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Dutch from Holland

Posted by Q on September 05, 2001

In Reply to: Dutch from Holland posted by W.F. on September 05, 2001

: In an earlier thread, numerous "Dutch" derivations (courage, treat, etc., etc.) were exhaustively examined.

: My question is more basic: Why are the citizens of the country of Holland, aka "The Netherlands" called "Dutch"? I know that "Hollanders" and "Netherlanders" are occasionally used, but "Dutch" seems to be more popular. Where did this come from?

Here is my understanding:

"Dutch" literally means "The people" (in their language)
Holland is a city (or a section of the country)
The country is called "The Netherlands"
People from this country prefer to be called "Netherlanders" and take offense to the word "dutch".
Can anyone collaborate?

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