Why is it that U.S. citizens refer to the United States as America?

Question

if they/we are so proud of our country wouldnt you think you would refer to it correctly? do you not think it is mildly ingorent to think the states is only America? or as Americans? also, do you accept all those in North and South America to also be so?

Answer 1

I've pondered this as well. It is not the lack of patriotism, or the presence of arrogance. I'd like to think of it as what we were taught. In the years of learning, how many times have one's parents refered to our country correctly? how many times have one's teacher's and proffessor's excluding those related to history, geography, and government. On our broadcasting systems, how many times? I was raised to say American. I was raised to adopt anyone here as American whether of the United States, The Northern, The Central, or the South.
Also, Our culture appreciates simplicity in speech, and slang [though mostly in expressions, or refering to things that are consumerist oriented i.e. television vs. TV, supermarket vs. mall...]
Long story short, what we're shown as accepted we accept, and United Statesan is longer than America.

Answer 2

Well, we're not just the United States. We're the United States of America, so most people shorten it to America. Otherwise you're stuck with United States (which is too words, though the same number of syllables, and doesn't sound as good), or US, which doesn't even sound like a country.
I think people understand that when you say America you mean a country, not two continents. America would be a pretty odd way to refer to both North and South America. We don't say North America to refer to the northern part of America, so I don't think it's that confusing.

Answer 3

North and south America refer to the continents and not individual countries. As far as I am aware, and I just googled it to double check, the United States of America is the only country in this hemisphere that has the name of America in it. Most people drop the United States because it is pretty much understood who you are talking about.

Besides who would run around and say "I am a United States of American"

Answer 4

Same reason that they change the name of a game that is known all over the world as Football to Soccer and they call an event that is only played nationwide the World Series, they think they are bigger than everything & everybody else let's them, but you know at the end of the day it is just easier to say Americans than people from United States of America and USA'ans doesn't make sense. Yes, North, Central and South Americans are technically Americans but it is easier to refer to everyone by there native lands, call Mexicans a Mexican because you know where they come from.

Answer 5

We are not the only country that has "united states". As another poster pointed out, Mexico is simply called Mexico, even though the nation's acutal name is the United States of Mexico. Therefore, if one was simply referring to the United States, they could be referring to the USA or to Mexico.

US citizens are not the only people who refer to the USA as America. Most other nations refer to the USA as America also.

Answer 6

No, mildly ignorant would be spelling ignorant "ignorent."

Americans like to refer to their country as America because we can. It's much easier than having to spit out "The United States of America" every time we reference our fine nation. Over time, the term has become synonymous with U.S.A. You wouldn't call Canadians Americans, even if, technically, they are North Americans.

That's just the way the term has evolved over the years - please don't take it so personally that we have adopted Amerigo Vespucci's namesake as a one-word nickname for home.

Answer 7

Because it's shorter than saying "United States of America" everytime someone asks you your nationality.

Also, if people from Uruguay or Jamaica want to call themselves Americans as well, then I think they should. Nobody is stopping them. In fact, if everyone in North and South America got together and conspired to call themselves Americans then we would have no choice but to call ourselves something else like "USanites" to separate our own national identity. I think that would be kinda cool actually. ;)

Answer 8

I use to joke saying that I'm American when I was asked by the immigration officials when I'm really from Mexico... USA citizens really think they're the only ones from America... hahah. nice one.. to add insult to injury, Mexico constitutional name is Mexican United States "Estados Unidos Mexicanos", which also makes us citizens from the Mexican United States and we're in America.. haaahahahahah I really miss my country I'm not better here.

Answer 9

I think that "United States of America" is just too long to say.

Answer 10

United States or America.... doesn't matter. what matters is that both are treated with the highest respect.