# Argentine/Argentinian/Argentinean



## coquita

Hi everybody,

I thought that if somebody was born in Argentina, he's "Argentinian" and that "Argentine" was used when talking about things from Argentina (i.e.: Argentine wine), but then I found "Argentinian tango", so now I'm confused.

Is it the same in American English than in British English?

Thanks


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## la_mas_deseada

I believe that Argentinian is the most approrpriate adjective for a person or any object. But at least in colloquial usage, both can be considered correct. I used to call people argentines, but now have reformed to argentinians. expect to hear the latter more often. Use either one you like better, keeping in mind that, at least here, argintinian sounds more correct. 
Saludos


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## coquita

Thanks a lot!
Saludos


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## AnaBanana

Quisiera saber (sobre todo quisiera una respuesta de los argentinos) si les molestaria cuando un estadounidense usa la palabra "Argentinian".  Segun los diccionarios que tengo, la forma correcta es "Argentine" en ingles, pero adivinaria que la mayoria de las personas que conozco yo dice(n)??  "Argentinian."  

Favor de corregirme los errores para que aprenda mas.


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## aleCcowaN

Las dos formas están bien en su lado correspondiente del Atlántico. Yo uso una u otra según la nacionalidad de mi interlocutor. No hay ninguna posibilidad de ofendernos porque se use una u otra forma.

Y muy bien escrito lo tuyo (la n entre paréntesis, va)

Un saludo desde la Argentine Republic (o Argentinian Republic?), o será la Republic of Argentina, o Republic of the Argentinian, ¡ma sí! desde la Argentina ( o será Argentina) 

Somos como Madonna, con tal que hablen de nosotros, digan lo que quieran


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## Edwin

AnaBanana said:
			
		

> Segun los diccionarios que tengo, la forma correcta es "Argentine" en ingles, pero adivinaria que la mayoria de las personas que conozco yo dice(n)??  "Argentinian."



Hmm. ¿La forma correcta como sustantivo o adjetivo?  ¿De cuales diccionarios estas hablando?  Para mi "The Argentine" es una anticuada manera de decir "Argentina" (el país) y tambien puede ser "Argentine" una forma adjetiva del país.  Muchos y quizás todos los diccionarios "online" digan que el nombre de una persona de Argentina es " an Argentinian" y la forma adjetiva es "Argentine" o "Argentinian". 
Mira esto enlaces:  "Argentinian" "Argentine"


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## RoRo_en_el_foro

Bueno en primer lugar, por supuesto que no puede ser ofensivo, de ninguna manera. De hecho acá no se habla tanto inglés como les hacen creer ahí afuera, de hecho casi nadie sabe inglés en realidad, así que tampoco podrían ofenderse de todas formas.
Con respecto a "la forma correcta", habría que ver en el diccionario, pero yo siempre lo usé así (si te sirve de algo):
- I am from Argentina.
- I am argentinian.
- Argentine people.
No quiere decir que eso esté bien, simplemente así lo decimos cuando tenemos que hablar en inglés.

Ah por cierto, la wikipedia también la llama "argentine people".


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## julian_inchauspe

According the Cambridge International Dictionary of English Language, you can use any of these three terms: Argentine, Argentinean or Argentinian both for people and as an adjective.
'Argentine' was the original British term for both people and things. But Americans introduced later the word 'Argentinean' or 'Argentinian' copying the suffix -ean from other countries of the region (Chilean, Brazilean, Ururguayean, etc.). Nowadays, most people in America would use the word 'Argentinian' not only as adjective but also to refer to people. 
In Britain, I guess that most people would say 'Argentine' for both things, but there are many who are now using 'Argentinean'.
It is a matter of tastes.


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## serg79_

I think that Julian has summed it up nicely.
Personally speaking, I would use "Argentine" for things and "Argentinian" (I don' think I've seen it spelt as "Argentin*e*an" in the UK) for people, although I'm not sure why.


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## andym

julian_inchauspe said:


> In Britain, I guess that most people would say 'Argentine' for both things, but there are many who are now using 'Argentinean'.
> It is a matter of tastes.



Julian 

I agree with your analysis, but I think 'Argentinean' is now probably the most commonly used word over here too.

