Is Germany named after the Germanic tribes?

 

Ian MacKinnell

 · 

Studied some Medieval History at university, which I enjoyed.

Is Germany named after the Germanic tribes?

In English, the major nation state between France and Poland is known as “Germany”. That is purely an English affair(*).

The French call that nation “Allemagne” — named after a southern Germanic tribe, the Alemans. The Poles call it Niemcy, which comes from an ancient Slavic word meaning “mute”. I assume the Poles thought the Germans were mute because they said nothing (couldn’t understand or reply) when addressed in Polish.

Up north, the Danes call the nation to their south Tyskland, which comes from “tysk” the Norse equivalent of German “deutsch”. It came from the Germanic word for “of the people” or “the vernacular” (the language the native people spoke).

So Germany is named after mute people, if you live in Poland; after the Aleman tribe, if you live in France; after the vernacular speakers if you are actually German, or by borrowing if you are Scandinavian. The English alone(*) use the old Latin name Germania, which in ancient times was used for all the territories across the Rhine from the Netherlands down to border of Switzerland. This name is of uncertain origin, but it seems that early on both the Celts and the Romans used it to describe people on “the other side” of the Rhine, like the Franks. Eventually the term Germania was used for “East Francia” — the Germanic speaking lands across the Rhine from France (“West Francia”).

So in English the nation is called Germany because of its medieval Latin use for that territory. But Germans call themselves approximately the “people’s land” or the “vernacular land”, while the Poles call it the “mute land”, and the French call it “the land of the Alemans”. “Germany” is not THE name for Germany, it is merely one of many names for that land, and not the name they call themselves: Deutschland.

Germans speak Deutsch — their vernacular language. They don’t speak “German” unless they are speaking English. They don’t call their country “Germany” unless they are speaking English. Germany is only named “Germany” by English speakers — not by anyone else, at least not by their neighbours, and not by the people who actually live there.

EDITED TO ADD:

(*) Sorry, I failed to spell out my mental context here: I am purely focusing on the nations immediately surrounding Germany, as well as English because we speak it. As I explain in a comment, other nations further away generally adopt a name used by those close by — including the name used by the Romans who guarded the Rhine across from the Germani two thousand years ago. In terms of linguistics and history, it is the names used by Germans and those immediate neighbours who have been interacting with Germans for the last two thousand years, that are the most interesting and significant.

Useful resource, also mentioned by some commenters:

Names of Germany - Wikipedia

Hate speech

 

In common language, “hate speech” refers to offensive discourse targeting a group or an individual based on inherent characteristics (such as race, religion or gender) and that may threaten social peace.

Generally, however, hate speech is any form of expression through which speakers intend to vilify, humiliate, or incite hatred against a group or a class of persons on the basis of race, religion, skin color, sexual identity, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, or national origin.

Besides fake news, hate speech is the second big problem in social media.

Hate speech promotes hatred or violence against individuals or groups based on certain attributes. It is not protected by freedom of expression and can be lawfully prevented and punished.

Speech that is simply offensive but poses no risk to others is generally NOT considered a human rights violation. Hate Speech becomes a human rights violation if it incites discrimination, hostility or violence towards a person or a group defined by their race, religion, ethnicity or other factors.

Hate speech is any form of incitement, spreading or justification of hate and violence against an individual or a group of people based on certain attributes, such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, beliefs or health condition.

What can be considered hate speech? There is a fine line between what can and cannot be considered hate speech. Therefore, it is important to carefully distinguish hate speech from other insulting, unpopular or extreme views and expressions. For example, a statement can be contrary to the majority’s opinion, considered offensive and feel hateful, but it might not exactly incite hatred or violence. Read more about how to recognise hate speech.

It has been long overdue, but finally German lawmakers have approved a controversial law that would impose high fines on social media companies like Facebook, Twitter or YouTube for failing to swiftly delete posts deemed to exhibit hate speech.

Under the new legislation, social media companies have 24 hours to remove posts that obviously violate German law and have been reported by other users. In cases that are more ambiguous, Facebook and other sites have seven days to deal with the offending post. If they don’t comply with the new legislation, the companies could face a fine of up to 50 million Euro ($57.1 million).

Skeptics criticize, however, that under the new rules social media managers are the ones who have to decide whether content complies with German law. They also worry that freedom of speech will suffer since, in their opinion, companies are likely to delete many posts just to be on the safe side and avoid fines.

It’s indeed a Landmark legislation in Europe and should be adopted worldwide.

In addition to the strict new rules about deletion, the law forces networks to reveal the identity of those behind the hateful posts and to offer users “an easily recognizable, directly reachable, and constantly available” complaint process for “prosecutable content,” which includes libel, slander, defamation, incitement to commit a crime, hate speech against a particular social group, and threats.

The UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech refers to the working definition as: “any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, in other words, based on their religion.”

Hate Speech not only affects the dignity and human rights of the individual directly targeted, but also of persons belonging to the same minority or group as those directly targeted.

Tote bei Schießereien zwischen Thailand und Kambodscha

Der Grenzkonflikt zwischen Thailand und Kambodscha hat sich deutlich verschärft. Bei Schusswechseln an der Grenze wurden nach thailändischen Angaben mindestens neun Zivilisten getötet. Mindestens 14 Menschen erlitten in drei Grenzprovinzen Verletzungen. 

