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.
Add Comment
These terms and conditions contain rules about posting comments. By submitting a comment, you are declaring that you agree with these rules:
- Although the administrator will attempt to moderate comments, it is impossible for every comment to have been moderated at any given time.
- You acknowledge that all comments express the views and opinions of the original author and not those of the administrator.
- You agree not to post any material which is knowingly false, obscene, hateful, threatening, harassing or invasive of a person's privacy.
- The administrator has the right to edit, move or remove any comment for any reason and without notice.
Failure to comply with these rules may result in being banned from submitting further comments.
These terms and conditions are subject to change at any time and without notice.
Comments (1254)
What about our neighbors to the South - Los Estados Unidos Mexicanos? Can we call them the US for short, too?
no... they are called Mexicans, Justin, Mexicans
Well, they have a proper name like any other country (but USA) and its short pronunciation is its own name, "Mexico"!
"United States of America" is a compounded name suited to name a region and not a country. Are we mistaken with the grammar?, do I see "Those United States of America as a country?, should I?
Grammaticality speaking it is a region or give it a name.
I agree with Dave, that the name chosen for the U.S. is a conglomerate of States in a particular place, ei..America the continent. United means things together and States were the colonies which later were named States. America is the continent. So, the name given to this country is not a personal normal name like for example: Mexico or Canada, Costa Rica or even Panama because it is different. When one reads the name of the United States of America, one can conclude that these are the States in a union, united in America. It is a directive towards a conclusion of what the country is made of, or what the country was created and how it stands. Not so much about one state or land that was already one but about many colonies/states that were different and each one a sovereign state that decided to come together and form a union, hence the United States. Then it comes the place where this union was formed, hence in America not in Europe nor with Europe.
How about we say this:
North America has 3 regions;
United States ("of America"). Grammar for logical. America is not in Asia or Africa. Just as I would say "European Union", of course it is in Europe. When we speak we define things the way the grammar indicates!. Why would somebody name a country this way?, why is it that you break its own rule to make it a fit to a country?
That is disrespecting English Grammar.
Unless English is meant to be this way but coherently NOT!.
It just feels stupid, and makes us stupid when discussing about a topic like this.
We get mad and it becomes a problem.
Is it our fault?, NO, IT WAS OTHER PEOPLE FAULTS BUT WE HAVE TO TAKE IT. It just makes me STUPID and I do not like it.
3 Regions.
Canada adopted a name.
United States remain regions because its name still says it "United States"
Mexico adopted a name.
So are you a citizen of The United States?
you are a citizen of those "States" that are in the center between Mexico and Canada.
Those "United States" are unified with agreements. They have their own rules.
It is assumed that Those States because they became "United" are a whole country as one.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks Mrs. Saris Maria for your clear explanation and opinions.
Another thing wrong is about the country name itself.
It is not logical that you would take words from grammars to name a country.
United States is a referral to a location and not a proper name.
The word United "Statian" is bending the grammar to make it a proper name.
United States fits more into a sub-name to refer to certain locations.
United States of what? Mexico or Brasil?, perhaps Canada?.
Or United States of China?
or United States of Asia?
It is a country with a unfinished terminology.
You just could not name it United States because other countries already have United States follow by their proper name (example: United States of Mexico).
And grammar is not mathematics where because someone already have United States as a name the other would have to be "United States 2" (or proper name instead of the "2").
and most of "US Citizens" would say that they are "American" and we automatically need to understand that they are from "The USA"? Noo.
Nothing wrong saying that you are American, what is wrong is the ignorance of you accepting that I have to assume that you are from the "United States".
Colonists didn't want anything with the Europeans/English so they adopted the name of the new world in which they were in thus, AMERICA. They embraced the new world and left the old world. This is not a change of language but a change of ownwership. They wanted to be free from the Europeans and especially the British Crown. This was their move to adopt the name of the continent and shake off anything to do with "British" especially a name. As they were known to be the "British Colonies" they wanted that label to be done with and start their new freedom embracing the place they were in which was the land of America. This is my opinion, nothing to do with facts, is something to do with having read history and making my own conclusion. Which I am allowed to say.
Europeans Explorers found a new landmass, Amerigo Vespuccio, a mariner and cartographer, travels around the new world and writes about it. Martin Waldseemuller draws a new map of the world, Ringmmann writes about the new world and gives it a name. Others follow suit with this map. The map is accepted and hangs all over in European Universities. Others make new maps of their own. The new world, including the north is now known as America. Europeans colonize America. British colonies settled in America. (noticed where they settled, not in Parias), Spain, France, the Dutch, Portugal etc. have presence in the new world, America. The English Colonies wanted to separate from the English Crown and so they worked towards their independence, through war, etc. The colonies adopted the name of "United Colonies of America" then they changed to "United States of America". So, how did America come into the picture? Because they were in the continent of America?
