Cyprus-Forum.com

[Get Real!]

...i'm more interested in the use of the term "cyprus" (in english), rather than the adjective "cypriot" to describe the museum.

It's called "The Cyprus Museum" so what did you expect the CM to call it?

[bill cobbett]

I think ZoC has a valid point - one can talk in terms of the the People of (Cypriot) Cyprus, (some of whom speak Greek and some of whom speak Turkish) or the Cypriot People, but one would not call them the Cyprus People.

indeed..

I will quite happily fly with a company that should correcty be called Cypriot Airways (well not happily, unless the cabin staff improve their attitude)

However to be really semantic let's go for Cyprus' Museum or Cyprus' Airways - a simple " ' " makes it work (after a fashion)

right....

there's more to this "cyprus" noun-for-adjective than meets the eye. i remember adverts as a kid for "emva cream - cyprus sherry". in other words, it's ours really (as in britain's...) it just happens to come from cyprus. the imperialists (and not just the brits) have been commandeering our produce, our heritage, our right to call our things cypriot. and we've just gone along with it.

What a loada rubbish Zoc... it's got bugger all to do with politics, imperialism etc etc...

don't be so naive. of course it has.

It's solely a matter of language and specifically a matter of one of the quirkinesses of the English language that some forms of nouns as adjectives are acceptable and others ain't, whilst on other occasions both forms are acceptable.

A native speaker will instinctively know which to use as appropo.

why is it a cyprus potato and not a cypriot potato? this isn't instinct, it's cultural imperialism.

Maybe cos a Cyprus Potato is the form that has got in to the language, not as a result of being picked as the preferred choice by imperialist governments, but chosen by speakers of the language, referring to a potato from CY and, this may also be relevant, not a particular, specific and unique genus of potato only grown in CY that can be called a Cypriot Potato... but stress again there is no 100% hard-and-fast rule...

Cyprus Potato is the correct form by common usage.

[Viewpoint]

South Cyprus Potato would be more correct.

[ZoC]

...i'm more interested in the use of the term "cyprus" (in english), rather than the adjective "cypriot" to describe the museum.

It's called "The Cyprus Museum" so what did you expect the CM to call it?

wot's it called in greek?

[ZoC]

why is it a cyprus potato and not a cypriot potato? this isn't instinct, it's cultural imperialism.

Maybe cos a Cyprus Potato is the form that has got in to the language,

yes, billy boy. we know that. but why? when u can make french fries out of them, not france fries.

not as a result of being picked as the preferred choice by imperialist governments,

of course not. cultural imperialism is more subtle than that.

[ZoC]

South Cyprus Potato would be more correct.

cypriot potato would be more correct.

bread from the republic of france is french bread (not france bread). whiskey from the republic of ireland is irish whiskey (not ireland whiskey). pasta from the republic of italy is italian pasta (not italy pasta).

and potatoes from the republic of cyprus should be cypriot potatoes (not cyprus potatoes).

[bill cobbett]

South Cyprus Potato would be more correct.

No it def wouldn't ... it's a Cyprus Potato, called that by common usage by native English Speakers... what gets in to the English Vocab has bugger all to do with you.

[bill cobbett]

South Cyprus Potato would be more correct.

cypriot potato would be more correct.

bread from the republic of france is french bread (not france bread). whiskey from the republic of ireland is irish whiskey (not ireland whiskey). pasta from the republic of italy is italian pasta (not italy pasta).

and potatoes from the republic of cyprus should be cypriot potatoes (not cyprus potatoes).

Oh Gawd.... Reh Zoc... get it in to your head that what is "correct" is determined by Native English Users. If they start to use Cypriot Potato so much so that it becomes the common usage, then it gets in to the vocab... but if they don't and prefer to use the term Cyprus Potato then it stays out.

Now to the matter of the subtlety of cultural imperialism... there are few languages that have grown as naturally and organically as English. If anything, as a language of the common people, one that was practically made extinct by the Illegal Norman Occupation, shunned by the Church and scholars for centuries in favour of Lousy Latin and to a lesser extent GobbleeGreek, the case can be made that English has traditionally been an anti-establishment language.

... so start taking some pride in the world's richest and most anti-authoritarian language.

[yialousa1971]

I think ZoC has a valid point - one can talk in terms of the the People of (Cypriot) Cyprus, (some of whom speak Greek and some of whom speak Turkish) or the Cypriot People, but one would not call them the Cyprus People.

indeed..

I will quite happily fly with a company that should correcty be called Cypriot Airways (well not happily, unless the cabin staff improve their attitude)

However to be really semantic let's go for Cyprus' Museum or Cyprus' Airways - a simple " ' " makes it work (after a fashion)

right....

there's more to this "cyprus" noun-for-adjective than meets the eye. i remember adverts as a kid for "emva cream - cyprus sherry". in other words, it's ours really (as in britain's...) it just happens to come from cyprus. the imperialists (and not just the brits) have been commandeering our produce, our heritage, our right to call our things cypriot. and we've just gone along with it.

What a loada rubbish Zoc... it's got bugger all to do with politics, imperialism etc etc...

It's solely a matter of language and specifically a matter of one of the quirkinesses of the English language that some forms of nouns as adjectives are acceptable and others ain't, whilst on other occasions both forms are acceptable.

A native speaker will instinctively know which to use as appropo.

(oh... and Emva is a ref to an old place in CY and cream is an alt name for some types of sherry in English when used in conjunction with a place-name)

Why let the truth get in the way of reason and a good story.

ZoC is chasing his own tale.

What an absurd hypothesis.

[ZoC]

South Cyprus Potato would be more correct.

cypriot potato would be more correct.

bread from the republic of france is french bread (not france bread). whiskey from the republic of ireland is irish whiskey (not ireland whiskey). pasta from the republic of italy is italian pasta (not italy pasta).

and potatoes from the republic of cyprus should be cypriot potatoes (not cyprus potatoes).

Oh Gawd.... Reh Zoc... get it in to your head that what is "correct" is determined by Native English Users. If they start to use Cypriot Potato so much so that it becomes the common usage, then it gets in to the vocab... but if they don't and prefer to use the term Cyprus Potato then it stays out.

Now to the matter of the subtlety of cultural imperialism... there are few languages that have grown as naturally and organically as English. If anything, as a language of the common people, one that was practically made extinct by the Illegal Norman Occupation, shunned by the Church and scholars for centuries in favour of Lousy Latin and to a lesser extent GobbleeGreek, the case can be made that English has traditionally been an anti-establishment language.

... so start taking some pride in the world's richest and most anti-authoritarian language.

i'm not necessarily blaming british cultural imperialism only, billy. i'm sure if cyprus airways had wanted to call itself cypriot airways in english, (as it does in greek), it would.