Why a lot of people does not know that America is a continent not a country?

Question

It is common to read this
“Yes. If you live in America, you should learn to speak the language"
This is just one example yes we live in America but in America there are people that speak English, Spanish, France and other language I would say if you live in USA....
Please correct me if I am wrong

Answer 1

People, as a general, are not that smart. Many think that Africa and Europe are also countries. It is rare to find an ordinary person who knows that North America, Europe, and Africa are NOT countries. People perhaps should read a bit more.

Answer 2

America is not a continent.

North America is a continent.

South America is a continent.

What other country has the word "America" in it's name? None as far as I can tell. The problem is that the U.S.A. has the word "America" in it's name, so people just shorten the "United States of America" to "America" to say it faster.

Also, the official language of the U.S.A. is English, and nothing else.

So, people know America is not a continent, they are just using a shortened version of the full name and instead of saying U.S.

If I went to live in France and spoke English with my family, would that somehow make the language of France English? No, it would mean that I speak English in France. But that doesn't mean it's "the" language of France.

People speak other languages in the United States of America, and I don't care if they do, but that doesn't make the official language of the U.S.A. another language. It's only English.

There, I think I answered all your questions and you should not be confused now. And, by the way, geographically, Mexico is part of North America. Also, Central America is basically part of North America too.

Answer 3

Actually, America is TWO continents, not one.

United States citizens are commonly (and wrongly) referred to as Americans by themselves and most of the world.

The people of the US come from every country in the world and thus probably speak at least all the major languages and most of the minor ones. English is, however, the common language, the language that gives us an ability to talk with each other and participate in public life, and thus should be known by everyone. English is the language used for business and education throughout the world. There are more people in China learning English than there are people in the US.

Yes, I think everyone in the US may continue to speak their original language, whatever it may be, but everyone should also learn English (preferably BEFORE coming to the country).

Answer 4

America is not a continent or a country.North America is a continent, South America is a Continent, The United States of America is a country and our language is English. America used by itself is just a short slang term for the country.

Answer 5

The first part of your question is incorrect. The United States of America is often referred to as America as a short form, but it is a country. Both the USA and Canada make up the continent of North America. This is basic geography.
The common language of the USA is English.
the diversity of the populations of both the USA and Canada (English/French) make them awesome countries to live in, but that being said, the overwhelming majority of people in North America speak English.

Answer 6

It's a useful tool to be able to speak the language of the country that you are in. Because if you do, you can:

Order food on the phone
Strike up a conversation with some nice locals
Ask questions if your not sure what to do
Ask where the bathrooms are (a good thing to know indeed!)


And much more.

And yes, there are lots and lots of people here in The United States that speak other languages, but along side that, they learn to speak English and talk with us.

Answer 7

well, there are the two continents, North and South America, but America is also the nick-name for The United States of America. Because the name is so long, it is oftened shortened to just "America".

This is sort of confusing but there isn't another good nickname. Some people say "the states" but that could be other places also.

so, America is both the continents (more often called The Americas) and the USA

Answer 8

This doesn't even make sense. United States of America is a country on the continent of North America...those three languages are used in the US, Mexico, and Canada respectively but aren't restricted...we move around a lot.

Answer 9

America is not even a continent but a combination of two continents-North America and South America. USA is a country in North America but oftentimes, people refer to it as America.

Answer 10

America is filled with different languages anyway, and yes people that live in the country of america should know english

Answer 11

America as in the United States is a country. America as in North America and South America is a continent. You have to be specific or people will misinterpret.