[edit D'Oh! What do I know! A quick Google of UK sites shows 'Argentine' well ahead of 'Argentinian' with 'Argentinean' way behind]


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## lapachis8

aleCcowaN said:


> Somos como Madonna, con tal que hablen de nosotros, digan lo que quieran


 
"No me hables de usted, no me hables de vos, hablame de mí."

Argentinians o Argentines, el eguito es bien grande. Je, je.
saludos


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## Chessnia

mateitop said:


> Nice one, Edwin... I thought for a minute there I'd instigated the hijacking of this thread... Apologies for any offence caused by my inadvertent use of a sensitive Argentine word!



I don't mean to be picky or anything, I'm just an ignorant willing to learn, but I was wondering about mateitop's (who happens to be a native) use of "Argentine" as an adjective in that sentence. Are both Argentine and Argentinian correct when used as adjectives?


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## Carrie2

Both are correct, but Argentinian is more common. Argentine sounds old-fashioned.

This is for Britain, so it may be different in other English-speaking countries (although in this case I doubt it).


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## Chessnia

Thanks a lot, I love translating + Carrie2, your replies have been really helpful.


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## Shuki24

¡Hola a todos!

   Me pregunto cual de las tres opciones es la correcta para la nacionalidad argentina en inglés. Estoy casi seguro que es "Argentine", y que "Argentinian" es para objetos o cosas. Y "Argentinean" la acabo de ver en un post, y me llamó mucho la atención. ; )

   ¡¡Desde ya muchas gracias!!

                      Shuki


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## LucianoGoAl

Por lo que entendí toda la vida, Argentinean es "british" y Argentinian es "american". Igualmente no creo que a un native le importe demasiado ladiferencia, además de ser fonéticamente iguales :I

Saludos!!!


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## Basenjigirl

All three are used (as either an adjective or a noun) in English:
Argentine 
Argentinean
Argentinian

I'm not aware of any rule that says one can only be used for objects and not for people and vice versa.


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## Maju

Hola foreros!

Hace años que tengo esta duda, cuál de esos gentilicios para referirse a un argentino es el más usado? 

Saludos! 
M.

PS: más temprano consulté en otro hilo por la palabra "vitivinícola". Alguien me podrá ayudar? Gracias!


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## nykta

Creo que oigo "Argentinean" más que los otros, pero "Argentine" es casi igualmente común. "Argentinian" no me parece la ortografía correcta.

Pero no sé! Solo es mi percepción.


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## Maju

Gracias Nykta! Sin embargo, acá en WR aparece como "Argentinian". Quizás así es en British English...


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## Polopino

Maju said:


> Hola foreros!
> 
> Hace años que tengo esta duda, cuál de esos gentilicios para referirse a un argentino es el más usado?
> 
> Saludos!
> M.
> 
> PS: más temprano consulté en otro hilo por la palabra "vitivinícola". Alguien me podrá ayudar? Gracias!


http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Argentinian


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## Maju

Thanks for the link Polopino. So, I guess both Argentine and Argentinian are interchangeable, and Argentinean is American English.
Cheers!


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## Anakin59

Entiendo que depende de lo que sea lo argentino.
Si es una persona, es Argentinian
si es un producto, es Argentine product.


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## AndrewKincaid

Argentine is correct.


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## Maju

Gracias por las respuestas, en especial a Fenixpollo por los enlaces. No sabía que ya se había hablado de esto, ya que en WR busqué "argentino" y apareció traducido como "Argentinian" y ninguno de los hilos que se mostraban allí nombraba este tema. Luego descubrí que los hilos se encontraban en la palabra "Argentine" 
Saludos y muy buenas noches para todos!
M.


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## zumac

Anakin59 said:


> Entiendo que depende de lo que sea lo argentino.
> Si es una persona, es Argentinian
> si es un producto, es Argentine product.


 
Estoy de acuerdo con Anakin.

Una persona es Argentinian. Argentinean no existe.

Un producto puede ser "an Argentine product" o "an Argentinian product."

Algunos ingleses se suelen referir a la Argentina como "The Argentine".

Saludos.


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## AndrewKincaid

Not to be harsh, but for the purposes of the US government a person from Argentina is an "Argentine," not an "Argentinian." The word "Argentinian" does not exist in proper American English; it is a product of guesswork and errors.


