Well, everybody born in the american continent is technically “american” too, including Central and South America. Is there a specific term in english for these people?
Edit: Thanks for all your answers, especially the wholesome ones and those patient enough to explain it thoroughly. Since we (South Americans) and you (North Americans) use different models/conventions of continent boundaries, it makes sense for you to go by “Americans”, while it doesn’t for us.
The proper term is American.
everybody born in the american continent is technically “american” too
The implied context of your question is in English.. In the English-speaking world, there is no American continent. People from North America are North Americans; people from South America are South Americans. People from the United States of America are American. There is no ambiguity. There is also no good term to collectively describe everyone from the Americas but there’s also rarely any need to discuss that.
I consider terms such as “USonian” and whatnot to be highly offensive. Nobody should tell a people what they are allowed to call themselves in their own language just because the same word means something else in another language. It would be like telling French people they’re not allowed to call their arm a bras because it refers to an article of clothing in English. Other languages where America means something else already have their own terms for people from the US. English, however, has no real ambiguity except that caused by those trying to shame Americans for calling themselves Americans.
In the English-speaking world, there is no American continent.
Not true. North and South America were made up by the government to brainwash people. It’s a conspiracy. There are only 4 continents.
This is about language, not geology. Doesn’t really matter how it came to be that way, North and South America are effectively treated as separate continents and very rarely referred to as a whole, and you saying “but actually” doesn’t change that.
Words can be coined. America is a continent. There, if the word didn’t exist before, it does now.
“highly offensive” lol wow chill out bud. It’s weird but doesn’t bother me at all. Let em call me whatever they want in whatever language they have.
Telling people what they’re allowed to be offended by is usually a bad choice.
Let em call me whatever they want in whatever language they have.
That’s not what this is about though, which is precisely the point. In other languages, “America” means something else, and they all have other terms to refer to people from the US. The whole discussion is about what Americans should be called in English.
In the English-speaking world, there is no American continent.
You mean, in USA world.
In the English-speaking world, there is no American continent.
I didn’t know that, thanks.
Nobody should tell a people what they are allowed to call themselves in their own language
Look man, I’m not american and I didn’t ask the question to create some debate about the ethics or whatsoever. I just wanted to know if there was a specific word for that.
The word I use most often aside from American is Seppo, which is derogatory rhyming slang (sep + -o, from septic tank → Yank → Yankee)
Look at all the seppos getting cranky at this one :) I just came in to post Seppo but you beat me
Frankly, I’m not seeing any negative replies or downvotes.
I’m a US citizen myself, though I live in and am also a born citizen of Norway. So being in basically a quantum superposition between being and not being a US-American, you could imagine that I’d have a bit of a specific perspective about the country, that would draw me to using words like “Seppo”.
I’ve heard this in Australia but nowhere else. Is this Australian slang, or does somewhere else use it too?
The sovereign people of any nation have a right to call themselves what they please. People of the US decided on ‘American’ long before the Internet was a thing and Latin America people got pissed off. US intervention in Latin America is a stain in history, but this is categorically dumb. US citizens call themselves Americans because it’s in the name. Literally. Canadians don’t call themselves Americans and never will. This is dumb argument. Respectfully.
First off, this wasn’t supposed to be an argument, just a question. My native language has a specific word for them (and some other languages have too) and I got curious if english itself had such a thing.
Latin America people got pissed off
Maybe it’s because people say “America” and everybody instantly thinks of the USA, even though you’re just another country in the whole continent? For these people you are stealing the word “american” and changing its meaning. People from Asia have the word “asian”, people in Europe got “european”, people in Africa got “african”, but we? We don’t have a meaningful word anymore. And I’m not saying it’s your fault or even it’s a fault of your founding fathers. I’m just trying to tell you why these people get mad.
If most people say Korea they mean South Korea. That’s because North Korea is far less likely the thing to be referenced, so you need to go out of your way to specify North if you actually mean that instead of South.
Same goes for all kinds of things.
The Korean people are one, regardless of the political situation there.
Other peoples in the Americas have been denied even their right to call themselves part of the continent.
There is no continent called “America”. We have North America and South America.
When someone says “South American” I don’t think Alabama I think Brazil or Argentina.
