Why are we called Poles instead of Polans?

Ksysia 25 | 430

8 Oct 2009 / #1

everybody else is an -an

Slovakian
Russian
German
Norwegian
Argentinian
Catalunian

with the exception of peoples with adjectives instead of names

English
French
Finnish

but I think nobody else is constructed like Poles.

How would that be?

Eng
Frank
Argent

???

I try to use the older form, Polan instead of Polish or Pole, because they have other meanings as well.

Polson 5 | 1,768

8 Oct 2009 / #2

but I think nobody else is constructed like Poles

Turks, Swiss, Serbs, Croats... ;)

It's said that Poland's name come from 'pole' (plain?).
Btw, the Polans were a people living in today Poland before Poland was created.

Ziemowit 14 | 4,278

8 Oct 2009 / #3

Polans (Polanie) is the name of the tribe that used to live in what is roughly today's Wielkopolska (Great Poland). The name Poles or Polish referred (and refers) to all inhabitants of Poland which included the tribe of Wiślanie (Little Poland), Mazowszanie (Mazovia), Ślązacy (Silesia), Pomorzanie (Pomerania), althoug the latter belonged to the non-Polish, but Slavic tribes of Pomeranians that inhabited lands along the Baltic coast from the river Elbe to the river Vistula (of which the Kashubians with their own language are the only Slavic, non-Germanized descendants) and many other, minor Polish tribes.

DavidT - | 11

8 Oct 2009 / #4

Swedes and Kiwis (to throw some fruit and veg in the mix)

Magdalena 3 | 1,837

8 Oct 2009 / #5

I think you are a bit confused here.

You can say:

Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Finns, Danes...

or

the Polish, Czech, Slovakian, Finnish, Danish, English (people).

MareGaea 29 | 2,751

8 Oct 2009 / #6

Ksysia

Nah, you're not the only ones who are called different than the name of your country...

Did you ever meet somebody from the Netherlands that was called a Netherlander? No? Thought so. We are from the Netherlands, but we're called Dutch. Now there's something different, isn't there? And you know why we are called like that? Because the Americans thought we were speaking German and German in German (nice:) ) is called Deutsch. Of course the Americans couldn't pronounce that, so it rapidly became Dutch. So, you think you can complain or wonder. Wonder how it must be to be a citizen of your own country, but abroad being named as citizen of your neighbouring country!

In Dutch, a person from Poland is called a "Pool" and two or more ppl from Poland are called "Polen", the Dutch name for Poland is also "Polen". And you guys call our country and the ppl who are from it after two provinces in the West of the Netherlands: North Holland and South Holland. Tsk!

Tjechen, Hongaren, Bulgaren, Polen, Slowaken, Slovenen, Russen, Kroaten, Serven, Grieken, Albanezen, Bosniërs, Italianen, Fransen, Spanjaarden, Portugezen, Zwitsers, Oostenrijkers, Duitsers, Denen, Zweden, Noren, Finnen, Engelsen, Schotten, Britten, Ieren. Moldovaren, Oekraiënzers, Georgiërs, Cyprioten, Turken, Armenen, Azeri, etc.

>^..^<

M-G (global village)

gumishu 13 | 6,140

8 Oct 2009 / #7

And you guys call our country and the ppl who are from it after two provinces in the West of the Netherlands: North Holland and South Holland.

isn't where Amsterdaam, den Haag and Rotterdam are?
you should now know why

btw in the past Niderlandy was much more common name - it is still used as a historical term - the reason (why it is not used for the name of the country) is not the whole of historical Netherlands is within the borders of the present Netherlands

btw the English (and Germans as far as I can tell) also often call the Netherlands Holland

while Nizozemsko (translation of the Netherlands) is the name of your country in Czech language, the Czechs still often call your compatriots Holandiane (you can here it watching football games)

MareGaea 29 | 2,751

8 Oct 2009 / #8

you should now know why

I know, it's the most well known part of the country, so I understand why. But me being from Gelderland, doesn't like to hear that he's actually from Holland. But that's just a little Dutch thing :)

Most ppl around the world call my country Holland and most have a word in their language for it. Because it doesn't look good for politicians on visit to use a kind of slang name for the country they are visiting on high levels.

>^..^<

M-G (nah)

benszymanski 8 | 465

8 Oct 2009 / #9

I try to use the older form, Polan

I had in fact noticed you do that and presumed you were just making a mistake. Before reading this thread I had never heard about Polans and I suspect most English speakers (at least those who aren't on this forum) will wonder what you mean by a "Polan".

gumishu 13 | 6,140

8 Oct 2009 / #10

I don't think there is any need to call ourselves either in English or in Polish Polanie/Polans - we're just Polacy/Poles - and that's it

Ziemowit 14 | 4,278

8 Oct 2009 / #11

I try to use the older form, Polan

It's not an older form. As I said, the name denotes something different than "the Polish" or "Poles", and the two names should not be confounded.

derek trotter 10 | 203

8 Oct 2009 / #12

Oostenrijkers

who are they? east nickers? thieves form the east ? :)

Nomsense - | 38

8 Oct 2009 / #13

Polans (Polanie) is the name of the tribe that used to live in what is roughly today's Wielkopolska (Great Poland).

There is an interesting article on Polans: "Polan nigdy nie było" ("Polans never existed", Wprost, 36/2009). According to its author there has never been such a tribe and the name was given to the people under the Bolesław I Chrobry's rulership by some foreign travellers/scholars. Unfortunately, I don't remember the whole story but the article suggests a different point of view on the early history of Poland - that Poland was a "collection" of many Slavic tribes and even less homogenous than we thought.

gumishu 13 | 6,140

8 Oct 2009 / #14

Poland was a "collection" of many Slavic tribes and even less homogenous than we thought.

don't believe that actually - there were Polanie around Kyiv (Kijów) as well - Slavic tribes would often split with parts wandering away quite far - see Chroats, Serbs, Volinians=Volhynians, Golęszyce/Golędzice some of these tribes had other than Slavic origin as probably the Serbs, Croats and Golęszyce

derek trotter 10 | 203

8 Oct 2009 / #15

interesting fact is that description of Welsh people came from germanic/nordic languages and means deaf just like invaiding germanic/nordic tribes called Slavic people in Kiev area ( west Ukraine ) - walachs or like we ( Poles) call Germans - Niemce - means deaf.