The english language is anti-spanish

Spain--------------> S-pain
Spaniard (derogatory suffix -ard)


Coward
Bastard
Laggard
Sluggard
dullard
drunkard
retard

Sorry, but i didn´t create this topic

Its not just English...

You are spanish = Jij bent spaans
You are a spanyard = Je bent een Spanjaard

I think it has a historical reason.

In spanish

ingles = English
ingle = groin

It´s reciprocal

The suffix -ard (which also takes the form -art) usually denotes people who regularly engage in an (often discreditable) activity, or are characterized in a certain (often negative) way, as indicated by the stem of the word. The suffix is most immediately from Old French, where it formed such words as mallard (not applied to people) or haggard, and such pejorative words as bastard, coward, or our aforementioned petard.

Spaniard...

wizard
guard
custard
haphazard
Harvard
...

-ard is an old Teutonic suffix also found in French (Reynard "fox" Canard "duck") where it came from Frankish. It does not always have a derogatory connotation as its also found in words like blizzard, hazzard orchard, vinyard and wizard and in proper names like Bernard, Gerard and Richard.

I wouldn't take the original author of this thread too seriously. I don't think his intent was to even have a real conversation. In addition to his argument being absurd...(the fact that the word "pain" exists within the word Spain?...that's like saying pets have something to do with carpet because the word "pet" exists in the word "carpet"....totally ridiculous), the title of thread is unnecessarily inflamatory.

* : "Spaniard (derogatory suffix -ard)" and "The english language is anti-spanish".

English is not to blame here.

En <Spaniard> is from OF <Espaignart>/<Espaignard> = ME <Spaynard> = Fr <Espagnol> = En <Spaniard>. OF loanword adopted in Middle English around 1400.

Another Old French etymon made its way into Middle English : OF <Espaignol> gave ME <Spanyol> but it was discarded by OF <Espaignart>/<Espaignard>. OF <Espaignol> is probably from Old Occitan <Espanol>/<Espainol>.

En <Spain> is from OF <Espaigne>/<Espayne> = Fr <Espagne> = En <Spain>. OF loanword adopted in Middle English around 1200.

I don't believe there is the slightest anti-Spanish/Spain sentiment in the English Language. If there ever was, then it would have been at the time of the 1588 Armada.....wouldn't you have been pissed off if your game of bowls was interrupted by a fleet of galleons? Even so, Drake made the Spaniards damn well wait until he'd finished it. That's the only historical anti-Spanish feeling I know of.

This is like the claim of the inhabitants of Savoie and Haute-Savoie who dislike the traditional term "Savoyard" because they consider the -ard suffix to be derogatory (bâtard, pétard, etc.). They prefer to be called "Savoisien".

is the term "spaniard" really used ? I always have used "spanish". my english teatchers have never teach us the word "spaniard".
is spaniard a slang ? or is it used only in uSA ?

No, it's not slang, and not restricted to just NAE to my knowledge. The thing is that the term "Spanish" is *just* an adjective, not a noun, unlike, say, the term "German", which can act as both an adjective or noun. Most terms ending in -"ish" or -"ese" cannot be used as nouns in English, unlike terms ending in -"an" or -"ian", so one would have to say "Spanish person" or like rather than "Spanish", if one intends to use such as a noun.

I forgot to mention that the term "Spaniard", however, is just a noun and not an adjective, like terms like "Swede", "Dane", "Finn", and any term ending in -"er".

<<is the term "spaniard" really used ? I always have used "spanish". my english teatchers have never teach us the word "spaniard".
is spaniard a slang ? or is it used only in uSA ?>>

No, "Spaniard" is quite standard around the English-speaking world, altho it may be interchangeable with "Spanish" at times ("Spanish" is more encompassing, because "Spaniard" only deals with people). This is how I use it naturally:

--"That girl is Spanish"

but not

--*That girl is Spaniard

I could, say, however

--"That girl is a Spaniard"

--"The Spanish often vacation on the beach" or "Spaniards often vacation on the beach"

but never

*Spaniard paella is awesome.

always being

"Spanish paella is awesome"