The term “North American” is commonly used when you’re describing something that applies to both Canada and the US. Eg. “North American sports teams”.
We commonly use the term “Central American” when referring to Mexico, El Salvador, etc. because even though they are technically in North America there is a strong cultural divide, similar to how the middle East is technically Asia, but you’d never refer to someone from Saudi Arabia as “Asian”.
Mexico is also in North America though, not in Central America.
LATAM are usually pissy about the term “Americans” because the “geographical division” colloquially seem to be more of a third vs. first world division rather than a geographical division.
You can see how people from LATAM usually call themselves “americanos” to include everyone from The Americas, but Canada and USA think “North America” doesn’t include Mexico.
Do South and Central American words not exist in spanish? Soy de Sudamérica. Soy de Centroamérica. As the other comment said, this question is not ambiguous at all. And I know why people get mad, they hate the US, which I understand because they’re assholes. No one will deny it. Ask any self respecting american and they will agree.
But with all due respect, this is a dumb ass question. Respectfully.
In southern European tradition (which ends up in Latin America), those are not continents but regions. America is the Continent.
It goes back to the colonies. In the British Empire the continental colonies were “the American colonies,” so British subjects from said colonies were called “Americans” for upwards of 200 years prior to the revolution. After the revolution, since Halifax was the only major continental port that remained in British hands, it made sense to call its colonists something else, while those to the south retained the name “Americans.”
Conversely, the Caribbean possessions were called “The West Indies” or “The West Indies Station.”
Y en español les decimos estadounidenses. Porque son los putos Estados Unidos, y se la calan porque los cabrones no tienen la decencia de ser amables con sus vecinos.
Puedo harcerte una pregunta? si eres de mexico, te llamarias americano? Querrias hacerlo? Soy de los Estados Unidos y no me importa si te llamas americano, pero no se por que querrias. Yo diria que “soy norteamericano” o “soy latinoamericano”.
(Lo siento si mi espanol es malo, estoy aprendiendo).
I’m not Mexican. But in general, as I said in another comment, Americano is in Spanish a politically charged term. South America was plain America way before North America was a thing. American is used by the left for the historical reclaim of ancestral origins. American is used to impose USA cultural hegemony over the whole continent. It’s somewhat complex at times. But yes, if I had to contrast my identity against, let’s say a European, Asian or African person, I would refer to myself as American. That said, I would probably have to clarify that I am Latin American. Because of said USA cultural hegemony.
Learn about the states and call them by their state name like we do in the US: (washingtonians, oregonians, californians, and so on.)
Internationally people love making fun of Americans for knowing little about geography, but it’s always a bit surprising to find out how little people in other countries know about US geography considering many of our states are bigger (size-wise) than many entire countries.
Some non-US folks know more about the states than US folks
For instance, I have no idea where Delaware is. Northeast, right? There’s like 30 states in that top right corner
Why would ppl from other countries know the internal division of the US. Thats like asking ppl to know brazillian regions. Or russian ones, or Chinese ones. Those are equally big countries but ppl are not expected to know those internal borders and names.
People make fun of Americans not only because they were ignorant of global geography, but also because they didnt generally show much interest in it. It is a response to american exceptiolism i think. Making fun of those that think that the USA is the best country and all that really matters.
Still i dont find making fun of Americans for that very funny. Specially because its not that true anymore.
Ok but there’s 50 and most are basically interchangeable to anyone not from there. The difference between Indiana and Illinois to basically anyone not in or bordering them is one has Chicago and the other doesn’t. And those are two of the most politically different states due to the aforementioned Chicago. Cleveland may as well be in Michigan for all some random German has any reason to care. It matters to them as much as it matters to me which kingdom Bonn was in. And which Dakota is which, as an Ohioan not only do I not know, I also don’t care. Oklahoma is basically texas and Wyoming is a national park with a state of disgrace stapled on. And that’s not even getting into the mess of New England.
I don’t expect French people to know which one Ohio is and I’m not gonna be mad if they don’t know of it, in the same way I know of Bordeaux but have no idea where it is beyond somewhere in France. I know a handful of Mexican states so I suppose they probably know of the big ones and the bordering ones
Stick with “American” because not only is it partially accurate geographically, it’s completely accurate in terms of how self-centered we are as a nation as to think we’re the only ones who count.
