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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
USns are the onliest ones use the word America in the name of our country.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
> Yet the dream of half a world in the last Century was to come to America. And that dream was to them, to come to the United States. I have a dream, that one day we will live in a country that has a name for its inhabitants that we can all agree on and that isn't derived from some questionable eponym. http://www.ensignmessage.com/archives/viking.html
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 508
addict
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addict
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 508 |
Yep. As belM and Faldage point out, the full name of the country is the United States of America, hence the short-form "Americans" to refer to the citizenry. Perhaps, to avoid confusion (not that I think there really is any), it should be "U.S. Americans." 
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
There is no confusion on this side of the ocean, Nancy. Nobody calls themselves American but you guys. When we say where we're from, we're very specific about making sure to name our country.
I'm wondering if there is confusion on the other side of the ocean, though.
For example, we'll use European or Asian to describe people from a slew of countries on those respective continents. Do they use American for the continental dwellers of any country, or just for the people in the U.S.
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 176
member
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OP
member
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 176 |
the full name of the country is the United States of America, hence the short-form "Americans" to refer to the citizenry.
Yes, that certainly seems a logical enough explanation as to how the word ‘American’ came to be accepted as meaning ‘a citizen, or the citizens, of the United States’, but, having recognized that possibility, doesn’t remedy the problem of the word lacking exclusivity for the citizenry of the U.S. As I mentioned above, citizens of the U.S. are Americans, but so are all other citizens of the American continent, just as the citizens of Morocco, South Africa, Somalia, Senegal, Chad, Egypt, Angola, Gabon, and Tanzania are all Africans.
You’re right; there is no confusion, only the absence of a word that exclusively describes the citizenry of the United States.
Your suggestion of ‘U.S. Americans’ seems less unwieldy than ‘United Statesians,’ or using, as you wrote, the full name of the country, ‘United Statesians of America’. It is the best suggestion so far.
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
When I was on a bike trip in Ireland many years ago, it was pretty obvious that I was from the US, primarily because, unlike about 99 percent of the cyclists in Ireland at the time, I wore a helmet.
I was cycling through a remote area and came to a crossroads with signs pointing in about 7 different directions and there were two helmeted cyclists squabbling over a map. I said, I assume you're Americans, judging from your helmets, and was told in no uncertain terms that even though they were Americans they considered themselves Canadians first.
Thereafter, I was very careful to say I was from the US. It was only later that I learned the ambiguity of making even that statement. Not many people realize that our neighbor to the south is in actuality the United States of Mexico.
TEd
TEd
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
>>Listen up Frozen Ones, if you Canadians want so badly to become Americans, do as did this chick...
Good god, no. I don't know any Canadian that wants to be an American, or any that would want to be mistaken for one.
I don't mean to hurt your feelings, and I hope you will forgive me if I do, but Milum, I'm sure I'm not teaching you anything when I say that Americans are not very appreciated in many places. It is even common knowledge that many Americans traveling overseas will pretend to be Canadian by sticking our flag on their luggage and backpacks.
EDIT: ADDING a bit of info.
I'm a bit slow in posting so TEd got in a post before I sent mine in responding to Milum...but TEd lived that reaction I am talking about. People don't want to be mistaken for Americans. I think it is because they are treated badly if they are - that's what I've read anyway, and what several friends have told me. When they specified they were from Canada, the reception they got changed completely from one of animosity to one of friendliness.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
...many Americans traveling overseas will pretend to be Canadian by sticking our flag on their luggage and backpacks.
As a college student I for one sure did, and that was 30 years before the current regime [/sticking toes into political water and finding it too cold]
Meanwhile, it's interesting to note that Brazilians call Americans "norte-americanos" while they call Canadians "canadenses."
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
Dgeigh, I'm curious about something. When you identify yourself, do you say I'm an American from Texas.
I'll usually say, "I'm French Canadian" which pinpoints me to living in Québec. (Yes, there are other French people in Canada, but only the people from Québec identify themselves as such immediately. It's a whole long civil strife thing that would take a while to explain.)
I've not noticed what other Canadians say. I think they just say Canadian. It's hard to know since, when speaking amongst ourselves, we'll identify ourselves by our province.
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