#USA #UnitedStates #American #NationalityDebate #WhatToCallAmericans
🇺🇸 What else would you call people from the United States? 🇺🇸
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what to call people from the United States besides “Americans,” you’re not alone. This topic has sparked debates and discussions online and in real life, leaving many people confused about the correct terminology. In this article, we’ll explore the various terms that are used to refer to people from the United States and the reasons behind the ongoing nationality debate.
## The “America is a continent, not a country” argument
One of the primary reasons why some individuals argue against the use of “American” to describe people from the United States is the geographical aspect of the Americas. North America and South America are continents that consist of numerous countries, including the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and many others. This leads to the argument that calling oneself “American” is disregarding the existence of other countries within the Americas.
### What are people from Canada and Mexico called?
– Canadians 🇨🇦
– Mexicans 🇲🇽
– Both individuals from Canada and Mexico have distinct nationalities that are widely accepted and recognized around the world.
## Alternatives to “American”
In light of the ongoing debate, some individuals have proposed alternative terms to describe people from the United States. While these alternatives may not be widely adopted, they offer insight into the complexities of national identity and the diverse perspectives on the matter.
### 1. United Statesian
The term “United Statesian” is often suggested as an alternative to “American,” as it specifically references the country’s name and avoids the geographical connotations associated with “America.” However, the term has not gained widespread traction and may sound awkward or unfamiliar to many people.
### 2. Usonian
“Usonian” is a term that was popularized by architect Frank Lloyd Wright to describe the distinct architectural style of the United States. Some individuals have proposed using “Usonian” as a nationality descriptor, emphasizing the unique identity of the country. Similar to “United Statesian,” this term is not commonly used in everyday language.
### 3. Statian
“Statian” is derived from the word “state” and is used to specifically denote people from the United States. While it addresses the issue of referring to the country by its name, the term may not resonate with a broader audience and lacks widespread recognition.
## The prevailing use of “American”
Despite the alternative suggestions, the term “American” remains the most widely used and accepted descriptor for people from the United States. It has been ingrained in language and culture, appearing in official documents, international relations, and everyday speech. While the geographical ambiguity persists, “American” continues to be the default and universally understood term for individuals hailing from the United States.
### Why “American” is deeply rooted
– Historical context: The term “American” has been in use for centuries to refer to inhabitants of the American colonies and, later, the United States of America.
– Linguistic convenience: “American” provides a concise and easily recognizable way to identify someone’s nationality.
– International recognition: Across the globe, “American” is universally understood as referring to people from the United States.
## Conclusion: Embracing national identity
In conclusion, the question of what to call people from the United States besides “Americans” reflects the complexities of national identity and the ongoing debate surrounding geography, language, and cultural representation. While alternative terms have been proposed, “American” remains the dominant and widely recognized descriptor for individuals from the United States. The geographical nuances of the Americas continue to spark discussions and differing perspectives, ultimately highlighting the diverse nature of national identity.
In the end, the most important aspect is recognizing and respecting the individual preferences and perspectives of people from the United States in how they choose to identify themselves. Whether it’s American, United Statesian, or another term, the emphasis should be on embracing and celebrating the unique national identity of each individual, regardless of the terminology used. At the end of the day, the beauty of diversity lies in the multitude of ways in which people from the United States choose to define themselves.
No, calling them American is fine and anyone who argues with that isn’t worth listening to.
No. They’re Americans and as someone that knows some of the cringe lords that refuse to call them that.
Nobody that is worth it cares. They’re Americans, that’s what everyone got used to calling them. Get over your insecurities, cringe lords.
It’s just insufferable pedants that say that. Everybody in the world knows what you mean when you say “American” it’s just the geography version of people getting a shit-eating grin on their face and smugly saying “Actually Frankenstein is the name of the doctor.”
Yanks. Here in the UK that is a term we use for Americans.
Sometimes I call them by name.
United Statesians
(/s)
Just understand that the definition of “continent” in colloquial language varies between cultures. In the anglosphere, there are 7 continents, but in Latin America and other Romance language countries, there are only 6.
So in English, America is not a continent other than in certain contexts, but North America and South America are. American means someone from the US, while North American, which is rarely used, means someone from Canada, the US, Mexico, etc.
But in other languages, the cognate to America can mean something else.
People from Australia are called Aussies, so I guess people from United States should be called Ussies.
What else would we be called? I don’t think there is a good alternative. United States of America is abbreviated down to American. Literally, everyone in every country refers to us as Americans.
We call people from the United States of America “Americans”, just like we call people from the United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos) “Mexicans”. When I was born in the 1950s, people from the United States of Brazil (name changed in 1967) were called “Brazilians”.
‘Murican
USAsians
We should come up with another name as soon as there is another country with the word America in the name.
People gotta realize that ”American” means something different in English than “Americano” means in Spanish. Two different languages, two different meanings.
In Spanish there’s the word ”Estadounidense”. But that word doesn’t exist in English.
I prefer being called a Shitkickin’ Freedom Eagle.
A word can have multiple meanings.
American, the nationality of people from the USA.
American, the quality of being from the continents known as “the Americas”.
All US Americans are Americans, but not all Americans are US Americans.
If you want to cheekily uno-reverse card people, tell them the Americas were named after a European named Amerigo, so by definition “the Americas” is a colonialist name. They should refer to the continents and the peoples as the traditional pre-European contact name. Which ironically would also justify US Americans calling themselves Americans because the country of the USA was formerly a colony.
Or just shrug and be like, “People from the US are US Americans. What’s the big deal?”
I know a guy in the US and always call him Dave.
In English, “American” is the **only** word used to describe them, unless you wanted to specify on the state level. The dispute comes from misunderstandings primarily from Spanish/Portuguese speakers learning English.
In those languages, there is a word “americano” which refers to people inhabiting the Americas. They also tend to use a 5 or 6 continent model to describe the world, consisting of Africa, Australia/Oceania, Antarctica, America (North and South combined), and Eurasia (or Europe/Asia, in 6 continent model) unlike the 7 continent model we tend to use in English-speaking countries.
As a result, they identify with the “americano” label, and when learning English, see Americans calling themselves that as an attempt to monopolize the term. This is not the case however, it’s just that English speakers see the world in a different paradigm. It causes the disagreements you see, which are at the end of the day comes off as an attempt to police what people in other countries call themselves in their own language, rather than acknowledge that different cultures view the world differently.
I’m not even sure what people who complain about this get from this. People from Europe generally prefer being referred to by their specific country, same thing with people from Asia or Africa. It’d be pretty weird if somebody from Denmark insists on being called European instead of Danish.
It would make far more logical sense (and be more consistent) for “American” to be the demonym for someone from the Americas, just like “European”, “African” and “Asian”, and to have a different distinct term for people from the USA just like every other country.
The problem is language is frequently neither logical nor consistent, and at the end of the day words mean what they mean based on usage, irrespective of how much sense it makes. And “American” means somone from the USA. The continental terms would be “North American” and “South American”.
Part of the problem is that there’s nothing at all unique or country specific in the name of the USA. Neither “United” nor “States” are unique or specific either, so what do you call them? Trying to turn any other options into a demonyn also just sounds clunky…
Unitedian
Statesian
United American
State American
United Statesian
United States American
Northern Mexicans is the only answer.
Those people are idiots. No shit, it’s a continent. But our country is called the United States of America. What other country has America in the name? Go ahead, I’ll wait.
No other country has the word “America” in its name, how is that difficult? Continents are different than nations
US Americans
U.S. citizen. Kind of a mouth full but if you call yourself an American in South/Central America when you are from the U.S. you will definitely get clowned on.