Das kambodschanische Verteidigungsministerium erklärte, thailändische Kampfflugzeuge hätten Bomben auf eine Straße in der Nähe des antiken Tempels Preah Vihear abgeworfen. Beide Staaten beteuerten, sie reagierten nur auf Angriffe der Gegenseite.

Die Nachbarländer Thailand und Kambodscha streiten seit Langem um den Verlauf ihrer Grenze. Laut „Bangkok Post“ sind mehrere Distrikte in unterschiedlichen Thai-Provinzen betroffen, sie liegen zum Teil in der Nähe der Grenze zu Laos. Der südlichste Zipfel Thailands unweit von Vietnam (Richtung Phu Quoc) ist bisher nicht betroffen.

Auf welt.de erfahren Sie mehr über den Konflikt.

The border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has escalated significantly. According to Thai sources, at least nine civilians were killed in exchanges of fire along the border. At least 14 people were injured in three border provinces.

The Cambodian Ministry of Defense announced that Thai fighter jets had dropped bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear temple. Both countries insisted they were only responding to attacks by the other side.

Neighboring Thailand and Cambodia have long been in dispute over the location of their border. According to the Bangkok Post, several districts in different Thai provinces are affected, some of which are located near the border with Laos. The southernmost tip of Thailand, not far from Vietnam (towards Phu Quoc), has not been affected so far.

Learn more about the conflict at welt.de.

What are 20 things absolutely worthwhile in life?

 

Adam Bissmire-Mullen

 · 

Marketer, Photographer, Writer & Thinker

1. Learning to play an instrument. A highly rewarding experience that'll frustrate and delight you in equal parts.
2. Taking risks. If you don't try, you'll never know. Plus, those who never made a mistake never made anything…
3. The newspaper crossword. It'll help to build your vocabulary and, more importantly, your patience.
4. Learning to drive. It'll give you independence and allow you to travel. If you can afford to do it, it's a no brainer.
5. Playing video games. Video games get a lot of bad press, but I've had some incredibly enriching experiences and learnt a lot along the way, too.
6. Watching live music, sports, etc. There's nothing better than supporting your home town team or feeling the buzz of singing your favourite songs along with thousands of like-minded people.
7. Falling in love. We all know the deal with this one. It comes to most of us in one way or another and at various points in life. Just go with it.
8. Having your heart broken. Yep, numbers 7 and 8 go together hand in hand, pretty much. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, eh!
9. Pursuing new hobbies. If something interests you, give it a go! You never know where it might take you. It could even end up being your new career.
10. Reading. We constantly see this mentioned on Quora, and for good reason, too! Knowledge is power, and the more you have, the better off you'll be.
11. Taking a walk. It helps to clear your mind and, in the right environment, it can reconnect you with nature. Plus, it functions as good exercise.
12. Doing something random. I heard in a talk recently that if you stay in on a Saturday night, chances are, your dream girl isn’t going to knock on the door. You don’t say?! So, get out there. Give yourself a chance, and do something different!
13. Writing. It doesn't have to be War and Peace, but try writing a blog, an answer on Quora, or a post on LinkedIn. Get good at expressing yourself, as communication is key in all aspects of life!
14. Travelling. Staying in the same town / city you were born in does you no favours! Get out there and see the world, even if it’s just to other towns and cities in your own country.
15. Indulging in a guilty pleasure. And by indulging in a guilty pleasure I mean having a bar of chocolate or your favourite treat now and then. Keep it clean!
16. Getting out of your comfort zone. We all get stuck in ruts from time to time. Sometimes, you've gotta get out of your cage, to semi-quote The Killers. You’ll do just fine. ;)
17. Making mistakes. I know I alluded to this in no.2, but it really is important. If you don't make mistakes then you'll never try anything new.
18. Taking time to recharge. Modern life is fast-paced and can be overwhelming at times. Take frequent breaks and rest your body and mind.
19. Learning to let go. Does this one really need explaining?
20. Taking a moment to appreciate the small things. When you think about it, so many events had to happen for us to even exist here on this small speck of dust called Earth. Take a moment to look up and appreciate the moon and stars; your family members around you, and the little things that make life worth living.

TYPHOON DANTE AND POTENTIAL TYPHOON EMONG TO STRENGTHEN THE #HABAGAT

Typhoon Dante and the potential Typhoon “Emong” will work together to pull and intensify the southwest monsoon (#Habagat), bringing heavier rains and stronger storms across different parts of the country.

Stay alert and follow warnings from PAGASA and local authorities for your safety.

#TyphoonDante #TyphoonEmong #PHWeather #FloodAlert #PAGASA

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Trump lowers PH tariffs from 20% to 19%; senators express disappointment

 

President Marcos Jr. (left) meets with President Trump at the White House (July 22, 2025) to strengthen the enduring PH-US partnership. (Photo courtesy of PCO)

Following a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Tuesday at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the U.S. would impose a 19 percent tariff rate on the Philippines, down from a 20 percent tariff. In return, the Philippines would have an open market and the U.S. would not pay tariffs. Read more

Some senators on Wednesday, July 23 are disappointed over the Philippines’ failure to get a much lower tariff with the United States. Read more

On the other hand, private-sector economists said that the tariff reduction is still a step forward. Read more