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## Anakin59

Nevertheless, in England I was called an Argentinian by the locals; it might be different in the US, though a client of mine there calls me that way too. Maybe it depends on where you are from?


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## zumac

AndrewKincaid said:


> Not to be harsh, but for the purposes of the US government a person from Argentina is an "Argentine," not an "Argentinian." The word "Argentinian" does not exist in proper American English; it is a product of guesswork and errors.


 
Andrew, I can't speak for the US government, but here's what Webster's dictionary says on the subject:
ARGENTINE: _adj._ of Argentina, its people, or culture
_n._ a native or inhabitant of Argentina. Also *Argentinian*.
*the Argentine* [now chiefly Brit.] Argentina

As you can see, *Argentinian *does exist in proper American English, given that Webster's is an American dictionary.

Saludos.


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## Escondido

The proper way is Argentine. 

Argentinean is sometimes used and accepted (out of ignorance in my opinion) in the US, and the same goes for Argentinian in the UK. 

Over time word usage certainly changes, but it seems to me that after a period of diversification of terms, there has been a move (i.e. Wikipedia and forums like this) to unify the term to it's original form of "Argentine" (rhymes with Clementine).

It doesn't make a difference if it's refering to people or things.

_Moritzchen said...._
_May I ask why "the proper way is Argentine" and the other two are ignorant (terms)?_

By "proper" I mean that has been used in print for over a hundred years, for people or things. 

Even though Argentina had its independence in 1816, the country's name wasn't settled until 1860, and officially it can be referred as "Nacion Argentina" or "Republica Argentina". The British whom have had a big hand in the development of Argentina (including invading Buenos Aires twice), officially referred to it as "The Argentine Nation" or "The Argentine Republic", which colloquially was shortened to "The Argentine", but that term is now obsolete. The large English Speaking community in Argentina, which I grew up in,  refers to itself as "Argentine" as far as I could always tell, I only heard the term "Argentinean" once I started traveling to the US and the UK, and only in the past couple of years "Argentinian." Note that these two variants are not accepted by all dictionaries. I believe these newer variants which came about by likening them to other demonyms due to the lack of knowledge (in my opinion) about the origin and development of Argentina's name and demonym. 

There's an old English saying, now obsolete, if not laughable, that goes "Rich as an Argentine".

Here's a link to the official translation of the Argentine Constitution into English.  

 senado.gov.ar/web/interes/constitucion/english.php 

Note the use of _Argentine_ Nation, _Argentine_ soil, _Argentine_ people, _Argentine_ citizens, etc.


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## huon

It's an interesting one. So interesting that more than a year after the last post I find myself drawn to it.
I find that myself (European English) I use both. But I tend to use Argentine as an adjective but Argentinan as a noun.
So, "My girlfriend is Argentinian. She has an Argentine accent."
I think the main reason for this is fluency. When an extra word is being used (as in Argentine accent,)it just becomes a lot of syllables to get ones tongue round.
I may even be wrong about what is a noun or an adjective. As a native speaker who writes a lot I am a bit lax on the rules, which I see as only being there to be broken anyway. But fluency is king.


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## Yael

A mí siempre me pareció que Argentine era un sustantivo, como Pole o Spaniard, y Argentinian/Argentinean un adjetivo, como Polish o Spanish. ¿No es así?


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## Escondido

En el caso de "Argentine" no es as*í*. Se usa para ambos, ya sea sustantivo o adjetivo: ej. _"I am Argentine"_ y _"The Argentine economy has suffered through the years"_

He indagado bastante el tema, y a pesar de que un tiempo atr*á*s se comenz*ó* a usar (err*ó*neamente) "Argentinean" y "Argentinian," hist*ó*ricamente siempre se ha sido "Argentine" el modo correcto.


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## elirlandes

Historically, the country has also been referred to in English as "the Argentine". This is still used by many. I guess it comes from the longer phrase "the Argentine Republic" = la Republica Argentina.


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## InterpreterALE

I always call myself an Argentinian, at least for me, Argentine sounds correct but a little bit old-fashioned.

