when do you use -n, -ese, -ian, -vite, etc suffices in english

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As in Mexican, Canadian, Balinese, Muscovite, when describing someone’s nationality or ethnicity in english? How do you know which suffix to use to specific nationality?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

when making an adjective from nationality -n, -ean, and -ian are all valid; -e is a good choice for ethnic groups

-ite is used in names for a substance, as well as for a few select nationalities such as “Burmese, Philippine”

-er, -er, -ive are also used in adjective formation, but you should be careful to not confuse an actual ethnic group with a derogatory usage, such as the slur “Chinaman”

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