a person, but can also represent the identity, values, and characteristics of a community. Demonyms can have a very strong symbolic power as they are closely linked to identity, belonging and inclusion. Therefore, when they are used appropriately, they can positively contribute to establishing a kinder and more fluid interpersonal relationships with others. 

 The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy has included names of countries officially recognised by international organizations with their capitals and demonyms.  At the same time, it adds the recommended form of the demonym when it exists. If there is a variant of the demonym that is not commonly used, the specification of the country or region in which it is used is indicated in brackets.  To see the full list click here. 

Bibliography:

By Isabel O'Donoghue at

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