Indeed, U.S.A. is not America!
America is the name of a whole continent. United States of America means that the United States belongs to America and NOT that America belongs to the United States. So, next time you want to refer to The United States of America, you can do it as U.S. or the States or whatever you want but not as only America. Gotcha?
How should I use the term America then?
Here we will show you some wrong and correct uses of the term America:
This is how we do it in America.
This is how we do it in the States.
- America is my country and I love it.
- The United States is my country and I love it.
- America lost the Vietnam war.
- U.S.A. lost the Vietnam war.
- Here in America we love Mc Donald's.
- Here in the U.S. we love Mc Donald's.
Please, note that this page in not about demonyms (gentilics) but about the way to call a country.
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Comments (1315)
In linguistics it is explained that when we speak or write many times we do something called ellipsis, which is to leave out one or more words but without them the phrase is still understood, for example: "I took the flowers, they incense" to the latter lacked the words "took the".
What happens to the word America when they talk about their country, Americans have in their heads the missing words, "The United States of". It is something like a national ellipsis.
I think is more than just that, it is a power grab! lol
yes yes, I think the same, the political reason I have in mind, during the 19th century the United States decided to be an empire disguised as a republic (although a little of that republic is true under it there is a modern empire), but since there is also many of the Usamericans we like, who also use these terms, I think we should give them a little "mercy" with this. And a little bit I do that although some suggestions like "Usamerican", "US American" and "U.S. America". But I assure you that the ellipsis is like that, some of the most incoherent of them will believe that their country is really called America, but most of them know that it is an abbreviation what they do.
Thank you Felix, Anonimo and Bush.
I have to say, because I always keep investigating, when a Usamerican says "America" he is veeeeery informally abbreviating "The United States of America", since the official abbreviation is "United States". I know that this website mainly criticizes this, but it is not the same that they were saying "our name is America! The name is ours!" rather than abbreviating its long name (which is a sentence instead of the typical one or two word name), and also doing it in informal moments.
Maybe "U.S. America" should do it that way, but that would no longer be informal I think. The formal way they write it themselves is United States or US.
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/304767099759888397/
Spanish America XVIII Century (Most Expansion). What is America?
Columbus discovered one continent unknown to Europe, not 2 continents, first language spoken in the actual US was Spanish, as the first city founded in the actual US and in North America was St Augustine, in Florida, in 1565. Both the names "America" to refer to USA and "Latin America" to refer to the Spanish speaking countries are absolutely wrong.
The name "The Americas" created by the British to alter History is also wrong, as there is one continent America, divided in North, Central and South America, not 2 continents as they want to sells us this idea.
It seems that some people from US wants to overwrite History and ban 400 years of Spanish presence in the actual North America.
If US is America, what is called the continent where America is on? The Americas? wrong. They need more culture and less guns or Hollywood movies
It seems that people in the U.S. are fine with changing history no matter which other countries are impacted by that move.
First of all, I don't fit into the 2 majors parties (Neither I'm Republican nor Democrat)...
https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Anonymous.pdf
David, you are a great United Statian mate. You don't give up, I'm proud of you!
My respect dude
Estelle - United Statian Boy
https://vimeo.com/239206409
Move your body!
Make AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!!!
Don't call me bunker boy!
Haahhaahahah
WOW...
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Fabián
13 June 2020 at 01:55 CEST
Hello, ... is not that they stop using that name (although it would not be bad if they added the U and S to the beginning "US American") but the article has many wrong arguments...
1- The official name of Mexico is … Mexico, never any Mexican you know will NEVER tell you that their country is called Los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (The Mexican United States). This occurs because the text of its constitution (reform of 1917) does not reflect the will of its people to name themselves as they did from the beginning of their history.
...
3- The name that the founding fathers of the country made is "The United States", when the conflict with the British breaks out, they go from being called The 13 Colonies of British America to The United Colonies only, then, when the rupture is total, they...
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https://djaunter.com/american-demonym
The article sucks, but there is a very very good explanation from this guy: Fabián
3- The name that the founding fathers of the country made is "The United States", when the conflict with the British breaks out, they go from being called The 13 Colonies of British America to The United Colonies only, then, when the rupture is total, they are called Los 13 The United States, to which they ultimately add "of America" (text of the declaration of independence)*, which was a complete reference to what was still a continent for the English language, and which continued to be so for more a century and a half later until in the geography of English-speaking countries they decided (perhaps too unilaterally) that South America and North America were continents and not regions of a single continent called America.
* in 1777 in The Articles of Confederation and The Perpetual Union they would determine the definitive reference to the continent: "The United States of America"