The Stupid David expressing his best explanations and being great at insulting a lady, Mrs. Saris Maria would never get offended because she already knows that you are stupid.
You as a stupid were looking at a German Map.
German people could name the word "America" in whatever their language America gets translated for.
The same with Asian people, I am sure not everyone in the word would say your stupid name as "David", look at my name, it is spelled "Dave" and pronounced also different but you still stupid.
Keep researching, it helps your brain and wellbeing.
There are so many languages in this world that it does not even matter what our proper names are unless you belong to a civilized community.
There are people who does not know where America, Africa, Europe, Asia or Oceania is and guess what? that is totally Okay, they are beautiful how they are.
You are beautiful being stupid!
Your research is digging deeper into other people ideas, your sources are from other people ideas.
Why don't you also look into other people languages to see how they describe the entire world for them?, you would not do it because you would not understand anything unless you learn their language, then once you learn their language (which makes you a smart person) you could become downgrade back to stupid and start arguing with them about America.
This is my own opinion, I do not need to go and research to be clear about this.
Again, "United States" is more about a composition and sub-name than an actual proper name.
Canada never did this, Mexico neither, they chose to have a Unique proper name just like any other country does.
You seem not to understand and that is why I call you stupid.
I know that all your research has sources with facts, I am not saying that you are wrong but your lack of understanding our clear opinions makes you the best ignorant.
RESEARCH, THINK, STOP LYING, AND POST LINKS TO FACTS, PAYASOS.
Mrs. Roda Saris Anonymous (a.k.a. Misses the Obvious and Mrs. Obvious) wrote:
Are you now denying that you are for "Parias" as the name given to the part where the U.S. is now? You yourself have been advocating this for the longest time here on this forum. Or is it that you think one way one day and then another the next day???
I educated you about Parias for several reasons. First, it is a relevant and interesting fact. Second, for anyone who believes the obviously ridiculous notion of the Etymological Fallacy, the fact of Parias means that your preferred definition of ‘America’ would also be incorrect because it isn’t the first definition of the name. Of course, your preferred definition isn’t incorrect because the Etymological Fallacy is total BS. Third, and closely related, the fact of Parias shows that your preferred definition of ‘America’ represents a change from the original meaning of the word. So if it is wrong to use ‘America’ to refer to the US because it is a change from the original meaning, then it is also wrong to use ‘America’ to refer to all of the Americas, because it is a change from the original meaning. Of course, neither of these ways of using ‘America’, or any of the other ways of using the word, is actually incorrect.
I am only “for” Parias in the sense that I accept it as a fact. Unlike you, I am not “against” facts just because I don’t like them. I don’t pretend and lie and write completely ridiculous BS, as you do, just because I don’t like certain facts. I don’t deny reality like you regularly do.
How does the fact of the meaning of Parias mean that I “have to” call the US either ‘Parias’ or ‘the United States of Parias’? Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. Similarly, you don’t “have to” call North America ‘Parias’ just because it used to be called that. What don’t you understand about this, you simpleton?
How does my pointing out the existence of the name ‘Parias’ mean that I “have to” use that name today? Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. The things that words and names refer to can and do change over time. For a brief period of time ‘Parias’ was used to refer to North America. The name fell out of use quite quickly and nowadays almost nobody has even heard of the name. I didn’t learn of the name until a few years ago. I looked at the Waldseemuller map and saw that North America is indeed labeled as ‘Parias’. You didn’t know about ‘Parias’ until I educated you about it. You are most welcome. I don’t use the name ‘Parias’ for North America or the US because nobody uses it in this way. The purpose of communication is to make yourself understood, so why would I use a name that pretty much nobody understands? THINK, PAYASA.
You are wrong. I have see the word "Parias" long ago even before finding this forum. You did not educate me, sorry are your hurt?
That makes your lies and misrepresentations even worse. You just admitted that you deny facts that don’t support your BS “arguments”. Typical.
I think you are mixing other people's opinions with mine. You are confused!
While watching the previous Miss Universe, a global TV Program about the wonderful beauties of the world, it was disgusting to listen one of the stupid lady who was watching as well say -"why is she speaking in spanish?" when referring to the Puerto Rican Model representing the USA.
She is another stupid ignorant just like the stupid David.
The TV program was not even hosted in America, why should she speak in english?
Not if even though the TV Pogram had been hosted in America, or more specifically, in the "United States" should she speak english, that is not even the official language.
As always, I never said anything to her because she is a stupid ignorant, she felt pleasure saying such a disgusting comment, she is from the United States, another stupid ignorant belonging to our society.