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 (1311)
Mrs. Anonymous wrote: “Is this not you a day ago?”
For the third time, no, it wasn’t me who wrote that. Whoever it was copied part of what I wrote months ago and then tacked on their own ending.
They also recently wrote this under the name David: “Read a United Statian book!!”
for the way it was written it sounded like it was you.
I recently told an American girl on YouTube that in Spanish America was still a continent as it used to be in English, and she hesitated and told me "so if America is a continent, a Canadian would also be American" but after that reflection her mind He went back and thought that if you call a Canadian American, he might insult you. Whoever grew up with the meaning of a word in a certain way will have many difficulties to see it in another, but as I demonstrated with this anecdote it is possible.
America in English started like an idiom where the word has been used by people as a figurative language which means it was not meant to be literally as the country's name but they use it erroneously and it has spread without being challenged. People picked it up and kept it going thinking is naming the USA. But here we are telling people that the name is the continent's and that the U.S. used it as a continent, but as I said,the name was later erroneously spread throughout the world in something similar to an idiom. Long ago, I gave the example of the Kleenex. Most people ask for a Kleenex when they really should say "tissue paper" or Band-aid where there should say "a bandage". So, when people say America when referring to the USA,it means the continents name.
Thanks for the links to facts.
how about you prove it wrong!
It says so much about you that you feel no need to prove what you claim. But we all know that you cannot prove what you claim because what you claim is BS. So pathetic.
So in other words, you can not prove what I said as wrong!
Hey Fabian, are you sure you are not a United Statian too? faking to be Argentinian?
¡¡¡Soy argentino hasta los huevos!!! ¡Boludo!
Fabián, most who post here aren’t expecting honesty and facts from a Latin American, or from themselves. They expect lies, fantasy, denial of reality, and wishful thinking. This is why they doubt your nationality. You get some things wrong, but your posts are mostly accurate. Keep up the good fight.
"AmÉrica" is not the same as "Amerrrrica!" Jaja
"AmÉrica" is not the same as "Amerrrrica!"
My challenge to all of you still stands. Take a direct quote of something I have written. Find a quote from a reputable source that directly contradicts what I wrote and, therefore, proves it wrong. Post that quote and provide the link to it. This is what I do to all of you on a regular basis. You have never proved me wrong. Not once. I have schooled Mrs. Anonymous so many times over the years. She would absolutely love to do the same to me, but she never has. That’s because I only post facts that are supported by reputable sources. I post links to the sources. You rarely post links because your BS has no proof because it’s BS. That is the very nature of BS. Your feelings, desires, hopes, resentments, fanciful musings, and wishful thinking do not and cannot make your BS into the truth.
I win this game show game. Again. And again. Over and over. Rinse and repeat.
Mrs. Anonymous wrote: “wow you finally accept that the "other meaning" of the word America, could be wrong! That is a step forward...David!”
I didn’t write the post that you replied to. None of the multiple meanings of ‘America’ is wrong. None of you have ever proven me wrong, so you have to resort to impersonating me. You are all so typically pathetic.
So who is David? "David says...
When will you and your ilk learn that proof of the existence of one meaning of ‘America’ does not disprove the existence of the word’s other meanings even when wrong? We rule the world. Get over it! Mongolian-American"
So you didn't write this?
No, I didn’t write it. How could I have been any clearer? You aren’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, are you?
Sí sí sí
Is this not you a day ago?
Davidsays...
When will you and your ilk learn that proof of the existence of one meaning of ‘America’ does not disprove the existence of the word’s other meanings even when wrong? We rule the world. Get over it! Mongolian-American
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_Americans
a day ago04
Oh, so now we have two Davids?
Clever girl.
“...I thought that demonym [United Statian] was rare but it is actually normal”.
Um...no.
“It [United Statian] probably became rare when the USA finally took the steps into dividing the continent into two and grabbing its name "America".”
Hell no.
A measure of the prevalence of ‘United Statian’:
https://bit.ly/2XQRKas
The prevalence of ‘United Statian’ compared to three uncommon words that I chose at random:
https://bit.ly/3iyj6tS
‘Noctilucent’ is an EXTREMELY UNCOMMON word. I read a lot, and I only recall coming across that word once, and that was decades ago. ‘United Statian’ is EVEN LESS COMMON. It has always been an EXTREMELY RARE term.
Knowledge is power.
‘United Statian’ has really declined in popularity recently. Your grand global crusade isn’t looking so great. ;-)
Google Books Ngram Viewer... Thanks for sharing! There is more documented usage than expected.
Super! You confirmed that "the term is formally used", but the United Statian media is capable to influence its usage.
You can also check Google Trends. There is nothing under United States, but you have to choose Worldwide. Any way your source is better, dating 100 years of continuous formal usage.
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&q=United%20Statian
Now ask yourself, do you think that Americans will have a preference to write formal texts in English, when we mostly speak and write in Spanish as first language?
We have no doubt of what United Statians call themselves. We do not ignore the size of the population, nor the influence in matters from abroad.
“Now ask yourself, do you think that Americans will have a preference to write formal texts in English, when we mostly speak and write in Spanish as first language?”
I don’t understand what you mean. Please state the question more clearly. And who is the “we” that you refer to?
I didn’t confirm that "the term is formally used". I confirmed that the term is EXTREMELY RARE. Where did you get that quote from? If ‘American’ isn’t used in a formal setting, ‘U.S. citizen’ is most likely used instead. ‘United Statian’ is in no way formal. It is EXTREMELY RARE and almost never used in any setting. Please leave your fantasy world and join me in the real world.
How do you call someone from Mongolia naturalized in the US?
I wonder why you're downvoted... =D Probably something like Mongolian-United Statian
When will you and your ilk learn that proof of the existence of one meaning of ‘America’ does not disprove the existence of the word’s other meanings even when wrong? We rule the world. Get over it! Mongolian-American
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_Americans
This is why we don't like United Statians, you think you are in the center of the planet but you are actually in North America like me compris?
wow you finally accept that the "other meaning" of the word America, could be wrong! That is a step forward...David!
Wikipedia is a united statian company