Nancy Young said:
> kat wrote:
>> Nancy Young said:
>>> Mike........... wrote:
>>>> Following up to Andy
>>>>
>>>>> We're Americans. USAians is a derogatory thing to say, imho!
>>>>
>>>> Its a confused term, I think many europeans see "american" as
>>>> disrespectful of south americans, but i never heard a south
>>>> american say that and as USian sounds daft I dont see a practical
>>>> change coming.
>>>
>>> Well, South Americans are just that, just as we are North Americans.
>>> America is not a continent.
>>>
>>> But our country is called America.
>
>> I thought it was called the United States of America.
>
> Right, shortened to America. America is not short for "all the
> countries in the two contents of South and North America."

I know, I was just clarifying.

>
> Just as Mexico is called what it is, people don't go around
> calling their people UMSians, right? But it is the United Mexican
> States, no?

Is it? I didn't know that.


>
>> Just as here
>> we live in assorted parts of a country called either Great Britain or
>> the United Kingdom, depending which bits you are including at the
>> time.
>>
>> Despite many years online I have only recently seen this USAian
>> thing; it looks clumsy to me.
>
> I don't like it, and I don't answer to it. Heh.
>

I can't say I blame you!


--
kat
>^..^<

kat wrote:
> Nancy Young said:
>> kat wrote:

>>> Despite many years online I have only recently seen this USAian
>>> thing; it looks clumsy to me.
>>
>> I don't like it, and I don't answer to it. Heh.
>>
>
> I can't say I blame you!

(laugh) You're very nice.

nancy

kat said...


> Despite many years online I have only recently seen this USAian thing;
> it looks clumsy to me.


USAian does look clumsy to read! And it's almost tongue twister.

Shit, even the terrorists call us Americans and you know they're NOT talking
about South America!!! You lucky BUMS!!!

Andy

Mike........... said...

> yebbut, theres no other Mexico references in the Americas. All the other
> countries in the americas picked some other name.

Mexico is in North America! Look at a map:
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/c...s/camerica.htm

Andy

On Fri, 3 Oct 2008 13:01:39 +0100, kat wrote:

> Nancy Young said:
>> Mike........... wrote:
>>> Following up to Andy
>>>
>>>> We're Americans. USAians is a derogatory thing to say, imho!
>>>
>>> Its a confused term, I think many europeans see "american" as
>>> disrespectful of south americans, but i never heard a south american
>>> say that and as USian sounds daft I dont see a practical change
>>> coming.
>>
>> Well, South Americans are just that, just as we are North Americans.
>> America is not a continent.
>>
>> But our country is called America.
>>
>
> I thought it was called the United States of America. Just as here we live
> in assorted parts of a country called either Great Britain or the United
> Kingdom, depending which bits you are including at the time.
>
> Despite many years online I have only recently seen this USAian thing; it
> looks clumsy to me.

not something i would take umbrage at; i agree that it's infelicitous.

your pal,
blake

In article >,
"Mike..........." > wrote:

> Following up to Andy
>
> > We're Americans. USAians is a derogatory thing to say, imho!
>
> Its a confused term, I think many europeans see "american" as disrespectful
> of south americans

Not to mention Canada and Mexico. Are they not in the same America that
the US is in?

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> kat wrote:
> > Nancy Young said:
> >> Mike........... wrote:
> >>> Following up to Andy
> >>>
> >>>> We're Americans. USAians is a derogatory thing to say, imho!
> >>>
> >>> Its a confused term, I think many europeans see "american" as
> >>> disrespectful of south americans, but i never heard a south american
> >>> say that and as USian sounds daft I dont see a practical change
> >>> coming.
> >>
> >> Well, South Americans are just that, just as we are North Americans.
> >> America is not a continent.
> >>
> >> But our country is called America.
>
> > I thought it was called the United States of America.
>
> Right, shortened to America. America is not short for "all the countries
> in the two contents of South and North America."


What about Central America?

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Dan Abel wrote:
> In article >,
> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>> kat wrote:
>>> Nancy Young said:
>>>> Mike........... wrote:
>>>>> Following up to Andy
>>>>>
>>>>>> We're Americans. USAians is a derogatory thing to say, imho!
>>>>>
>>>>> Its a confused term, I think many europeans see "american" as
>>>>> disrespectful of south americans, but i never heard a south
>>>>> american say that and as USian sounds daft I dont see a practical
>>>>> change coming.
>>>>
>>>> Well, South Americans are just that, just as we are North
>>>> Americans. America is not a continent.
>>>>
>>>> But our country is called America.
>>
>>> I thought it was called the United States of America.
>>
>> Right, shortened to America. America is not short for "all the
>> countries in the two contents of South and North America."
>
>
> What about Central America?