Regarding Argentinean, it doesn't sound like a correct spelling and even in dictionary I've looking for the only two options are Argentine and Argentinian, the word Argentinean does not appear. About this you can compare with Brazilian, Peruvian, Bolivian (they are not Brazilean, Peruvean, or Bolivean), don't compare with Chilean because that comes from Chile+an. Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina don't end in e.


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## Karla007

I've looked over other threads related to this subject but it's not any clearer when I want to say for example:

XXXX, of Argentine/Argentenean Nationality, born on XXX

Which term is better in formal use?

Thanks!


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## pablo1

Personally i would say is of Argentinian nationality, but generally in english we would say He is Argentinian, or he is from Argentina!


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## Karla007

Yes, of course, I forgot to mention that my question was in regards to a power of attorney...  Thank you!


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## openingnight

Im agree with Pablo. AND we should add to this, ARGENTINIAN OR ARGENTINE NATIONALITY both forms are correct though it may not look it, because everybody says Argentinian


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## Basil Ganglia

The US legal documents with which I am familiar usually reference citizenship rather than nationality. That's because citizenship has a defined legal meaning. Thus I would expect to see a phrase "XXX, a citizen of Argentina, ...".

If the reference is not to citizenship but to the location where a person was born or raised, then specific descriptive language would be used and would probably include a reference to current  citizenship: "XXX, born in Argentina and now a US citizen, ...." or "XXX, of Argentinian origin and possessing dual US-Argentinian citizenship, ...".  

But in a legal document references to place of origin or place of birth would ordinarily not be included unless those facts are germane to the legal matter.


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## soph!

Hi! Puedo aportar desde mi humilde lugar de estudiante de traductorado público: como ya el nombre del país lo indica The Argentine Republic, Argentine es para cosas, por eso se debería decir (debería) Argentine Tango, Argentine Wines. Para personas, Argentinean o Argentinian (ésta última se usa con más frecuencia). Pero el idioma es lo que más rápido cambia y muchos usan todos indistintamente, esta es, una regla, que los hablantes toman o no... 
Saludos!!!


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## anipol

Hola, soy argentina y pensaba que la diferencia entre Argentinian y Argentine era una cuestión de gusto del hablante y de dialecto geográfico.  Por la regla que menciona Soph me interesa mucho. ¿Podrías contarnos más, Soph?
Gracias, 
anipol


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## WhiteTobi

Hola amigos!

En un formulario donde dice "nacionalidad: argentina" en inglés
¿sería Argentine o Argentinean?
 
El dicc dice que Argentine va seguido de noun… pero para mi es argentine aunque no esté seguido de noun… 
 
¿Álguien está seguro al respecto?
 
Gracias


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## steemic

Siempre he escuchado *argentinean *para refirirse a la gente de argentina.  

Un saludo.


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## Vell Bruixot

WhiteTobi said:


> Hola amigos!
> 
> En un formulario donde dice "nacionalidad: argentina" en inglés
> ¿sería Argentine o Argentinean?
> 
> El dicc dice que Argentine va seguido de noun… pero para mi es argentine aunque no esté seguido de noun…
> 
> ¿Álguien está seguro al respecto?
> 
> Gracias


 
There was some discussion on this here but it was not very useful

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=8674
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=447220

Some English language dictionaries list both forms as acceptable. In one of the earlier postings, this was considered a useful comment

"According the Cambridge International Dictionary of the English Language, you can use any of these three terms: Argentine, Argentinean or Argentinian to refer to both people and things."


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## fenixpollo

Tobi, todo depende de la preferencia personal de uno. A mí, lo más correcto es Argentine. No tengo ninguna conexión personal con Argentina... solamente suena mejor. Las otras opciones suenan rebuscadas y raras -- para mí, decir "Argentinean" suena igual de ridículo e inventado que decir "Argentinish".


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## Porteño

Contrary to some of the opinions expressed, I personally have almost always used 'Argentinian' to describe the nationality and 'Argentine' as an adjective for everything else.

I agree with those who say it's a matter of personal taste since none of the dictionaries are categorical about the various uses.


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## vovodardo220

hmmm....i have heard both and personally, i like argentine better. the other one is rather long and argentine is more pleasing to the ear.

encima, siendo argentina, nose porque, pero cuando escucho argentinian me suena raro...al principio argentine me sono muy como q americanizado o algo, pero eso es lo que hacen los q hablan ingles y al final argentine suena mas elegante. no?


