Sometimes I feel, as an English speaker, like an obnoxious boor. The sort that never gets anyone's name right at a party. The one that calls Susan Vicky because 'she looks like a Vicky'. Or calls Michael Mike, which Michael never does. Doesn't it feel that way when it comes to other cities and countries?
The whole world is focused on a little Italian city right now and we can't agree on what it is called. It seems pretty clear that they call it Torino, which doesn't seem that hard to say. So why do I hear so many people reporting from Turin standing in front of backdrops with Torino written all over them?
Why do say Germany, Japan, and Finland? Lisbon and Rome? Do all English speaking cultures butcher foreign names? Do other languages call us by their own names?
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It goes a little something like this...
Turin is the Piedmontese name for what the Italians call Torino. Turin is the capital of Piedmont, or Piemonte if you're speaking Piemontese. The French, being close to Piemonte, got their name for it from the Piemontese. The French then went on to give us our name for it when they were running the show in England, or what they call Inglaterre. So no, it isn't only English speaking people that do it. What we call a place has more to do with the history of our language rather than any ignorance or what have you. Take Deutschland...we call it Germany, which we got from the Latin, Germania. The French call it Allemagne because their first dealing with German-types were the Allemani tribe. The Czechs call it Nemecko(?) some type of variant of their word for mute, and most of the Slavs have similar names to that.
As for Canada, most people use that name, often with a K instead of a C, because it's a relatively new name.
I just thought of something...what we call Hungary is based on ignorance. The Hungarians are actually the Magyars, but somebody mistook them for the Huns and the name stuck.
I just remembered something. The other day I was biking across the Burrard bridge and noticed that the marquee-type sign on the Molson's brewery wanted me to buy a Team Canada shirt so I could cheer them on in Turino.
OK, I like the history angle, except that Sherry-Jane doesn't like being called Sherry-Jane. Mostly because that's not her name. Even if that is how Claude likes to introduce her to everyone.
It just might be time to drop the whole Turin thing. History or no history.
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