For the pedants

[JohnD]

USSR isn't, and wasn't the same as Russia.

Perhaps you are English, and think that "England" is the same as "The United Kingdom" and that the Union Flag is the flag of England, and St. George is the patron saint of the UK.

 

[securespark]

, I do say 'Cote d'Ivoire'. ?

I've thought about this before. If you carry on down that road you'll soon be pronouncing the names of british towns according to local dialect.

I get the **** taken by Mrs Secure because I say "Lancarster" instead of "Lancaster", and "Newcarstle" instead of "New Castle".

She reckons you should say names as the locals do.

But she doesn't call the place I went to school Ackerth, she says Ackworth, so in that respect, she's fallen flat on her visage.

Crafty'll know what I'm on about.

Doderth's the same!

BTW Crafty, many years ago 1985, if you must know, I was merrily getting lost near Leeds, and stopped for directions. But instead of saying left & nright, the old dear said summat different. What would it have been?

 

[JohnD]

I get the p**s taken by Mrs Secure because I say "Lancarster" instead of "Lancaster", and "Newcarstle" instead of "New Castle".

I bet you say "Newcastle" and the dear lady says "Ny'Kassell"

 

[Robotmannick]

Peking?

Seeing as we're on a thread for pedants, that's not an exonym but the previous name of Beijing. Much like "Canton" as in "Cantonese" is now called Guangdong. But I take your point.

Having said that, you do still occasionally hear "Peking Duck" in England although the Chinese always call it "Beijing duck".

 

[johnny_t]

USSR isn't, and wasn't the same as Russia.
.

Agreed, but Russia was commonly used to mean the whole of the USSR, in the same way that Holland is used to mean the Netherlands, and I can't see anyone penalising you for that. Sting was singing about everyone last one of the Soviet Union-ists when he wrote that song, you know.

 

[JohnD]

...but Russia was commonly used to mean the whole of the USSR...

Russia was wrongly used to mean the whole of the USSR

Edinburgh, England.

Bristol, Wales.

Shetland, Scotland

Isle of Man, UK.

Canada, USA.

All wrong.

 

[johnny_t]

As its a thread for pedants, I still agree with the technicality of your point on Russia, but your examples are all poor ones.

USSR was colloquially referred to as Russia because Russia was the dominant state within the USSR

Netherlands is colloquially referred to as Holland because Holland is the dominant land within the Netherlands

Some people even think England and the UK are synonymous for the same reason.

However, Edinburgh is not in England, Canada is not in the USA and Bristol is not in Wales, Shetland is not dominant within Scotland and the Isle of Mann is not dominant within the UK so those examples, whilst all undeniably wrong, are not examples of the right sort of wrong.....