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native Spanish speaker calls DR "The Dominican"
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Pati
Remember that you translating into english but the country name is Republica Dominicana and the "gentilicio" (I am sorry, I don't know how to translate this in English) is "Dominicanos". Just like Cuba-cubanos, Filipinas - filipinos, etc
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pati said:
Remember that you translating into english but the country name is Republica Dominicana and the "gentilicio" (I am sorry, I don't know how to translate this in English) is "Dominicanos". Just like Cuba-cubanos, Filipinas - filipinos, etc
:classic:
Hi, I'm Bob and I'm from the United
Quote:
Originally Posted by VirginiaGomes
Well, hun, you just met one. I always call the DR Dominican, because saying "dominicana" sounds awkwards to me. Simple differences in taste
Hey, Hun, you can say it all you want, but you will still sound like a chopita. I've heard Sammy Sosa refer to "the Dominican", but then we all know where he came from. I'm sorry, when I hear it, I just infer ignorance or low-class.
Quote:
Originally Posted by VirginiaGomes
Well, hun, you just met one. I always call the DR Dominican, because saying "dominicana" sounds awkwards to me. Simple differences in taste
Hey, Hun, you can say it all you want, but you will still sound like a chopita. I've heard Sammy Sosa refer to "the Dominican", but then we all know where he came from. I'm sorry, when I hear it, I just infer ignorance or low-class.
I know there are some English speaking Dominicans that refer to the D.R. as "the Dominican", i just infered i have yet to meet one and like you said Virginia, i just met one which is you.
I myself understand the Spanish language at the same level as the English language, although lately i'm using English more then Spanish. I respect your point of view of how you refer to the D.R. in terms of wording, i just don't see it proper to short-term if i may, the name of the country i'm originally from. Slang is popular these days, just won't go with me saying "the Dominican", to me it sounds like referring to a Dominican person "the Dominican over there", not the country itself.
I myself understand the Spanish language at the same level as the English language, although lately i'm using English more then Spanish. I respect your point of view of how you refer to the D.R. in terms of wording, i just don't see it proper to short-term if i may, the name of the country i'm originally from. Slang is popular these days, just won't go with me saying "the Dominican", to me it sounds like referring to a Dominican person "the Dominican over there", not the country itself.
Stupid Dominicans in the US refer to the RD as Santo Domingo. Doesn't matter if they live in La Vega, Santiago, or the moon.
Can you imagine my chagrin trying to talk to a bozo that says his home in Santo Domingo is only an hour from Sosua? Then when you finally figure out what the bozo means he just laughs at you.
Go figger...
Can you imagine my chagrin trying to talk to a bozo that says his home in Santo Domingo is only an hour from Sosua? Then when you finally figure out what the bozo means he just laughs at you.
Go figger...
Again, i stated that it is common to refer to the D.R. as "Dominicana" back home, especially in our news media....it is a Spanish speaking country and saying "Dominicana" for the news media is just to short-term the country's long name, which comes back to the English version "the Dominican", one might argue it's the same thing, but looking at it again "the Dominican" sounds too akward; I have heard American news media referring to the Dominican Republic as "the D.R." don't know about the European media, at least Spain gets it right.
To say stupid Dominicans call their country "Santo Domingo" is just plain ignorance, i have called it "Santo Domingo" and i'm not from the capital does it make me stupid? We might need to read the history of the island and the names it had before we assume calling people stupid because indeed it was called Santo Domingo, just like some Dominicans call it "Quisqueya La Bella". If you are Dominican, which i doubt, i hope you understand the history of the island and it's people before concluding that some of them are stupid, in this case Dominicans living outside the country.
To say stupid Dominicans call their country "Santo Domingo" is just plain ignorance, i have called it "Santo Domingo" and i'm not from the capital does it make me stupid? We might need to read the history of the island and the names it had before we assume calling people stupid because indeed it was called Santo Domingo, just like some Dominicans call it "Quisqueya La Bella". If you are Dominican, which i doubt, i hope you understand the history of the island and it's people before concluding that some of them are stupid, in this case Dominicans living outside the country.
The point y'all keep missing here is that the only argument saying that this is 'OK' is that it's "'OK' because 'everybody else says it.'" As my mother would say, "If everybody went and jumped off a cliff would you do it to?" The answer, for anyone actually unsure of what my answer would be, is "No!"gerd said:
"Dominican" is an adjective. "DomRep", or "DR", or "Republica Dominicana" are all nouns. Trying to use what is obviously an adjective as a noun is what causes it to grate on the ears of English speakers. No way to get around that no matter how many times you say it. Your protestations aside.
