The Syndicate

Further side note, in Russian the word for a German is "Nemetz" which means a dumb (unable to speak) person. I suspect the answer to Sherry's original question is that most country names came into existence when we were more interested in fighting with our neighbors than talking to them. We didn't care what they called themselves, so we made up a name for them and it stuck. I would think thta we would be more likely to call newer countries by the names they call themselves.

Golden wrote:

S~V~S wrote:I am gonna bump this becasue I have a real random question; it is something I have ALWAYS wondered about.

Why don't we call countries by what they call themselves? And I don't mean English specifically. Like let's look at that European country that is the home of Octoberfest and schadenfreude. They call themselves Deutschland. We call them Germany, the French call them Allemagne. Why is that?

I've never figured that out either. What's even weirder is we do it when names change to. Like Czechia for Czech republic, mirroring a change there to change their name to 'Cesko'. So, why don't be call it Czecho or czescho? And, even more odd, where does that Z come from? It's not there in the actually Czech word, and nor do we pronounce it as though there is a Z there...?

In Russian, the CZ transliteration, as in Czar, comes from French and specifically Peter the Great's desire to transform Russia into a Western pseudo-France. I'm not sure of the exact logic, but it was used to transliterate the Cyrillic character more properly represented as TS. But Czech is not pronounced like TS either, so that one's a mystery to me, probably because I know nothing of the Czech language.

On a related note, I really hate it when people try to make me pronounce the names of countries in their native accents. Once I said Uruguay as any American would (your-a-gway), and was promptly corrected "It's OO-ROO-GWAIEE!" No it bloody isn't because I'm speaking English, not Spanish. If you're going to take that position, I expect you to follow your own advice consistently and say Deutschland for Germany, España for Spain, and Rossiya for Russia, which no one does, because it makes you sound like a pretentious idiot.

Grover Cleveland, unquestionably.

Is 32 teeth excessive or inadequate?

Mongoose wrote:I go with my gut

What were the circumstances surrounding the last time you were uncomfortably full?

An American holiday dedicated to the giving of thanks and to eating as much as humanly possible.

What is the longest you have ever gone without eating?

Kate wrote:Still Nightmare on Elm Street.

How often do you guys watch films?!?!

Three or four times a week, I'd say.

How often do you go to the cinema?

Mongoose wrote:92. I don't want my mind to go first.

How did you get your first name? (You don't have to say what it is if you don't wanna)

As far as I can remember, I was just born with it.

What is, objectively, the best religion?

I've always wanted to see Hungary for some reason.

How many countries have you visited?

Kate wrote:pepperoni

What is the worst pizza topping?

Shoes.

Is it acceptable to put ketchup on a hotdog if you are over 17 years old?

Gouda is my favorite, although several English cheeses come close behind.

What is the best pizza topping?

Kate wrote:I don't think so.

Do you like red wine?

I do, particularly cabernet.

What food item do you like that everyone else hates?

I don't think I can comment on that while the game is still in progress.

Who framed Roger Rabbit?

He is Dashiell Hammett, the detective fiction writer. I chose it because I like his work and because he kind of looks like me.

How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

I like llamas because they are wooly.

Is your name not actually Kate? I've never seen someone take a "real" name as a screen name that is not their own.

Epignosis wrote:No. I feel uneasy if I am not working on something.

What's the best video game ever?

The Secret of Monkey Island!

What is your favorite T-Shirt that you own?

Kate wrote:

Roxy wrote:I haven't - sorry Kate.

Have you ever read The Hobbit to your kids?

No. I'm not much of a fantasy genre fan.

What's your favorite flower?

I'm rather partial to foxgloves.

What is your favorite breakfast cereal?

Kate wrote:I so wish I or any mother got the pain question...a tooth. Huh. Try having twins. Hehe.

Regrettably, I don't have that option

Anyway, I didn't say the tooth was all that painful, just more painful than other stuff I've gone through. I really couldn't think of anything that was all that bad, as I have a pretty high tolerance for pain.

Epignosis wrote:

MovingPictures07 wrote:What is what book?

What's your least favorite book you've ever read?

Moby Dick.

What is the most painful thing thing you ever endured physically?

How can you not like Moby Dick? Herman Melville is probably my favorite American writer.

Back to your question, probably the time I had a tooth pulled, as it is the only time I can think of where I voluntarily took pain medicine.

Which language do you find the ugliest?