> On Fri, 17 Sep 2004 09:19:58 +0100, Peter Bleackley
>
> <peter.bleackley@...> wrote:
> > A Dutch colleague habitually refers to his country as "Holland", in
> > preference to "the Netherlands". Whether this is a particularly Southern
> > Dutch habit or not, I don't know, but he seems to regard "Holland" as
> > more correct.
> >
> > Pete
>
> It's pretty common for many Americans* to call the Netherlands
> "Holland". I try to say "The Netherlands" but sometimes habit is hard
> to break and "Holland" slips out.
>
> Note: the following is NOT to start an arguement, just something I
> find interesting:
>
> *As for "American" people have been calling people of the United
> states that for much longer than the current issue of "Why do people
> in the United States use "American" to refer to themselves?". Anyway,
> Robert Louis Stevenson used "American" to refer to the people of the
> United states in the late 1800's as such
>
> From "Across the Plains" in the chapter "Mexicans, Americans and Indians":
>
> " Not even the most Americanised would descend to wear the vile dress
> hat of civilisation. Spanish was the language of the streets. It was
> difficult to get along without a word or two of that language for an
> occasion."
>
> (I included that quote only because it's interesting that the
> situation with Spanish is switched with English... it's difficult to
> get along in Monterey now without a word or two of English, although
> you can get by if you speak Spanish... so all is not lost for Spanish
> here :))
>
>
> "Across the Plains" is interesting, especially where it discusses
> Monterey in both chapters "The Old Pacific Capital" and "Mexicans,
> Americans, and Indians". It's very interesting and his description of
> the weather here is still the same.
>
> You can find "The Old Pacific Capital" here:
>
http://www.bookrags.com/ebooks/614/30.html
>
> And "Mexicans, Americans, and Indians" here:
>
http://www.bookrags.com/ebooks/614/35.html
>
> --
> Listen Johnny;
> You're like a mother to the girl you've fallen for,
> And you're still falling,
> And if they come tonight
> You'll roll up tight and take whatever's coming to you next.
>
> Slow Graffitti - Belle and Sebastian