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Good question. I've always wondered why the people of the United States are called "Americans" . There is a North, Central and South America but only the US people are "Americans". Shouldn't we be call "United Statesians", just as Canada's residents are called "Canadians", same for Mexico (Mexicans), China (Chinese), Croatia (Croatians) you get the idea, how did the US patent the term "Americans" ? Just some thoughts I had because I have too much time on my hands.
Well the 'United States of AMERICA' is also it's name...but yeah in a way it's funny America doesn't have a name of it's own so it has to take the name of two whole continents. Typical greedy yanks .
Good question. I've always wondered why the people of the United States are called "Americans" . There is a North, Central and South America but only the US people are "Americans". Shouldn't we be call "United Statesians", just as Canada's residents are called "Canadians", same for Mexico (Mexicans), China (Chinese), Croatia (Croatians) you get the idea, how did the US patent the term "Americans" ? Just some thoughts I had because I have too much time on my hands.
In Latin America many people call people from USA as "estadunidenses" - it makes sense in Spanish and Portuguese, but "United Statesian" or something like this is very ugly. The media in Germany often uses the word "US-Amerikanisch", which I think is good sounding and unambiguous.
Anyway, USA is amongst the countries with the most boring names, and I guess it would not be so difficult in the first times of the country to choose a better name - with some indigenous tribe, some particular feature of the land, or even some tree, like the Portugueses made here in Brazil (named after the Brazilwood), or we today would be called something like "Republic of the Central-Eastern South America".
It's surprising to know that people from british overseas territories are not considered as real brits. I know the people from the french overseas territories are full citizens of France.
I consider Puerto Ricas to be Puerto Ricans first, but push come to shove, they are Americans. Pretty much the same way I feel about New Yorkers or Texans. We all carry U.S.A. passports.
Good question. I've always wondered why the people of the United States are called "Americans" . There is a North, Central and South America but only the US people are "Americans". Shouldn't we be call "United Statesians", just as Canada's residents are called "Canadians", same for Mexico (Mexicans), China (Chinese), Croatia (Croatians) you get the idea, how did the US patent the term "Americans" ? Just some thoughts I had because I have too much time on my hands.
People of the U.S.A. have always, as far as I know, referred to themselves as Americans. Canadians haven't,for obvious reasons.
However, I can tell you that since I started travelling to the U.K. and Europe in the 1980's the term American has more and more to mean solely people from the U.S.A.
On my first overseas trip, this was a typical conversation.
"You're from America?" " No I'm Canadian " "well Canada is in America ". ( as a side note ,I did meet a German guy who thought Canada was part of the U.S. )
To them America was the continent. It wasn't consistent though. Some meant U.S.A. when they said America and even the London Times would say " The American President" and not " An American President".
Good question. I've always wondered why the people of the United States are called "Americans" . There is a North, Central and South America but only the US people are "Americans". Shouldn't we be call "United Statesians", just as Canada's residents are called "Canadians", same for Mexico (Mexicans), China (Chinese), Croatia (Croatians) you get the idea, how did the US patent the term "Americans" ? Just some thoughts I had because I have too much time on my hands.
Oh God not another one of these post. the USA was the first and so far only nation with America in it's name so the denonym is "American", like it or not.
No, Mexico is actually called Los Estados Undios Mexicanos, so calling us United Statesians wouldn't be very fair to them, would it?
There have been numerous countries called "The United States", and many in South America have been the United States for most of their history. The United States of Brazil comes to mind, as does the United States of Venezuela. Additionally, the US was the first independent country in the western hemisphere and has always been referred to as Americans in the English language. This is documented as early as the war of Captain Jenkins Ear in the 1730's when the British described colonials from the thirteen colonies as "Americans". Similarly, during the Mexican-American war, there was no confusion among the Mexicans soldiers that their enemy was the "Americanos".
The issue of calling Americans "Americans" suddenly became an issue as the United States of America became a super power.
Go figure.
Proponents of the "United Statesian" term paint a picture of Americans deliberately "stealing" the demonym from other inhabitants of the Americas. This is utter nonsense, as the term American has only been used to designate the nationality of nationals of the United States of America. American was never, ever been used to designate the nationality of someone from the United States of Brazil, and has only been used to refer to all the people of the Americas as a regional identity in the loosest sense.
Germany was once a loose regional term, and at times included the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and much of what we today consider Poland, yet we never hear today's Germans being questioned by the Dutch or Austrians for using the demonym to refer to a nationality. You don't see the Portuguese trying to take back the term "Spaniard" (formerly used to refer to those from Hispania) to refer to the nationality inhabiting the Spanish state. You don't see those from Mozambique or Botswana salty over "South African" being used as a reference to the nationality of citizens of South Africa either. You also don't see French Canadians lamenting the usage of "Canadian" among the English Canadians. It is curious that the proponents of the term "United Statesian" are nowhere to be found when it comes to these other important instances of name stealing.
Regarding those from Guam or Samoa, it depends. Puerto Ricans are completely foreign - they speak a different language, and fly another flag, so they are not considered American unless they move here and assimilate.
I've honestly never run into someone from Guam or American Samoa, but people from Puerto Rico are considered Puerto Ricans. The majority of Americans know that they have American citizenship, but they're typically considered to be Puerto Ricans first and American citizens second, unless they were born in one of the 50 states.
this is true of Guam and Samoa too. They are simply called "Samoan" or Guamanian but Guamanians are also called Chamorros.
I just had an arguement with people saying that Puerto Ricans were American and that they were more culturally like Americans than British people.
Its ok if they want to be American but really I don't see them as that because as you say they aren't really American culturally. Even when I see them on the Television they call themselves Puerto Rican so must be only a few who call themselves American.
Puerto Ricans are definitely of a Latin American culture. Here on the west coast they are always misidentified as Mexicans, much to their dismay.
Puerto Ricans born in PR aren't American yet Puerto Ricans who move there are now suddenly Americans.
No I don't think so, your nationality is set by where you are born.
I will never call myself anything other than Northern Irish.
Here's the problem; we're using nationality but Puerto Rico is not a nation. They should be considered an ethnic group as we are talking more about their culture than anything else.
Well the 'United States of AMERICA' is also it's name...but yeah in a way it's funny America doesn't have a name of it's own so it has to take the name of two whole continents. Typical greedy yanks .
LOL Australia, simply named the nation after the continent and didn't think twice about LOL
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