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## Cpt_S_Jacob

It is Argentine.
Please refer to this essay:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Argentine,_not_Argentinian


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## PibePorteno

coquita said:


> Hi everybody,   I thought that if somebody was born in Argentina, he's "Argentinian" and that "Argentine" was used when talking about things from Argentina (i.e.: Argentine wine), but then I found "Argentinian tango", so now I'm confused.   Is it the same in American English than in British English?   Thanks



I was raised in Argentina as an American child of American diplomats.

We said Argentine exclusively.  That is Argentyne with the long I as in I or EYE.  

British diplomats used the Argenteen pronunciation.  

I only heard tourists use Argentinian.


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## SomebodyElse

Hi, i know the thread is dead by now, but as HPL has said: "even death may die" 
My humble opinion is that "Argentina" (the country's name) is already a kind of demonym, and that's the source of all this mess.
A female comming from Argentina in spanish is said "Argentina" (note the country's name is the same as the demonym).
I think that isn't correct to apply a demonym up on another demonym, maybe i'm wrong but that's what i think.


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## gothcraft

Have anyone looked up argentine?
If is related to the nationality of a person or object I will always use argentinian. I will use argentine to say something is silvery...


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## Vell Bruixot

The thread that will not die. 

The *Argentine* government has determined that the English translation of argentino/a  will be "*Argentine*" when used in official business. 

Thus we see that the *Argentine* Ministry of Foreign Affairs refers to the country as the "*Argentine* Republic. "

On 23 May 2017 the *Argentine* Ministry of Foreign Affairs emitted the following:  "The *Argentine* Government strongly condemns the terrorist attack perpetrated at a concert in Manchester, United Kingdom....",


According to the style guide for the Associated Press:  *Argentine *is the preferred term for the people and culture of Argentina.

According to the Reuters Handbook of Journalism:   " *Argentine* is the preferred term for the people and culture of Argentina. Avoid “Argentinian” as an adjective."

According to the Daily Telegraph Style Guide: "The people are *Argentine*, not Argentinians. The adjective is *Argentine*, not Argentinian."

According to the Style Guide for The Economist, "Argentina (adj and people *Argentine,* not Argentinian) 

Basta ya.


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## steemic

That may be the case for the government in Argentina but that does not mean people in English speaking countries thousands of miles away are all of a sudden going to change the way it is said in their country.  I can't speak for U.K. but I live in the US and for any adjective to describe wine, people, etc from the country of Argentina we say "Argentinean".  I have many friends from Argentina and they also say it that way.  "Argentine" at best would sound old fashioned if not completely wrong in this part of the country.

Saludos.


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## fenixpollo

steemic said:


> That may be the case for the government in Argentina but that does not mean people in English speaking countries thousands of miles away are all of a sudden going to change the way it is said in their country.  I can't speak for U.K. but I live in the US and for any adjective to describe wine, people, etc from the country of Argentina we say "Argentinean".  I have many friends from Argentina and they also say it that way.  "Argentine" at best would sound old fashioned if not completely wrong in this part of the country.


I take your point that most people in the US say Argentinean (which they pronounce the same as "Argentinian"), but Vell's point is that it's better to write Argentine. Vell is not saying that Americans should do this because the Argentines want us to, but rather because trusted American reference guides suggest it.

However, since it's a matter of style, that means that *there is no correct answer*. All three options in this thread title are valid, depending on the personal preference of the speaker or writer. Which means that this thread will go on endlessly, as different members share their personal preferences. :sad:

My own personal preference is Argentine, because it has fewer syllables. The other two options sound Americanized to my ear, invented by a native English-speaker who didn't know that Argentine is a word, and who just tacked extra syllables onto the name of the country. Every time I hear them, I wonder why he didn't choose Argentinish or Argentinese instead.