Other words in English are routinely misused by the ignorant as well. Like transposing "affect" and "effect" as one example. The perpetrators use the exact same argument. "Everyone else does it! Why are you picking on me!" Why? Because you sound like an ignorant boob for one, and for another, I don't want to see the very real difference between the two words disappear over time simply because uneducated people overwhelmed those who actully do, in fact, know how to speak proper English.
Grow up. Go to school. Take an English class. And learn something in the process.
Tom aka XR My best subject in school was spilling.
P.S.
I have never heard a German say "DomRep." They write it that way, yes. But why would a German use an abbreviation of the English name of the country? I will have to ask some German friends in Sosua about that one.
My Side...
I have tried to stay out of this bebate for a long time...not just on this thread. When I lived there in the 60s and 70s, The Dominican was common usuage among all my friends, that included literate and illiterate Dominicans, Americans, Germans, and almost everyone else who spoke English. By the way, one of the requisites for having a word added to the Oxford dictionary is common usuage. I see know more problem with saying the Dominican, Capitalized as a proper noun, short for another poprer noun Dominican Republic, than I do for people saying the States, when referring to the United States.
If someone uses dominican as an adjective it would not be capitalized unless as a first word in a sentence.
I do not use the term the Dominican on this board because some have basically said it is sommewhat offensive to them and it just wasn't worth the argument, but I still use it in conversation with friends and family from that period.
I have tried to stay out of this bebate for a long time...not just on this thread. When I lived there in the 60s and 70s, The Dominican was common usuage among all my friends, that included literate and illiterate Dominicans, Americans, Germans, and almost everyone else who spoke English. By the way, one of the requisites for having a word added to the Oxford dictionary is common usuage. I see know more problem with saying the Dominican, Capitalized as a proper noun, short for another poprer noun Dominican Republic, than I do for people saying the States, when referring to the United States.
If someone uses dominican as an adjective it would not be capitalized unless as a first word in a sentence.
I do not use the term the Dominican on this board because some have basically said it is sommewhat offensive to them and it just wasn't worth the argument, but I still use it in conversation with friends and family from that period.
XanaduRanch said:
Dominikanische Republik is the german "translation" for Dominican Republic.
Makes sense now?
Of course they wouldn't use this term in an english conversation, knowing it's too confusing for you.
Btw, some dominican friends in Germany talk about "La Rep?blica", when they actually mean the dominican (Republic).
Hope this doesn't keep you awake tonight....
All perfectly acceptable, because as previously pointed out these are all nouns. Both in English and in German. Mayhap you need edit your previous post as you said:gerd said:Dominikanische Republik is the german "translation" for Dominican Republic.
Makes sense now?
Of course they wouldn't use this term in an english conversation, knowing it's too confusing for you.
Btw, some dominican friends in Germany talk about "La Rep?blica", when they actually mean the dominican (Republic).
Hope this doesn't keep you awake tonight....
Gerd said:
My English probably isn't as advanced as yours. Nor, most likely, is my command of any of the other seven languages I speak - fluently - equal to yours. Please excuse me. I inferred that the word 'say' in your post meant to 'speak'. Perhaps you can clarify that for poor old me.
I did note that you didn't respond to any of the other points as to why this was not a proper form of address for the Dominican Republic. Maybe you could actually adress that point - if you have any retort other than 'That's what all my friends say, and even Sammy Sosa, too!
Tom aka XR Why is bra singular and panties plural?
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XanaduRanch said:
He, he, he.
Pardon the "supercilious interruptus" (is Latin one your seven?), but here is an example:
Florida is an adjective meaning "flowery". Add "La" to the front of it and, whepa, it has become a readily accepted noun! In English, they even ignore the "La" ("The") and somehow can sleep at night. Someone from this adjective is, of course, a "Floridian".
Sound familiar: "The Dominican", "Dominican".
Now stand back while XR has a paroxysm in seven languages - fluently.
Again?
You said it, el jefe. "The Dominican" is moving ahead at full force in terms of popularity, as attested to by these boards alone. I don't think, however, that the sarcasm and scoffing here will be enough to stop it. Personally, I'm not so bothered by it, as it's a term of affectionate familiarity, obviously not a reference to a person. Think: the Atlantic (Ocean) or the Rockies (Mountains). We have a street in Montreal that is referred to as "the Main." That's where the line between adjective and proper noun becomes blurred. Anything can be a name!
I do understand how it is when something irritates, though. It bugs me to no end that people say they "had a fun day." FUN as an adjective totally sucks for me, but people do it anyway.
Reason to hate me: I used to call the DR "Domin," as in "I got my ticket to Domin." It didn't really take off.
