Don't you find it so annoying when USA people call themselves Americans?

Question

america is a BIIIIIG continent fyi, you're not alone!!

you are not quite getting my question...
europeans -- french, italians, spanish...
asians -- indians, chinese, korean
americans -- usa people... doesnt sound quite right, does it?

Answer 1

Ok sweetie, first of all ignore the ignorants, they are partially right but they still don't know how to answer the question. Ok here we go.

Amerigo Vespucci or Américo Vespucio in spanish (see the relationship?) was an italian explorer that in 1501 arrived in what now is Guyana (North of "South" América) he sailed through the Amazona River and ended up in Patagonia (The very south of the American Continent).

Américo was the first European that realized that this was a new CONTINENT instead of Asia (What they thought at the begining, that's why we call our natives Indians because that was the destination of Columbus). The news spreaded rapidly over Europe and in 1507 a publication of a map made by the German Martin Waldseemüller using the description given by amerigo (Américo) showed the new land name as AMERICUS (In Latin) or América (Spanish because Americo was with the Spanish explorers) in honor of Americo.

The actual concept of América is the name of what people call North Central and South America which at the end and technically AND CORRECTLY speaking is the name of the whole land that starts in Canada and ends in Argentina. Back then, and, some countries now call americans refering to all people of the new continent (Not only the USA).

Now in the USA, This country was called in honor to that name and also was the first country that became independent from a European authority.

Being called United States of America means States unified in a land called America which means in some kind of selfish and honorable way that the name of USA is America.

The only thing I ask you to do is please know and spread the word because there's people that really don't know how they became what they are, and yes, you can and should refer to American or americans to all people in the new continent and the nationality of the USA citizens, but you have to explain when you mean which one. To finish my answer is that everybody that know the difference and knows how to explain it is right and everybody in this WHOLE CONTINENT is an AMERICAN, the north, central and south definitions came after.

Thanks for letting me finally explain this to everybody. It took me a long time to figure the why's and the how's (I was born in the USA but raised in Venezuela so it helped expand my mind and knowledge).

Tootles

Answer 2

What I find annoying is when ignorant people say that "america is a BIIIIIG continent" when America isn't a continent at all.

North America is a continent.

South America is a different continent.

America is a nation, it is the contracted form of "United States of America.

North Americans come from the continent of North America.
South Americans come from thecontinentof South America.
Americans come from the nation of the USA.

Do you understand now?

Answer 3

Some people from Cental and South America get upset about this. I was told this in my Spanish Class. They refer to people from the USA as from the United States (de Los Estados Unidos) not from America.

Answer 4

Ummm...we are Americans...and so is everyone else on this continent, we're just the only ones that say it all the time...not to mention it's easier to say Americans than United States of America(n)?....much shorter to say American, so it's not like we're trying to say all the other countries on the continent aren't as good.

Answer 5

Ummm...United States of America. It's what the country is called. I guess we could refer to ourselves as "United States of Americans," but that's a mouth full and sounds ridiculous.

Canada = Canadians
Mexico = Mexicans
America = Americans

Answer 6

The full name of the best country in the world is "United States of America". Notice the word "America" in the name "United States of America"? So, it seems very proper and correct to called citizens of the best country in the world "Americans".

What are the alternatives? USAians? United Statesians?

Answer 7

Maybe I don't understan the question, but how are we not Americans? If I live in America then I am an American, and just because I'm calling myself that doesn't mean I think I'm the only one. I apologize if I have misunderstood the question but yes, I am an American.

Answer 8

oh maybe we should be called the United Statians.
Um in history and though out all languages we are refer to AMERICAN/ AMERICA.

not only it is a big continent
fyi what abot America, Buenos Aires in Argentina, or even this America, Netherlands in Limburg

Answer 9

Since the name of our country ends with "America", why shouldn't we use it? As far as I know, no other North or South American country has "America" in their names. Face it, people in other countries just like to find any excuse to give AMERICANS a hard time.

Answer 10

Why is it annoying? We live in the best country in the world = America, we are Americans.