As a non english native, I'm tripping over this little grammatical question : when using a proper name (city name, first/last name etc...), and that name ends with the letter "S", if you have to add the suffix -ian to it, will you end the word in -sian, or will you double the "S" to make it -ssian?

For exemple, with the city name Dallas, would you write it Dallasian or Dallassian (yes, I know, it's Dallasite)? Or Cyrus (better be thinking about Cyrus the Great than Miley), would you say Cyrusian or Cyrussian?

If there are concrete rules for this, they are not adhered to. Don't be surprised to see one person say "Dallasite" another say "Dallasian" and another say "Dallasonian."

If I remember correctly it goes with the number of syllables.

Ex: 3 or more syllables is 1 rule. Less than 3 is another.

Not sure which rule is which.

no

Often, you change the -ian to -an, so Dallasan. But no one says Dallasan, they would just say "person from Dallas".

English is my 3rd learned language so I simplify it a lot! keep it ez mate at 420 a lot

I would use a single s. People from Belarus are known as Belarusians. A individual person would be a Belarusian. Just because a location name ends in the letter s, I dont think the rules change.

I think the typical usage of "-ian" is used for speaking of the people of a large geographic location like a state, country, or continent.

For smaller groups of people such as cities and families, i think there is probably a more appropriate way to ass a possessive element to these locations of people. I would use phrases like "the Cyrus family" or "the people of Dallas" or "residents of Dallas"

This post was edited by NatureNames on May 22 2016 10:24am

Good exemple. As for Cyrus, it would be more if you are speaking about a Cyrus-era artifact, would it be a Cyrusian artifact or a Cyrussian artifact?

That's the demonym for the State, the demonym for the city of Dallas is Dallasite.

Wow, I can't believe how badly you know your own language.