VOA · Ask a Teacher
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01This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Lim in South Korea about how we define the word nation and discuss countries.
02Dear Teacher, I have thought the word nations means the countries existing in the world, but someone said the word nations means all people living in one country or all countries in the world.
03Could you explain the different definitions of the word nation and show me the examples?
04I always thank you for teaching me.
05We are always happy to answer your questions, Lim.
06The word nation has two meanings.
07It can mean the same thing as the word country.
08The word nation can also mean the same thing as one of the meanings of the noun nationality.
09The Online Oxford Learner's Dictionary defines this meaning as follows.
10A group of people with the same language, culture, and history.
11For example, the Basques are a nationality who live in the country of Spain.
12They have their own Basque language and culture.
13So, we could say that the Basques are a nation within a nation because they live within the country of Spain.
14To make it clearer whether we are discussing a country or a nationality, we can use the word nation-state.
15A nation-state means the same thing as country.
16In political science, the word state by itself usually means the same thing as country.
17However, in several countries, the term state is used for different divisions within a country.
18For example, within the United States, there are 50 states.
19Each of these states has its own state government and state laws, which are different from federal laws.
20Some American Indian tribes in the U.S.
21use the word nation to identify their group and the special areas, called reservations, they govern.
22Consider the following two examples.
23The Cherokee Nation has the largest population of any tribe in the United States.
24The Cherokee Nation covers over 18,000 square kilometers.
25For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English?
26Are there different nationalities within your country?
27We want to hear from you.
28Send us an email at learningenglish at voanews.com.
29And please let us know where you are from, too.
30And that's Ask a Teacher.
31I'm Andrew Smith.
32Thank you.
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