Question e-mailed by Oliver Oliveros (August 24, 2010):Is it “Mexico woman” or “Mexican woman?”
(He sent this question with
a link to a news report about Miss Mexico winning the 2010 Miss Universe title.)
My reply to Oliver:You ask if a writer or speaker should say “Mexico woman” or “Mexican woman.” I would say it all depends on what is meant. If the reference is to a woman in association with Mexico in some unspecified, offhand, or generic way but not necessarily as one of its nationals, as in “I’m delighted by the performance of that
Mexico woman,” then the use of “Mexico” as modifier of “woman” would be grammatically and idiomatically correct. However, if the reference is specifically to the woman’s nationality, as in “A
Mexican woman was crowned 2010 Miss Universe,” then the use of the modifier “Mexican” is grammatically and formally called for. This modification, of course, is done in semantically the same way as in “American woman,” “Brazilian woman,” and “Italian woman.”
We must be aware, though, that the “-an” ending isn’t the only possible ending for such modifiers that indicate nationality. It really depends on whether the name of the country ends with a vowel or a consonant, on how the name itself is spelled, or on a language-based convention adopted by the country itself. Cases in point are “Chinese woman,” “Japanese woman,” “British woman,” “French woman,” “Pakistani woman,” “Swiss woman,” “Turkish woman,” and “Philippine woman” or “Filipino woman.” The Anglicized nomenclature for nationality really takes all kinds.
