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I've always been confused about Holland, Netherlands, and Dutch.
by ZYinMD 4y ago
I've always been confused about Holland, Netherlands, and Dutch.
- PierreProstata 4y agoHolland = Holtland = "wood land", is a/the main region in the Netherlands Netherlands = Nederlande = "low lands", encompasses the land which is devoid of mountains Dutch = same origin as Deutsch (like Pennsylvania Dutch, which is closer to German than Dutch)
- rvense 4y agoI've heard that the term Pennsylvania Dutch actually comes from English-speakers mishearing/misunderstanding when the speakers refer to their own language "Deutsch".
- socialdemocrat 4y agoHolland is a province of the Netherlands. Because it was the one most active in trade abroad people came to associate Dutch people with Holland. “Dutch” however is some peculiar English thing. The Holland/Netherlands thing exist in manny countries but in my home country Norway we call them “nederlender” or “Hollender.” This is similar to what the Dutch call themselves.
- irrational 4y agohttps://www.etymonline.com/word/dutch https://www.etymonline.com/word/dutch
- alistairSH 4y agoHolland is a region within the Netherlands. It is (was?) the most populous and economically productive region, so over time got used as a substitute for Netherlands. "Dutch" is derived from a word that means "the people". As is the Deutsch in Deutschland (what Germans call their nation - land of the people, basically). At one time, there were high Dutch and low Dutch, describing people from hilly regions in (what is now) Germany and people from the low-lying area that is now the Netherlands. Netherlands is just what it sounds like - the low lands. Apt, since so much of the country should be underwater.
- wholien 4y agoYou see "nether-" in other words too, like "netherworld" or "nether regions", which both mean low/lowest parts of a place.
- zokier 4y agoIsn't that bit of England/GB/UK situation?
- usr1106 4y agoNot convinced. Those UK regions are clearly defined current regions and used equally wrong in most languages. In the Germany case they are extinct people and different languages have picked different ones to name the current country. I would be surprised if any language named GB after Scotland or Wales.
- the_af 4y agoI'm tempted to quote George Mikes, author of "How to be an alien": > "When people say England, they sometimes mean Great Britain, sometimes the United Kingdom, sometimes the British Isles - but never England"
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- samus 4y agoHolland: two provinces of The Netherlands. Dutch: the ethnicity. The word has the same origin as "Deutsch". The Netherlands: the european part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
- mxuribe 4y agoI think @alistairSH and @socialdemocrat stated it best! Also, I am an American and I used to work for a Dutch company (though i was based/worked out of the U.S. side)...and i will add that as many Dutch friends as i have, they all still dislike being wholesale referred to as "Hollanders" or living in the "country" of Holland. ...Which, i can not blame them for disliking of course. ;-) Also, when i speak English i refer to them as my *Dutch* buddies, but if i'm speaking in one of the Dutch dialects, then definitely use "Nederlanders". :-)
- tchalla 4y agoI think this video should be sufficient to explain the difference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE_IUPInEuc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE_IUPInEuc
- naoqj 4y agoI find this one to be better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL4QfvIrUf4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL4QfvIrUf4
- Freak_NL 4y agoIf we're going for comedic references, this clip wins my Dutch vote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5sC6j8gH_4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5sC6j8gH_4 (Michael Troughton playing the naive politician making an ultimatum to then-queen Beatrix of the Netherlands over the phone, and of course the brilliant Rik Mayall)