Deutsch was corrupted to Dutch, as happens more often in American English. Pennsylvania Dutch, for instance, also is not Dutch but Deutsch, that is to say, German.
The error is an understandable one, since in older forms of English Dutch referred collectively to both the German-speaking peoples and the Dutch.
Dutch refers to the language, culture and people of The Netherlands, which lies just to the West of Germany. The German word for German is Deutsch. The Dutch word for German is Duits. The German word for Dutch is Niederländisch or Holländisch. The German word for German is Deutsch or Hochdeutsch.
The Dutch themselves refer to their language as Nederlands ("netherlandish"= low Dutch) but there also existed Diets, being a medieval umbrella term for the dialects spoken in their little corner of Western Europe. This term Diets became beloved of Dutch fascists during WWII (i.e. pro-nazi traitors) and the term fell out of grace completely after the war. Before WWII, Diets was interchangeable with Duits; when regarding Dutch as a variant of Duits, the Dutch distinguish between Nederduits (low German) and Hoogduits (high German) —- the height not denoting class here, but simply elevation of the terrain, since the Germans have mountains whereas the Dutch basically inhabit the swamps that surround the deltas of the Rhine and the Meuse.
If you find any of this confusing, consider adopting the terms Netherlish and Netherlander. Or perhaps Low-German and Lowlander.
Deutsch was corrupted to Dutch, as happens more often in American English. Pennsylvania Dutch, for instance, also is not Dutch but Deutsch, that is to say, German.
The error is an understandable one, since in older forms of English Dutch referred collectively to both the German-speaking peoples and the Dutch.
Dutch refers to the language, culture and people of The Netherlands, which lies just to the West of Germany. The German word for German is Deutsch. The Dutch word for German is Duits. The German word for Dutch is Niederländisch or Holländisch. The German word for German is Deutsch or Hochdeutsch.
The Dutch themselves refer to their language as Nederlands ("netherlandish"= low Dutch) but there also existed Diets, being a medieval umbrella term for the dialects spoken in their little corner of Western Europe. This term Diets became beloved of Dutch fascists during WWII (i.e. pro-nazi traitors) and the term fell out of grace completely after the war. Before WWII, Diets was interchangeable with Duits; when regarding Dutch as a variant of Duits, the Dutch distinguish between Nederduits (low German) and Hoogduits (high German) —- the height not denoting class here, but simply elevation of the terrain, since the Germans have mountains whereas the Dutch basically inhabit the swamps that surround the deltas of the Rhine and the Meuse.
If you find any of this confusing, consider adopting the terms Netherlish and Netherlander. Or perhaps Low-German and Lowlander.