Why are some global cities pronounced and named differently in their own local languages, and others aren’t?
I just returned from a trip to Italy, and while over there I noticed Rome is Roma, Naples is Napoli, and Milan is Milano (and so on and so forth.) I’ve know this for a while, and it’s reflected in their football teams, as well. But then other cities like Paris remain the same (though with local pronunciations.
Why is this difference, and is there any rhyme or reason as to why certain cities are subject to it and others aren’t?
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One key factor is the historical development of the city and the languages spoken in the region. Many global cities have a long history that predates the dominance of a particular language. These cities often have indigenous or ancient names that have been retained over time. When different languages are spoken in a region, it is common for names to evolve differently in each language due to linguistic changes and cultural influences.
In the case of Rome, Naples, and Milan, they have ancient origins and have been inhabited by various civilizations over the centuries. The names used in their respective local languages (Italian in this case) have evolved from the Latin names that were prevalent during the Roman Empire. As a result, the local languages have preserved or adapted these historical names.
Cities like Paris have a different linguistic history. Paris is located in France, where French is the dominant language. The name “Paris” is derived from the original Latin name “Lutetia Parisiorum.” In this case, the local language (French) has maintained the name without significant changes. However, it’s worth noting that even in French, the pronunciation of “Paris” may differ slightly from how it’s pronounced in other languages.
Foreigners dont have the same language that locals. And dont all the languages have the same sounds. For some languages some sounds are more easy than others.
Example:
España is Spain. But the starting “s” is more easy to pronounce to english speakers than “es”. And in Spanish is very hard to do.
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