pronunciation - When to use -Ites / Ians / Ish / An / Ni / Ese / Elsh / Er





Are there any rules governing what we call people from different countries?



I have some confusion regarding usage of suffixes such as -ites / -ians / -ish.


For example:


I have seen some people using the words Kerelite and Mumbaites for people from Kerela (a state) and Mumbai (a city).


Other examples:




  • Indians (where India is a country)




  • Spanish (Where Spain is again a country)




  • American




  • Pakistani




  • Chinese




  • Welsh




  • New Yorker




So on what basis do we decide what suffixes should be used, or is it very dependent on mood or environment?




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