English, as with any language, is full of quirks that cause fits for those learning it. Whether its silent letters, inconsistent pronunciation, irregular verbs or unusual plurals, there is always something that is just waiting to bring an English learner some angst.
One of those has to do with demonyms which are the words used for a person who is native or lives in a particular place. While you can say, “I met a Canadian” or “I talked to an Israeli”, you can’t say, “I met a Japanese” or “I talked to an English.” This stems from whether or not the word can be used a demonym and an adjective or solely as an adjective. From the above sentences, Canadian and Israeli can be used as both demonyms and adjectives while Japanese and English function as adjectives and not demonyms. Those nationalities that are adjectives and not demonyms need to be followed by a noun: “I met a Japanese woman” or “I talked to an Englishman.” Here are a few points to help you use these words correctly.
‘-an’ and ‘-i’ endings are both adjectives and demonyms: a Mexican, an Italian, a Pakistani, a Bangladeshi
‘-sh’ or ‘-ch’ endings need man or woman: an Englishman, a Frenchwoman, a Dutchman, an Irishwoman, a Welshman
‘-ese’ endings need to be followed by a noun: a Taiwanese man, a Portuguese person
The final grouping are demonyms that are different from the adjective with many of them coming from Europe.
Country Adjective Demonym
Croatia Croatian a Croat
Denmark Danish a Dane
Finland Finnish a Finn
Iceland Icelandic an Icelander
The Philippines Philippine a Filipino
Poland Polish a Pole
Scotland Scottish a Scot
Serbia Serbian a Serb
Spain Spanish a Spaniard
Sweden Swedish a Swede
Turkey Turkish a Turk
While we mostly associate demonyms with countries, they can also be used for regions, states/provinces, cities, etc.
Regions: Scandinavia – a Scandinavian, The South (in the U.S.A.) – a Southerner
States: Washington (U.S.A.) – a Washingtonian, Quebec (Canada) – a Quebecer
Cities: Tokyo – a Tokyoite, Hong Kong – a Hong Konger, Sydney – a Sydneysider,
London – a Londoner. Paris – a Parisian, Madrid – a Madrilean
As can be seen, talking about nationalities in English is the polar opposite to the simplicity of Japanese where simply putting ‘-jin’ at the end of a place suffices. So, what am I? I am an American, an Arizonan, a Prescottonian, a Shisuiite and a citizen of Heaven. What are you? Erik