SalsaBoston.com Message Board

Col[o/u]mbia

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ SalsaBoston.com Discussion Board ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Olaf (24.128.35.68) on December 14, 2002 at 17:25:34:

In Reply to: Re: Best Place for Saturday posted by KW on December 13, 2002 at 19:00:27:

: Please don't take this the wrong way, but I would have thought since your wife is from ColOmbia, that you would have known that Colombian is spelled with an O, not spelled with a U like "Columbian" (a 'U' is the spelling for Columbia Pictures and Columbia University, not for Colombia the country). It always surprises me how often this word is spelled incorrectly by people in the US ;-)

Well, etymologically speaking, "Colombia" comes from Spanish explorer Christopher *Columbus*, I imagine. Since we gringos are taught that he is the discoverer of the new world (after Lief Ericson (sp?) it turns out), and we are taught that his name is spelled with a 'U', not an 'O', it's only natural that we misspell it. Either that or some "Columbian" misspelled it at some point and it became "Colombia". No? Curious, and once guilty as well.

Thanks for keeping us informed.

-Olaf

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: : Please don't take this the wrong way, but I would have thought since your wife is from ColOmbia, that you would have known that Colombian is spelled with an O, not spelled with a U like "Columbian" (a 'U' is the spelling for Columbia Pictures and Columbia University, not for Colombia the country). It always surprises me how often this word is spelled incorrectly by people in the US ;-) : Well, etymologically speaking, "Colombia" comes from Spanish explorer Christopher *Columbus*, I imagine. Since we gringos are taught that he is the discoverer of the new world (after Lief Ericson (sp?) it turns out), and we are taught that his name is spelled with a 'U', not an 'O', it's only natural that we misspell it. Either that or some "Columbian" misspelled it at some point and it became "Colombia". No? Curious, and once guilty as well. : : Thanks for keeping us informed. : -Olaf

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ SalsaBoston.com Discussion Board ] [ FAQ ]