The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[LazyDaisy]

Any Kiwi, or I guess Danish too, people know the answer to this one? I visited Denmark a while ago and learned that one of the Danish islands is called Sjaelland (pronounced as I understand it Zealand). Is then New Zealand a place where many Danish people settled and they named it after their homeland? If so, why the spelling change?

[Ereine]

I believe that it's actually named after Dutch Zeeland (though Wikipedia tells me that both are also known as Zealand and I guess mean the same thing, sea land).

[LazyDaisy]

I had no idea there was a Dutch Zeeland.

[jaxsue]

I had no idea there was a Dutch Zeeland.

There are a lot of "Zees" in Dutch words. I have lived in upstate NY and Jersey (sorry, could not resist!), where there is a lot of Dutch influence. There is the Tappan Zee Bridge, for example, that connects Rockland and Westchester Counties via the Hudson River. The Tappan part is Native American, the Zee from the Dutch. And in MI, where I grew up, there a town called Zeeland, near Holland, MI. The Dutch got around!


As far as calling the state I live in Jersey, that is pretty much what the residents call it. You will never hear, "the New Jersey Shore." In formal settings, definitely it is NJ. In casual situations, Jersey is the norm.

[ScubaGirl]

I had no idea there was a Dutch Zeeland.

There are a lot of "Zees" in Dutch words. I have lived in upstate NY and Jersey (sorry, could not resist!), where there is a lot of Dutch influence. There is the Tappan Zee Bridge, for example, that connects Rockland and Westchester Counties via the Hudson River. The Tappan part is Native American, the Zee from the Dutch. And in MI, where I grew up, there a town called Zeeland, near Holland, MI. The Dutch got around!


As far as calling the state I live in Jersey, that is pretty much what the residents call it. You will never hear, "the New Jersey Shore." In formal settings, definitely it is NJ. In casual situations, Jersey is the norm.

I live in Zeeland, MI!

[jaxsue]

I had no idea there was a Dutch Zeeland.

There are a lot of "Zees" in Dutch words. I have lived in upstate NY and Jersey (sorry, could not resist!), where there is a lot of Dutch influence. There is the Tappan Zee Bridge, for example, that connects Rockland and Westchester Counties via the Hudson River. The Tappan part is Native American, the Zee from the Dutch. And in MI, where I grew up, there a town called Zeeland, near Holland, MI. The Dutch got around!


As far as calling the state I live in Jersey, that is pretty much what the residents call it. You will never hear, "the New Jersey Shore." In formal settings, definitely it is NJ. In casual situations, Jersey is the norm.

I live in Zeeland, MI!

Hi there, fellow 'gander! 

[ScubaGirl]

I had no idea there was a Dutch Zeeland.

There are a lot of "Zees" in Dutch words. I have lived in upstate NY and Jersey (sorry, could not resist!), where there is a lot of Dutch influence. There is the Tappan Zee Bridge, for example, that connects Rockland and Westchester Counties via the Hudson River. The Tappan part is Native American, the Zee from the Dutch. And in MI, where I grew up, there a town called Zeeland, near Holland, MI. The Dutch got around!


As far as calling the state I live in Jersey, that is pretty much what the residents call it. You will never hear, "the New Jersey Shore." In formal settings, definitely it is NJ. In casual situations, Jersey is the norm.

I live in Zeeland, MI!

Hi there, fellow 'gander! 

Even in Michigan so few people have heard of Zeeland that I just smiled and smiled when I saw your post.   

[Softly Spoken]

I had no idea there was a Dutch Zeeland.

There are a lot of "Zees" in Dutch words. I have lived in upstate NY and Jersey (sorry, could not resist!), where there is a lot of Dutch influence. There is the Tappan Zee Bridge, for example, that connects Rockland and Westchester Counties via the Hudson River. The Tappan part is Native American, the Zee from the Dutch. And in MI, where I grew up, there a town called Zeeland, near Holland, MI. The Dutch got around!


As far as calling the state I live in Jersey, that is pretty much what the residents call it. You will never hear, "the New Jersey Shore." In formal settings, definitely it is NJ. In casual situations, Jersey is the norm.

Okay then, why don't New York residents call their city York? 

[MrsJWine]

I had no idea there was a Dutch Zeeland.

