Learn English – “Italy-based company” or “Italian-based company”

compound-adjectivesgrammaticalityword-choice

When referring to a company that is based in Italy, I am never sure which of the above is correct. Logically speaking, "Italy-based" seems the most appropriate (since the company is based in Italy, not Italian), but I so often see "Italian-based…" written in publications that I begin to doubt myself. Is there a "correct" way, or is it simply a style issue?

Best Answer

In my view "Italian" itself suggests something of Italy or belonging to Italy. Therefore, I am not of the opinion that using "Italian-based firm" is acceptable.

For example:

Tata is an Indian company.

This sentence itself suggests the use of "Indian" as something referring to India.

Now the second case: Italy-based company. This would be correct.

For example:

Tata is a global company which is India-based.

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