How many times have Dominica been mistaken for the Dominican Republic? How many times have you read articles about the different Caribbean Islands, where Dominica is just completely overlooked? Over a zillion times I bet! Here is one of the suggestions by a frequent contributor to the Sun Newspaper.
I have suggested before that we make a simple change…A country’s name should be free and clear of any confusion with any other country on the surface of the Earth. Iran and Iraq are close but clearly distinguishable. The same would apply to “Dominique” and Dominican Republic…besides “Dominique” is already in common usage for a very long time and is reflective of the history and of our country. Why not make the change now? More, Dominica is Latin…Dominique is French. It is quite obvious that we considerably more French than Latin.
I personally think, it will be difficult to get accustom if Dominica name changes, but on the other hand it will greatly reduce all the mix-ups with the Dominican Republic. What do you think; would Dominica change its name to Dominique? Let’s hear opinions in the comments.
Related Post
|
|
I wasn’t sure that was possible. I agree to this suggestion.we are to often mixed up with dominica republic. even when we say out nationality we both are dominicans.even official documents are being mixed up in that manner. take for example when i cam eto china my documents stated i was from the dominican republic when the chinese official helped me out. i only found out when i started understanding teh language.so i was registered in china as from some one from the dominican republic.this was all due to translation problems but it would have been avoided if there was a clear distinction between the islands.
Good Idea. My documents get mixed numerous times when it comes to distinguishing between Dominca and the D.R. The question is, is to not too late? We do need to do something. We can’t have our nationalities mixed up with another neighbouring country who is so close. I’m tired of telling people that i’m Dominican but not spanish. No Habla Espanol. Comprende?
Let’s represent for the nature isle with a new but not far fetched name and nationality. I like the ring of I’m Dominique…
Not at all. The real Dominicans are from Dominica. Those in the Dominican Republic are Hispaniolans or Santo Domingos. The government and people of Dominica should never feel pressured to change the name of Dominica just because DA is smaller than DR. As a matter of fact when Dominica got it’s name, Dominican republic did not exist, they and Haiti were one country called Hispaniola and later it became known as Santo Domingo. It is time that the Dominica government along with the British government angrily demonstrate to the United Nation for the confusion and inconvenience that the so called Dominican Republic has caused to Dominica since both nationalities are called Dominicans.
We can site all day and night explaining why the name Dominica belongs to Dominica and us “the people.” The fact of reality is Dominican Republic has millions of people living there and all over the world promoting the name and country. Now tourism there is bigger and better getting more visits than Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and all the Lesser Antilles put together. How can we compete with that? In few words, as a weaker and smaller individual (island) we might just have to lick our wounds and stand out stronger with a difference. Name change is just one thing that needs change on this island, we will need new subjects for the rest…
Uneducated, non-geographically literate people also confuse Australia and Austria, and Mauritius and Mauritania. We’ve had the US Postal Service (”service” seems ironic) send our letters to the Dominican Republic even after we wrote — in red capital letters — on the envelope “NOT THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC”.
I don’t think that “Dominique” would end the confusion. Not when many US high school students can’t name the continent that the USA is on, or find Mexico, Canada, or sometimes the Pacific Ocean on a world map or globe.
When my wife forgot the USPS “country code” for Dominica (it is 152 and I recommend those sending mail to Dominica from the US write “USPS Country Code 152″ on the envelope) and a postal clerk tried to use her computer terminal to find the code, entering “Commonwealth of Dominica” when she got as far as “com” the terminal returned the name “Comoros Islands” and its code. The Comoros are east of Africa in the Madagascar Channel!
Keep the name Dominica, and be proud, and let stupid people be stupid. The fewer of them that find us the better!
I agree with Dan, that the change to the French name will not end the confusion.
And I understand the feels of Dominicans: I don’t like so much, when the people confuse my Russian speech with German, but usually I just a smile, because I know that not so many Dominica people had ability to hear the Russian language.
I took two years of Russian in college. I’ll never forget it. The first word we learned was “CΛOH” (pronounced “slun” it means “elephant”). It was to show us that we had to start by learning a new alphabet. But, unlike English, once you learn the alphabet, you can practically always pronounce whet you see written and write what you can pronounce correctly.
Try that in English: How would you pronounce “ghoti”? How about as “fish”, where the gh as in “enough” the o as in “women” and the ti as in “nation”.
Or the English spelling rule “i before e except after c or when sounded like a as in neighbor or weigh” — which doesn’t work for “science”!