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## kingkongufulgus

la_mas_deseada said:


> I believe that Argentinian is the most approrpriate adjective for a person or any object. But at least in colloquial usage, both can be considered correct. I used to call people argentines, but now have reformed to argentinians. expect to hear the latter more often. Use either one you like better, keeping in mind that, at least here, argintinian sounds more correct.
> Saludos



Nope. Definitely not true. Argentine has always been the correct use, Argentinean comes from a false presumption of the conjugation based on that of the surrounding countries (Brazilian, Peruvian, etc.). In fact, every country that touches Argentina is conjugated that way. However, Argentina is derived from "silver" in Latin. So, seeing as how people used to know Latin, the equivilant English derivation of the same root was applied: Argentine. The Argentine Republic was even just called Argentine sometimes, which is on the other hand definitely antiquated. But, defend your ignorance based on your ear, which is of course valid because these mistakes always become the standard once it is so ingrained that nobody even knows it was ever anything different. We are definitely past the tipping point.


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## OtroLencho

steemic said:


> That may be the case for the government in Argentina but that does not mean people in English speaking countries thousands of miles away are all of a sudden going to change the way it is said in their country.


Especially in the United States.  We say things the way we want to, by golly, in spite of what what any puffed-up "authorities" may attempt to dictate.


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## kingkongufulgus

OtroLencho said:


> Especially in the United States.  We say things the way we want to, by golly, in spite of what what any puffed-up "authorities" may attempt to dictate.



As Isaac Asimov said,

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”


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## Vell Bruixot

fenixpollo said:


> ....depending on the personal preference of the speaker or writer



"Personal preference"?   There is a reason for setting and agreeing to standards, which is the reason I quote the many recognised and authoritative (prescriptive) style guides and the preferences of the government of the country in question.  If there were not some sort of agreement among the civilised peoples for standard forms,  and we were to widely accept the anarchy of "personal preference" thaen wi mit jos az wil spel ett az aerjinteen.   Does not this forum, in its rules, call for keeping within the bounds of proper spelling and punctuation, and not the slippery descent into capricious and arbitrary "personal preference"?

Even the US Department of State, in its style guide (The Executive Secretariat Staff Style Guide; my copy is dated 2013), recognises the current, correct, standard form. To wit,

_Argentine:Not Argentinian. _

_(The US CIA also specifies the use of "Argentine" in its style guide).

-------------------_

....while across the pond...  The "BBC News Style Guide"

*Argentina*

and *not* 'The Argentine'. Its people are *Argentines* (*not* 'Argentinians'). The adjective is also *Argentine.*

*------------*

The *University of Oxford Style Guide *includes the following acknowledgement of correct usage:
_
"The current pope, Pope Francis, is Argentine."_


-------------------------



fenixpollo said:


> ...I take your point that most people in the US say Argentinean....



I was referring to the civilised peoples.




OtroLencho said:


> Especially in the United States.  We say things the way we want to, by golly, in spite of what what any puffed-up "authorities" may attempt to dictate.



I was referring to the civilised peoples.





steemic said:


> That may be the case for the government in Argentina but that does not mean people in English speaking countries thousands of miles away are all of a sudden going to change the way it is said in their country.



As noted earlier and here again, it is not just desire of the authority of the country in question, but the prescriptive style guide authorities of the principal nominally English-speaking nations on both sides of the pond.




kingkongufulgus said:


> Nope. Definitely not true. Argentine has always been the correct use,..... But, defend your ignorance based on your ear, ......



Che, ¡¡ tenés razón !!



kingkongufulgus said:


> As Isaac Asimov said,
> 
> “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States..... nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”



Ain't it the truth.


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## steemic

fenixpollo said:


> I take your point that most people in the US say Argentinean (which they pronounce the same as "Argentinian"), but Vell's point is that it's better to write Argentine. Vell is not saying that Americans should do this because the Argentines want us to, but rather because trusted American reference guides suggest it.
> 
> However, since it's a matter of style, that means that *there is no correct answer*. All three options in this thread title are valid, depending on the personal preference of the speaker or writer. Which means that this thread will go on endlessly, as different members share their personal preferences. :sad:
> 
> My own personal preference is Argentine, because it has fewer syllables. The other two options sound Americanized to my ear, invented by a native English-speaker who didn't know that Argentine is a word, and who just tacked extra syllables onto the name of the country. Every time I hear them, I wonder why he didn't choose Argentinish or Argentinese instead.



Yet in Merriam-Webster both appear as suitable adjectives under Argentina.  Definition of ARGENTINEAN

There are respectable sources that list either or, or both.  I agree that there is no correct answer but don't agree with your point that American reference guides necessarily argue in favor of either.


