One big vocabulary and pronunciation problem in
English is knowing how to pronounce the English names of countries,
nationalities, and languages. In today’s lesson, I’ve
organized the words into categories that can help you remember them
better.
You can
also practice your pronunciation of the country and nationality words.
-IAN / -EAN
|
Country
|
Nationality
|
Language
|
|
Argentina
|
Argentine/Argentinean
|
Spanish
|
|
Australia
|
Australian
|
English
|
|
Bolivia
|
Bolivian
|
Spanish
|
|
Brazil
|
Brazilian
|
Portuguese
|
|
Cambodia
|
Cambodian
|
Cambodian
|
|
Cameroon
|
Cameroonian
|
French/English
|
|
Canada
|
Canadian
|
English/French
|
|
Chile
|
Chilean
|
Spanish
|
|
Colombia
|
Colombian
|
Spanish
|
|
Ecuador
|
Ecuadorian
|
Spanish
|
|
Egypt
|
Egyptian
|
Arabic
|
|
El Salvador
|
Salvadorian
|
Spanish
|
|
Estonia
|
Estonian
|
Estonian
|
|
Ethiopia
|
Ethiopian
|
Amharic
|
|
Ghana
|
Ghanaian
|
English
|
|
India
|
Indian
|
Various
|
|
Indonesia
|
Indonesian
|
Indonesian
|
|
Iran
|
Iranian
|
Persian
|
|
Italy
|
Italian
|
Italian
|
|
Jordan
|
Jordanian
|
Arabic
|
|
Korea
|
Korean
|
Korean
|
|
Lithuania
|
Lithuanian
|
Lithuanian
|
|
Nigeria
|
Nigerian
|
Ibo, Hausa etc.
|
|
Panama
|
Panamanian
|
Spanish
|
|
Peru
|
Peruvian
|
Spanish
|
|
Romania
|
Romanian
|
Romanian
|
|
Syria
|
Syrian
|
Arabic
|
|
Ukraine
|
Ukrainian
|
Ukrainian
|
-AN
Notice that
some of these words end in -IAN, but the “I” is silent.
|
Country
|
Nationality
|
Language
|
|
Afghanistan
|
Afghan
|
Persian-Pashto
|
|
Belgium
|
Belgian
|
French/Flemish
|
|
Costa Rica
|
Costa Rican
|
Spanish
|
|
Cuba
|
Cuban
|
Spanish
|
|
Dominican Republic
|
Dominican
|
Spanish
|
|
Germany
|
German
|
German
|
|
Guatemala
|
Guatemalan
|
Spanish
|
|
Haiti
|
Haitian
|
French/Creole
|
|
Honduras
|
Honduran
|
Spanish
|
|
Kenya
|
Kenyan
|
Swahili
|
|
Malaysia
|
Malaysian
|
Malay/Malaysian
|
|
Mexico
|
Mexican
|
Spanish
|
|
Morocco
|
Moroccan
|
Arabic/French
|
|
Nicaragua
|
Nicaraguan
|
Spanish
|
|
Norway
|
Norwegian
|
Norwegian
|
|
Paraguay*
|
Paraguayan*
|
Spanish
|
|
Puerto Rico
|
Puerto Rican
|
Spanish
|
|
Russia
|
Russian
|
Russian
|
|
South Africa
|
South African
|
Afrikaans, English, etc.
|
|
United States
|
American**
|
English
|
|
Uruguay*
|
Uruguayan*
|
Spanish
|
|
Venezuela
|
Venezuelan
|
Spanish
|
* There
are two ways to pronounce the syllable: GWAY (like “way”) and GWAI (like
“eye”).
**Although
“American” is the most common way to refer to someone from the U.S., I
recognize that this can be considered offensive to citizens of other countries
in North America, Central America, and South America. So sometimes it’s better
to say “from the U.S.” instead of “American.”
-ISH / -CH
|
Country
|
Nationality
|
Language
|
|
England
|
English
|
English
|
|
Finland
|
Finnish
|
Finnish
|
|
Denmark
|
Danish
|
Danish
|
|
Netherlands/Holland
|
Dutch
|
Dutch
|
|
France
|
French
|
French
|
|
Ireland
|
Irish
|
Irish/English
|
|
Spain
|
Spanish
|
Spanish
|
|
Sweden
|
Swedish
|
Swedish
|
|
Poland
|
Polish
|
Polish
|
|
Turkey
|
Turkish
|
Turkish
|
|
Wales
|
Welsh
|
Welsh/English
|
-ESE
|
Country
|
Nationality
|
Language
|
|
China
|
Chinese
|
Chinese
|
|
Japan
|
Japanese
|
Japanese
|
|
Portugal
|
Portuguese
|
Portuguese
|
|
Taiwan
|
Taiwanese
|
Chinese
|
|
Vietnam
|
Vietnamese
|
Vietnamese
|
OTHER
|
Country
|
Nationality
|
Language
|
|
Czech Republic
|
Czech
|
Czech
|
|
Greece
|
Greek
|
Greek
|
|
Iceland
|
Icelander
|
Icelandic
|
|
Iraq
|
Iraqi
|
Arabic
|
|
Israel
|
Israeli
|
Hebrew
|
|
New Zealand
|
New Zealander
|
English/Maori
|
|
Pakistan
|
Pakistani
|
Urdo
|
|
Philippines
|
Filipino
|
Tagalog/Filipino
|
|
Qatar
|
Qatari
|
Arabic
|
|
Saudi Arabia
|
Saudi
|
Arabic
|
|
Switzerland
|
Swiss
|
Swiss
|
|
Tajikistan
|
Tajik
|
Tajik (Persian)
|
|
Thailand
|
Thai
|
Thai
|
