Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2025 November 20: Difference between revisions

SoAnnoyedToName (talk) 12:51, 20 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

As usual with many words in the English language, “country” can mean several different things in different contexts, and may have definitions in specific legislative documents about specific situations that do not apply in other situations.

One must be clear about whether the word is being used in general English-language conversation, or in a specific instance regarding the legal status of a territory (with a small ‘t’, not a ‘Territory’ officially so named, such as Australia’s Northern Territory).

It would be perfectly normal for an English speaker in England to say “I live in the country” meaning the speaker lives in a rural area, on a farm or in a village, rather than in a town or city, for example.

Where the status of some distinct territory or area is concerned, everyday English can be quite inconsistent about what is commonly called “a country” and what is not, and from a legal viewpoint, different administrations and jurisdictions may have opposing views about a particular instance.

I understand that this can be confusing for non-native English speakers; it may sometimes confuse native speakers too – unfortunately that is the nature of the language and of a culture that (unlike, say, French) prefers not to control it rigidly with legislation.

[Feel free to copy-paste this response to the Talk page discussion.] {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} ~2025-31359-08 (talk) 15:11, 20 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Map Men did a video on how many countries there are, which gets into the ambiguity of what “country” can actually mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nB688xBYdY Iapetus (talk) 14:14, 1 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]