But i digress: My vote for a new name, were it decided to have one, would be “Nature Island”. No confusion there.
After circling all these wagons, the best you could come up with is “Nature Island”? That makes sense to you?
I agree..too many times I have to correct people and explain that I am not Spanish, or I’m not from D.R…Changing our name to Dominique is a strong recommendation.
i am an entertainer here in the US and 9 out of every 10 people i meet on a constant bases either never heard of Dominica or think it’s the Dominica Republic. up to this day i send mail to my family in DA and they never recieve it though i am usually spesific.
something should be done but the name Dminique is still way too close to solve that problem.
if West Indes doesn’t help,Commonwealth doesn’t i don’t know what will. the name ”Dominica” is so beautiful and if it is changed will sure take a long time for people to get use to or be educated about it’s existence.love and peace.
Anyone who is insisting that the beautiful island of Dominica name should be changed has no knowledge of history to understand that Dominica got it’s name before the Dominican Republic and Haiti seperated when they were both called Hispaniola. Those who are asking for Dominica name to be changed are really sabotagers who realized that Dominica is gaining recognition over the Dominican Republic. REMEMBER the true Dominicans are from Dominica and the natives of Dominican Republic are really Hispaniolans or Santo Domingos.
Our name is quite fine just the way it is. As Dan said, the fewer people who find this country the better. You see what they did to Jamaica right? Please we ad the name first. I live in the USA and I send mail to my mom all the time and she gets it. I have never once had any of my mail sent to the Dominican Republic. Plus I like when I have to explain where my country is , its starts a good conversation especially in my classes.
In America only the good travelers know much about the geographic position of many countries in the world. No offense but they don’t spend much time worrying about little things as this. We could change the name to something other Dominique and they still wouldn’t know who or where we are. Live it just like that, maybe if the foreign affairs minister and those in government would spend more time advertising and promoting or country to the rest of the world, rather than wining and dining young Dominican women, other people of this world would know about this island.
I think it might be preferable to rename the country Waitikubuli, the original name for the country prior to the arrival of the colonialists.
This name change would attract a lot of coverage in the news worldwide and it could help generate more tourism.
The island has apparently been referred to as Waitikubuli for several thousand years, so why feel the need to choose between Dominica or Dominique, names which have only been used for 500 years or so.
As some other contributors have mentioned, most people in the world don’t give a damn anyway.
Waitikubuli - “Tall is her body” - is a wonderful descriptive phrase, and once anyone sees the island, it will stick in their memories.
Dominica is definitely, in my opinion, female, in the sense of “fertile”, “fecund”, etc. Does anyone every refer to Dominica as “The Fatherland”?
So, Waitikubuli, “TALL is HER BODY” would be very appropriate.
In my humble opinion.
I think Waitikubuli is a great idea!
Yes if we have to change i think we should just add Waitikubuli /Dominica, we should not change but we should start using Waitukubuli, when we address letters write Dominica, Waitikubuli and get the world used to our original nale. tall is her body, that is so beautifull . rather than Dominica which denotes the day the invaders set foot on our lovely land, thank God for our Carib descendant who defended victoriously. Yes WAitikubilu she should be called.
Don’t even bother to try to change Dominica’s name because it’s not going to happen and it will never happen. You all people who are debating about changing Dominica’s name are just waisting your time because I believe truthfully that you all are being paid to tarnish beautiful Dominica (the nature island of the caribbean) name to satisfy the corrupted, evil rich trouble makers out there. So please find something constuctive to do like reading a book or hlping your kid with his/her homework.
wtf? you honestly think this thread is useful in anyway? why the f**k would anyone want to change Dominica to Dominique just because it gets confused with the Dominican Republic? ppl refer to Dominican Republic as DR now fyi and more people are getting to know the diff between the two as Dominica is becoming more and more familiar on the international Map. stop making yourself seem like a disgrace to Dominicans who actually know what they’re about
I am African American,(mixed with everything out there) a traveler and very out going… I had my first encounter with a Dominican while stationed at Fort Bragg… I immediately asked the young lady I was trying to pick up “Como Esta” and very politely she told me “not DR”… I was intrigued by the name which I had never heard of and did my research.(Not just for the lady either) I now know it to be a very beautiful island with a lot of history. As an outsider I would have to agree either keep Dominica or change it to its original name out of pride and heritage not because people confuse it with DR… As for tourism, in due time the country will get its recognition it has way too much to offer not to.