The English name for the nation comes from Latin: Germania. However, the name given by the Romans was eventually replaced by the people native to that region, the Teutons. Another name for Germany is Allemagne, which comes from the French and does not have strong associations with any particular tribe in that region.
It replaced the name Germania which had been given by the Romans. From here, German continued to be used. France and England continued to be known as Germania or Alemaine to separate themselves from their enemies. There is no country named Germany. These Franks often fought with the Allemani, a Germanic tribe living in Germania. This experience led to French individuals referring to the area as Allemagne. Other nearby countries with Latin-based languages like Spain and Portugal picked up on this name.
In Spanish, for example, the country is known as Alemania. Today, Germans refer to their country as Deutschland, a name that has its origins in the 8th century. During this time, people living in the region did not identify as either Germanics or Allemanis. Instead, they considered themselves to be regular individuals, removed from the influences of the Latin and Roman cultures. As the German language developed, the name became Deutsch and the country became Deutschland.
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Recent Posts See All. How to Spot the Dot. Post not marked as liked 1. When France Came to Germany. Similarly, the Turkish name for Greece, Yunanistan , derives from the Ionians, the Greek tribe that established settlements in Asia Minor and had early contact with the Turks.
As explorers traipsed around the globe and discovered new places, they often had no idea what to call them, so they asked the locals. Somewhere along the way, a name got garbled or misunderstood or even purposefully changed to accommodate the sounds of one language or another.
That's how Nipon became Japan. When Marco Polo was in China, he learned about an island that was called Cipangu in one of the Chinese dialects.
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