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 (1268)
Mrs. Roda Saris Setsuko Anonymous, where are you? Please enlighten us with more of your “facts”. We need to hear more about how ‘America’ isn’t a word. And about what the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee call the USA. And how it is humans who create, use, and change human language. What will we do without your wisdom? We are truly lost without your proven omniscience. Come back to us.
This bothers me a lot but I understand that is just part of the whole thing about taking things away from others and make it your own.
"The United States of America" never took anything from anybody, they don't have the need and would not waste their time in so.
If you think they are wrong because they acquired "of America" automatically for obviousness reasons then the problem is yours.
If you live in America then "The States" is short for "United States"
Living in America?, then "United States" is enough.
Living in Europe, Africa, Oceania or Asia, appropriately would be "United States of America".
Now, if The United States of America goes back to the Moon and broadcasts that, it should be enough to say "American Moon Landing".
The VietNam war was not a war between USA and VietNam so how did USA lose it?
Nobody said that the United States lost the war, it was an example... Gosh.
And how you call a usa resident? American is used.
a Canadian "Resident" does not have to be American.
a Canadian "Resident" might be from Asia (let's say Japan) and obviously is wrong to tell that person is American.
Same thing applies if the same person is living in the "United States of America"
I win this game show game.
“Durante muchos años muchos hispanohablantes de muchos países pronunciaron muchas veces la palabra americano para referirse a los habitantes de los Estados Unidos de América o a lo relacionado con aquel país.”
“Y llegó el día en el que ocurrió lo inevitable —nuestra lengua cambia— y apareció una nueva acepción de americano en la edición del 2001 del Diccionario, y decía: ‘estadounidense’.”
https://www.archiletras.com/errorescorrectos/americano-o-estadounidense/
Mrs. Roda Saris Anonymous, could you translate this for me?
“¡Bravo! Finalmente parece que El País nos está poniendo atención a sus lectores americanos, a quienes nos incomoda profundamente que los reporteros y articulistas de este diario, se refieran a Estados Unidos de América simplemente como América.”
“...los reporteros y articulistas...se refieran a Estados Unidos de América simplemente como América.”
https://elpais.com/elpais/2012/11/29/defensor_del_lector/1354180510_135418.html
And this?
“Yo sé que en castellano utilizamos el término americano para referirnos a las personas estadounidenses....”
“De todas maneras en España lamentablemente tambien se usan las palabras americano y norte-americano cuando lo que se quiere decir es estadounidense....”
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/american-north-american.1554864/
How about this?
PREGUNTA:
“En España es más común decir "estadounidense" o "americano" al referirse a una persona de EE.UU.?”
RESPUESTAS:
“Al menos en mi entorno (sur de España), la gente suele utilizar "americano".”
“De forma casual o informal, «americano» es bastante común....”
“[A]mericano es mucho más comun.”
“Americano es más común.”
“Para personas de Estados Unidos informalmente se suele usar americanos....”
https://bit.ly/2Q08aso
This one is probably interesting and revealing. Please translate for me.
Let's call the country Usonia.
Let’s not. The country already has a number of names that are well-known all over the world. There’s no good reason to make a change.
United States of America is not a real name.
United States of Usonia is a real name for the country.
So USONIA IS THE APPROPRIATE SHORT NAME, and USONIAN IS THE APPROPRIATE DEMONYM for the country, period!