The Japanese people refer to the name of their country as Nippon, while the English speakers name the country Japan. Meanwhile, we in Indonesia use the word Jepang to call Nippon.
In fact, officially, in the country of Japan, people always use the word Nippon or Nihon to call their country. In international sporting events, Japanese volleyball teams have costumes with Nippon at the back as well as Japan. They use Nippon more often. The different names raised national debates.
Some citizens demand the name Nippon to be used officially around the world in place of the word Japan which is currently known by the world community.
Like Japan, Germany also has different names in different languages. Officially, within the country, Germany has the name Bundesrepublik Deutschland. In English, this name becomes the Federal Republic of Germany, while in Japanese, the name became ‘Nishi Doitsu’.
Another country with various names is the Netherland which is called Belanda in Indonesian. Its official name is Koninkrijk der Nederlanden which means Kingdom of the Lowlands. In English, the name translates to ‘The Kingdom of the Netherlands’ which is then often shortened to ‘The Netherlands’. Within the country itself, the Dutch often referred to their country as Holand, although the mention of this name is not officially correct.
How can the name of a country be different in different languages? Has any country ever demanded the international community to rename their country as desired by its citizens?
Exonym and Endonym
Before we discuss further, we need to understand what is referred to as exonym and endonym. An exonym is the naming of one place by others outside that place. While endonym is the naming of one place by people within that place.
We can see the examples of exonym at the beginning of the article, namely the mention of Nippon as Jepang by those of us who speak Indonesian. While endonym’s example is the mention of Japan as Nippon by the Japanese people who are in Japan itself.
How do exonyms and endonyms occur? The exonym and endonym that make a country have various names in various languages occur for the following reasons:
Community Roots
In the case of Germany, before the country was formed, one of the tribes in Europe referred to the Germanic tribes that were close to them as Germani which could be interpreted as neighbors or the man of the forest. English speakers then, absorbed this word into ‘Germany’.
Meanwhile, other countries such as Spain and France chose to use the names Alemania and Allemagne to refer to Germany. This happened because they lived closer to the Aleman tribe, another tribe that then became part of Germany’s citizens who lived in the South.
Difference in Spelling and Pronunciation
Many names sound different to the ears of foreign speakers. This causes many countries to have various names in different languages. Germany which has been mentioned many times here can be one example, as well as Japan. In Bahasa Indonesia, Germany becomes Jerman while Japan becomes Jepang.
Another example of how spelling and pronunciation make a country to have different names is how we call a country ‘Spanyol’ to refer to Espana or in English called Spain. Most country names variation is caused by this reason.
Partial or Complete Translation of The Original Name
Some countries choose to translate the real name of a country rather than adjusting pronunciation or spelling to that country’s language. In Indonesia, we named a country in West Africa, Pantai Gading which is a translation of the phrase Ivory Coast.
Name Change
In addition exonym and endonym, some countries have several names because they chose to change their names for a variety of reasons. The examples of countries that have had other names in the past are:
- Iran, formerly called Persia
- Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon
- Eswatini, formerly Swaziland
- Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia
- Myanmar, formerly Bhurma
- Cambodia (Cambodia), formerly had several names, including the Kingdom of Cambodia, Khmer Republic, and Democratic Kampuchea
The naming of countries can still change due to many things mainly due to political interests. Because this naming is sensitive, we also need to keep ourselves up to date by following the international news to be able to properly translate the names of various countries in various languages.
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References:
- https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30810/why-are-there-different-names-same-country
- https://pocketcultures.com/2012/05/18/the-netherlands-a-country-of-many-names
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain
- https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eksonim_dan_endonim
- https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/social-relevance/countries-that-changed-their-names-550268.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endonym_and_exonym
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