There are a lot of "Zees" in Dutch words. I have lived in upstate NY and Jersey (sorry, could not resist!), where there is a lot of Dutch influence. There is the Tappan Zee Bridge, for example, that connects Rockland and Westchester Counties via the Hudson River. The Tappan part is Native American, the Zee from the Dutch. And in MI, where I grew up, there a town called Zeeland, near Holland, MI. The Dutch got around!


As far as calling the state I live in Jersey, that is pretty much what the residents call it. You will never hear, "the New Jersey Shore." In formal settings, definitely it is NJ. In casual situations, Jersey is the norm.

Okay then, why don't New York residents call their city York? 

Who knows why language does anything it does? However, what we don't typically say is "New York City." Or "Salt Lake City." Or "City of Los Angeles." Those might be the full, official names, but they're called what they're called.

[jaxsue]

I had no idea there was a Dutch Zeeland.

There are a lot of "Zees" in Dutch words. I have lived in upstate NY and Jersey (sorry, could not resist!), where there is a lot of Dutch influence. There is the Tappan Zee Bridge, for example, that connects Rockland and Westchester Counties via the Hudson River. The Tappan part is Native American, the Zee from the Dutch. And in MI, where I grew up, there a town called Zeeland, near Holland, MI. The Dutch got around!


As far as calling the state I live in Jersey, that is pretty much what the residents call it. You will never hear, "the New Jersey Shore." In formal settings, definitely it is NJ. In casual situations, Jersey is the norm.

Okay then, why don't New York residents call their city York? 

It just is. Local dialect is funny like that.

[jaxsue]

Scubagirl, I've been to Zeeland. I lived in a tiny town near GR for my first 5 years. Bonus if you've heard of it: it was Alaska. 

[Elfmama]

I had no idea there was a Dutch Zeeland.

There are a lot of "Zees" in Dutch words. I have lived in upstate NY and Jersey (sorry, could not resist!), where there is a lot of Dutch influence. There is the Tappan Zee Bridge, for example, that connects Rockland and Westchester Counties via the Hudson River. The Tappan part is Native American, the Zee from the Dutch. And in MI, where I grew up, there a town called Zeeland, near Holland, MI. The Dutch got around!


As far as calling the state I live in Jersey, that is pretty much what the residents call it. You will never hear, "the New Jersey Shore." In formal settings, definitely it is NJ. In casual situations, Jersey is the norm.

Okay then, why don't New York residents call their city York? 

Who knows why language does anything it does? However, what we don't typically say is "New York City." Or "Salt Lake City." Or "City of Los Angeles." Those might be the full, official names, but they're called what they're called.

Actually, LA's name is a lot more of a mouthful than appending 'City' to it.  El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula.
 

[amandaelizabeth]

New Zealand was named by Abel Tasman the Dutch explorer, in honour of his birthplace.  The first settlers called it Aotearoa land of the long white cloud, which is how they first saw it from their canoes.

Yes there were a lot of Danish settlers to New Zealand and they first settled in a place called Dannevirke - Danes Work, which is just down the the road from a place called Norsewood,  Guess where those settlers came from.

[marcel]

I believe that it's actually named after Dutch Zeeland (though Wikipedia tells me that both are also known as Zealand and I guess mean the same thing, sea land).

New Zealand is definitely named after the Dutch province Zeeland. This is probably related to the fact that the first Europeans in New Zealand were Dutch (Abel Tasman, after whom Tasmania was named)

I had no idea there was a Dutch Zeeland.

There are a lot of "Zees" in Dutch words. I have lived in upstate NY and Jersey (sorry, could not resist!), where there is a lot of Dutch influence. There is the Tappan Zee Bridge, for example, that connects Rockland and Westchester Counties via the Hudson River. The Tappan part is Native American, the Zee from the Dutch. And in MI, where I grew up, there a town called Zeeland, near Holland, MI. The Dutch got around![/q]It is not that we have that many zees in Dutch word, it is just that you apparently see a lot of words related to the sea.

As for other Dutch names, New York used to be New Amsterdam, and you can still find some Dutch names there, like Harlem.

As far as calling the state I live in Jersey, that is pretty much what the residents call it. You will never hear, "the New Jersey Shore." In formal settings, definitely it is NJ. In casual situations, Jersey is the norm.

Just try to remember that there are people out there who think you are actualy talking about Jersey when you say Jersey.

[ScubaGirl]

Scubagirl, I've been to Zeeland. I lived in a tiny town near GR for my first 5 years. Bonus if you've heard of it: it was Alaska. 

We have friends who live in Alaska!