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## Vell Bruixot

steemic said:


> Yet in Merriam-Webster both appear as suitable adjectives under Argentina.  Definition of ARGENTINEAN
> 
> There are respectable sources that list either or, or both.  I agree that there is no correct answer but don't agree with your point that American reference guides necessarily argue in favor of either.



MW is by and large descriptive, as are many dictionaries, to the point of admitting the casual and the nonstandard.  That is why in professional writing we have style guides,  to specify preferred alternatives.  And the preponderance of prescription in this case has been amply presented.


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## steemic

The context of the original O.P. was not professional in nature but nonetheless I would argue that even in the context of professional writing, that this would depend greatly on the style guide you were reading. 

Even Oxford lists both "argentine" and "argentinian" which you cited above as one of your sources:  Argentinian - definition of Argentinian in English | Oxford Dictionaries

There are various heated debates online as well as to which is more grammatically correct.


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## Vell Bruixot

steemic said:


> Even Oxford  ....



I indicated the University of Oxford Style Guide, which evidently prefers "Argentine."   See the earlier comment about dictionaries versus style guides in professional writing.   All of the several style guides I consulted and indicated, in both the US and the UK,  reflected a clear preference for "Argentine."


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## steemic

I don't trust that there is anymore credibility there than a dictionary, sorry.  I am not trying to make a point or argue in favor of either.  Quite the contrary I am saying that both are acceptable alternatives even though one happens to be the preferred option in my neck of the woods.  I do reject the idea however that one is superior to the other because of a couple online sources of style guides that one read on the web.


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## Vell Bruixot

steemic said:


> .... because of a couple online sources of style guides...



Let us review that notion of  "a couple"  of style guides.

A quick review of some of those "couple" of guides that prescribe or otherwise indicate the preferred use of "Argentine" in professional writing  (and some of these relate to our translation clients).  You may be unfamiliar with some of these organisations: 

1. World Bank Translation Style Guide  
2. University of Oxford Style Guide (UK)
3. BBC News Style Guide  (UK)
4. US State Department: The Executive Secretariat Staff Style Guide
5. US Central Intelligence Agency -   "Style Manual and Writers Guide for Intelligence Publications"
6. Reuters Handbook of Journalism (UK)
7. Associated Press Stylebook (US)
8. Daily Telegraph Style Guide (UK)
9. The Economist Style Guide (UK)
10. US Government Printing Office Style Manual  - Official guide to the form and style of Federal Government publishing
11.  National Geographic Style Manual (US)
12. The United Nations (as seen in style guides for individual Commissions)
13. WHO Style Guide (World Health Organization)


...and so on.....   

Perhaps the notion of "a couple" in your dialect may differ from what is commonly understood in, well, English.


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## steemic

Thanks for the laugh on that last part.  Perhaps even more curious is that organizations like Nat Geo as you cited above apparently go against their own style guides in their own publications on their own website:  A Taste of Argentinian Culture in Buenos Aires - National Geographic Student Expeditions.  

Again I'm not arguing in favor of either translation, simply suggesting that either would be acceptable depending upon dialect, etc.  Other comments welcome.


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## OtroLencho

Vell Bruixot said:


> Perhaps the notion of "a couple" in your dialect may differ from what is commonly understood in, well, English.



Sounds almost as if you might... have some sort of an opinion about this issue.

I have always unthinkingly said "Argentinian" and consider it among the acceptable alternatives.  However, after this interesting discussion (thanks, all), I'll be switching to "Argentine", simply because I consider standardization to be a worthwhile goal.


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## CordobaTim

Lived in Argentina for 15 years, am married to an Argentine, and we always say "Argentine."

Why would you take a four syllable word and make it longer?

As a proud Texanean and United Statesean I have to say: "Just say no to five syllable adjectives for Argentina."


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## Vell Bruixot

CordobaTim said:


> Lived in Argentina for 15 years, am married to an Argentine, and we always say "Argentine."
> 
> Why would you take a four syllable word and make it longer?



Clearly, some Americanians have expressed just such a desire.

And contrary to the preferential indications of the country involved.

But after all,  such matters are nothing more than a matter of, ummm,  personal taste.

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