You said it, el jefe. "The Dominican" is moving ahead at full force in terms of popularity, as attested to by these boards alone. I don't think, however, that the sarcasm and scoffing here will be enough to stop it. Personally, I'm not so bothered by it, as it's a term of affectionate familiarity, obviously not a reference to a person. Think: the Atlantic (Ocean) or the Rockies (Mountains). We have a street in Montreal that is referred to as "the Main." That's where the line between adjective and proper noun becomes blurred. Anything can be a name!
I do understand how it is when something irritates, though. It bugs me to no end that people say they "had a fun day." FUN as an adjective totally sucks for me, but people do it anyway.
Reason to hate me: I used to call the DR "Domin," as in "I got my ticket to Domin." It didn't really take off.
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In a democracy, 6 out of 10 folks mihgt possibly 'vote' to rape all the women in the country. It would certainly be a valid, 'democratic' vote. Is it right or moral? I would suggest not. One of the reasons I am so vocal about misuse of languages is precisely because accepted practice through use becomes correct usage over time. My problem is that in the process, precision is lost. That's a terrible crime. The wonderful panoplay of alternate possibilities disappears into a mystery stew of lowest common denominator vocabulary. How sad!Jane J. said:
Once again, it bears repeating that "Domin" is not an adjective in English, and therefore does not cause my ears to curl upon hearing it. Viva la Domin!
Tom aka XR I'm writing a book. So far I've got the page numbers done.
To answer the question...
I think that yes, they should be corrected. However, on this board, it seems that people take certain things way too serious and it seems that most bothered people by using the word here are not even DOMINICANS!
If a person from another country wants to call its OWN country whatever he/she wants, who am I to 'set them straight?' It THEIR country!
I never use the word Dominican in that sense, however, I do hear a lot of other Dominicans call it Dominicana. Doesnt bother me none - only when the person is Dominican. I do tend to correct English speaking people who call it Dominican - and I also correct the people who dont even know of it at all.
I'm just happy that people actually KNOW of DR at all. I remember back when you were either Puerto Rican or something else, never any other country. My first few years in America people didnt even know the island existed - we were just that Island near Puerto Rico and Cuba. Now is in style to be Dominican, it is actually 'cool' - like Scott would say: go Figger...
I think that yes, they should be corrected. However, on this board, it seems that people take certain things way too serious and it seems that most bothered people by using the word here are not even DOMINICANS!
If a person from another country wants to call its OWN country whatever he/she wants, who am I to 'set them straight?' It THEIR country!
I never use the word Dominican in that sense, however, I do hear a lot of other Dominicans call it Dominicana. Doesnt bother me none - only when the person is Dominican. I do tend to correct English speaking people who call it Dominican - and I also correct the people who dont even know of it at all.
I'm just happy that people actually KNOW of DR at all. I remember back when you were either Puerto Rican or something else, never any other country. My first few years in America people didnt even know the island existed - we were just that Island near Puerto Rico and Cuba. Now is in style to be Dominican, it is actually 'cool' - like Scott would say: go Figger...
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Jane! Are you the mother of one of my students?
She calls it "The Domin-in-in". (Poor dear).
I dunno about everyone else (actually, I have a fair idea), but I love baseball and it's one of the major selling points of learning the language in my small, admittedly culture-starved school. And when Pujols gives such a nice interview, you can bet they'll be reading it in my classroom. I'll bring the debate over to them this week.
But may I add one more time, I have been "set straight" and teach my students to say "Repuuuuuuuublica Dominicaaaaana!"
She calls it "The Domin-in-in". (Poor dear).
I dunno about everyone else (actually, I have a fair idea), but I love baseball and it's one of the major selling points of learning the language in my small, admittedly culture-starved school. And when Pujols gives such a nice interview, you can bet they'll be reading it in my classroom. I'll bring the debate over to them this week.
But may I add one more time, I have been "set straight" and teach my students to say "Repuuuuuuuublica Dominicaaaaana!"
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Vacca Foeda.
Die dulce fruere.
Tom aka XR Give me ambiguity. Or, whatever.
P.S.
Somehow I think Hillbilly's the only one laughing! Sorry HB, couldn't resist! PR, looks like you learned your latin from Saturday morning Roadrunner & Coyote cartoons, ne c'est pas?!
Latine loqueris? Caeca invidia est. Fac ut vivas.Porfio_Rubirosa said:
Die dulce fruere.
Tom aka XR Give me ambiguity. Or, whatever.
P.S.
Somehow I think Hillbilly's the only one laughing! Sorry HB, couldn't resist! PR, looks like you learned your latin from Saturday morning Roadrunner & Coyote cartoons, ne c'est pas?!
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