VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR EVERYONE ESPECIALLY ANYONE FROM THE U.S. OR CANADA OR MEX

John_Kerry · Aug 13, 2004

I was having a discusiion with a guy and we completly disagree on this so I wonder if the board can tell me what it thinks.

Let me start by making one point - We all agree that any person from any country in Asia is considered to be ASIAN. The Chinese are ASIAN, The Japanese are ASIAN, ETC. It is not accurate to say that ONLY the Chinese are ASIAN.

Further, any person from any country in Europe is EUROPEAN. A person from Britan, Germany, France are ALL EUROPEANS. It would not be accurate to say that ONLY the British are EUROPEAN.

Now here is the question.

If a person is born and lives his or her entire life in CANADA - is it accurate to say this person is an AMERICAN ? Or are only residents of the United States AMERICANS ?

I know we often here statements like "There are 300,000,000 AMERICANS". Clearly this is meant to say there are 300,000,000 UNITED STATES residents. I know that in slang we often use the term AMERICAN to refer to only U.S. citizens, but is it really accurate ?

What is an AMERICAN ?

#1. A citizen of the United States only.

or

#2. A citizen of ANT county in the Americas.

Thanks for your opinions.

Woody0 · Aug 13, 2004

The correct answer is that any citizen of the Americas is an American both N. and S. America. However in common parlance it is usually restricted to citizens of the United States.

Note also the term "native American" to denote those who are the descendants of the first immigrants over 10,000 years ago. This group has more in common with Asians and Europeans as the other "Americans" are all newcomers.

Finally, why is this very important rather than nitpicking?

texas77 · Aug 13, 2004

WoodyO 100% correct!!!

John_Kerry · Aug 13, 2004

Yes woody, it is very nitpicky. I agree.

But thanks for the answers because I knew thatw as the case. I guess it just that we are both men with egos and when I know I am right then I stick to my guns.

Just as 2+2=4, any citizen of ANY country in North or South America IS an American. Maybe I felt a little offended being told that I am NOT an American if I am from a county in North America other than the United States.

wilheim · Aug 13, 2004

In Latin America US residents are referred to as Norteamericanos while any resident of the western hemisphere - North and South America, are called or considered to be Americans.

wil.

Woody0 · Aug 13, 2004

Maybe I should add that common parlance in Canada refers to Americans as citizens of the US.

I guess Canadians don't want to be automatically included with Americans, for reasons that go in the political forum.

John_Kerry · Aug 13, 2004

Thank you.

Looking back, I know its a silly argument but sometimes it floors me the arrogance of some U.S. residents ( not all, just some). I am from Canada and to have someone from the U.S. say to me that I am a Canadian but I am not an American just makes me wonder. I knew that most Americans didnt think that way. I know that the term American is often used in slang to refer to U.S. citizens only, but it is simply wrong to do so.

I heard someone on TV say "There are currently around 300,000,000 Americans". I know he what he meant, but the statement as he put it is just simply WRONG.

kaygie · Aug 13, 2004

How about this. People from Canada and USA are collectively referred to as North Americans. Mexico etc are Central Americans and people from South America, are South Americans. As the USA in long form is the United States of America, people from this country are referred to as Americans

X-Files · Aug 13, 2004

A citizen of "The United States of AMERICA"
is what we call here in Canada an American.

Canadians are not such an American, obviously.

Canadians are NORTH Americans, not Americans.

RI · Aug 13, 2004

John_Kerry

Off topic. Your avatar looks European, and by the wallpaper in the picture i would say she is from Prague or Chezc Republic.

Rick F

DarrylParsons · Aug 13, 2004

When I first moved to Hungary (as a Canadian) I was offended when anyone called me an American because it was usually out of ignorance -- Canadian, American, what difference does it make, you guys are all the same -- that was the thinking behind it.

Growing up in Canada I would say 98% of the time the word "American" was used, it was used to denote someone from the USA.

Of course in certain contexts it could also mean those other things people have mentioned.

So to sum up I think the word "American" has several meanings, all of which are correct in various contexts, but your friend has a point because his is by far the most widely used one.

DarrylParsons · Aug 13, 2004

An annoying thing about how language evolves is that if something just isn't right yet enough people fvck it up, then it still becomes official.

A good example is the word "momentarily". Originally it meant "for a moment" but so many people erroneously used it to mean "in a moment" that now both meanings are officially valid.

wolfie_cr · Aug 13, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR> Mexico etc are Central Americans <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

A mexican is MOST DEFINITIVELY NOT a central american........either based on historical or geographical background.

PariActionOffice · Aug 13, 2004

The politically correct answer is 2. BUT, we are the only people that actually grow up learning we are Americans. Candians are Cannucks (sic) and Mexicans are mexicans... what other identity do we have if we deny other calling us americans. In central america etc. we are Norte Americanos. Now, I don't mind too much being lumped with Mexicans... but Canadians

NO WAY

Data · Aug 13, 2004

John_Kerry you are incorrect. If "american" is used in context of citizenship as in "an american citizen" then it means "of the United States of America". That is not a slang use as you said, it is a norm. See Dictionary. By the way, as we are discussing English word, all the references to other languages are irrelevant.

wolfie_cr · Aug 13, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR> as we are discussing English word <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

now that's an interesting point of view....the word "american" its an English word...

Lets see......an Italian discovered America.....a portuguese named the continent as such.....and somehow the ownership of the word is transferred to the english language?

like Data would say "Intriguing............"

wilheim · Aug 13, 2004

The word American comes from explorer Ameicus Vespucci - From About.com:

Amerigo or Americus Vespucci was a merchant and navigator who sailed to the new world on two (perhaps even three) occasions, sailing for Spain and for Portugal. He made his most significant scientific contribution to the Age of Discovery when, through astronomical observations off the coast of South America, he confirmed that the lands Columbus had encountered were not Asia but were in fact an entirely separate continent. The letters Vespucci wrote describing his travels were published and widely distributed in Europe.

Vespucci owes the use of his name for two continents to the German clergyman and scholar Martin Waldseemüller, who had read of Amerigo's travels and chose to call the new lands "America" in his honor when printing a wood-block map

JudgeWapner · Aug 13, 2004

Wil a fountain of knowledge as always.

Data · Aug 13, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>somehow the ownership of the word is transferred to the english language? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Ownership, yes, you could say that as this word is a part of English language, ie. belongs to it. You were likely refering to non-english origin of that word which I never referred to as the origin is irrelevant. What is relevant and what was asked about is what this word means in English.