c/nostupidquestions · by GarcondeVersailles@sh.itjust.works · 1y

What are people from Moscow and Versailles called?

I’ve just heard, for example, to just say “from/in Moscow” or, when comparing it to something like “I went to an American school and then a Russian one”, you just say the country as the adjective.

23 points · 11 comments · view on lemmy.world

11 Comments

morgunkorn@discuss.tchncs.de · 41 pts · 1y

The noun that describes a person or thing from a place is a "demonym". American, Michigander, Californian, New Yorker...

Moscow: a Muscovite
Versailles: a Versaillais (pronounced "ver-sah-yeah")

it's on the wikipedia page of most places

TheOctonaut@mander.xyz · 17 pts · 1y (1 reply)

People are answering your headline but not understanding your question; the two aren't as linked as they would be in French.

All of these are valid:

I went to a Moscow school
I went to a school in Moscow
I went to a Versaille cafe
I went to a cafe in Versaille.
I dated a London girl
I dated a girl from London

These sound more natural than the following:

I went to a Muscovite school
I went to a Versaillian cafe (People have been giving you the direct French for Versaillais, but English wouldn't use fhat)
I dated a Londoner girl.

At least for Muscovite, it retains the implication that the school is for people from Moscow, rather than the school being in Moscow. You could have a Muscovite school in London. You could have a Versaillian cafe in Osaka.

You can see this a lot more often in religion, eg. I went to a Presbyterian school - I went to a school for Presbyterians.

Rudee@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 1y

A demonym is a noun that specifically refers to a person from a particular location; you can't use it as an adjective.

So in your second list, a school can't be a Muscovite, since it isn't a person. You could have met a Muscovite at the school in Moscow.

You would just say that you dated a Londoner. You would then use an adjective to describe the Londoner further (a female Londoner) or make the sentence longer and a bit clunkier IMO (a Londoner who was a woman)

ClipperDefiance@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 1y

I believe people from Moscow are called Muscovites. I don't know about Versailles though.

knightly@pawb.social · 5 pts · 1y

Muscovites and Versaillais.

LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 1y

In Russian, a person from Moscow is a Moskvich (Москвич).

adespoton@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 1y

Something in Russian and French :)

(Actual answers already in another comment)

Foreign language names for where people are from are usually limited to region and country.

MrJameGumb@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y

Maybe I'm missing some context here but I would probably just say "Russian" or "French" 🤷‍♂️