Right, those countries have their names, too.

nancy

On Oct 3, 5:06�am, Andy <q> wrote:
> Tim C. said...
>
> > On Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:29:51 -0500, Andy wrote in post :
> > > :
>
> >> We're Americans. USAians is a derogatory thing to say, imho!
>
> > What convenient, short term would you use to distinguish citizens of the
> > USA from others on the American continents?
>
> Every country comprising all the "Americas" fly their own flags that
> distinguishes them as unique and individual nations. For Brazil, we know
> them as Brazilian. Peru, Peruvians, Argentina, Argentineans. Would a
> Brazilian say he was from South America without losing a sense of their
> national pride?
>
> A similar example can be drawn with Asia and Asians. It's a general thing
> when speaking collectively about the Far East countries. But we distinguish
> them as unique and individual nations. Chinese for China, Japanese for
> Japan, etc.
>
> You wouldn't call a travel agent and book a flight to Tokyo, Asia or
> Acapulco, Central America, or Montreal, North America would you?!
>
> BTW, American is only four syllables, USAians is five syllables (USA-i-an).
> American is THE convenient short term. Granted USAian is too commonly used
> and it IS too late to bring it up for further debate but it's not in my
> vocabulary.
>
> Andy
> American, not North American or USAian

Thank you , Andy, I feel the same way, I am an American.

Rosie

Mike........... wrote:
> Following up to Andy
>
>
>> We're Americans. USAians is a derogatory thing to say, imho!
>
>
> Its a confused term, I think many europeans see "american" as
> disrespectful of south americans, but i never heard a south american
> say that and as USian sounds daft I dont see a practical change
> coming.

I've heard that argument before, that using the term "American" to
identify US citizens is somehow disrespectful to Canadians, Mexicans
(they're North Americans, too) and South Americans, and every single
time it was posited by a British national. Seriously, when was the last
time you ever heard a Canadian or a Mexican, let alone a south American
self-identify as an "American"?

Claiming there's anything derogatory to any one of any other western
hemisphere nationalities about reserving the term "Americans" for US
citizens is being pedantic at best.

I find the terms "USAsian" and "Merikan" (in all of its spellings)
offensive and disrespectful, deliberately so, in spite of coy protests
to the contrary by persons applying those appellations. Using either of
those terms is a great way to get off on the wrong foot with me.

If you want to refer to me by my nationality in a civilized
conversation, call me an American.

"Kathleen Hansen" > wrote in message
...
>
> I've heard that argument before, that using the term "American" to
> identify US citizens is somehow disrespectful to Canadians, Mexicans
> (they're North Americans, too) and South Americans, and every single
> time it was posited by a British national. Seriously, when was the last
> time you ever heard a Canadian or a Mexican, let alone a south American
> self-identify as an "American"?

Never ever heard it on my wide travels. It sounds like a PC thing to say and
we are overrun by users of PC language and PC think here in the UK.

> Claiming there's anything derogatory to any one of any other western
> hemisphere nationalities about reserving the term "Americans" for US
> citizens is being pedantic at best.
>
> I find the terms "USAsian" and "Merikan" (in all of its spellings)
> offensive and disrespectful, deliberately so, in spite of coy protests
> to the contrary by persons applying those appellations. Using either of
> those terms is a great way to get off on the wrong foot with me.

Though I'm not an American I also dislike both terms, especially the M*****
word. I often suspect some people use it just to demonstrate how good they are
at US bashing which seems a worlwide pastime in this day and age.

> If you want to refer to me by my nationality in a civilized
> conversation, call me an American.

While not truly offended by the word "Brit" often used to describe folks on
this side of the Pond, I also don't care for it either.

--
Pete

Kathleen wrote on Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:44:53 -0500:

> Mike........... wrote:
>> Following up to Andy
>>
>>> We're Americans. USAians is a derogatory thing to say, imho!
>>
>> Its a confused term, I think many europeans see "american" as
>> disrespectful of south americans, but i never heard a south
>> american say that and as USian sounds daft I dont see a
>> practical change coming.

> I've heard that argument before, that using the term
> "American" to identify US citizens is somehow disrespectful to
> Canadians, Mexicans (they're North Americans, too) and South
> Americans, and every single time it was posited by a British
> national. Seriously, when was the last time you ever heard a Canadian
> or a Mexican, let alone a south American
> self-identify as an "American"?

> Claiming there's anything derogatory to any one of any other
> western hemisphere nationalities about reserving the term
> "Americans" for US citizens is being pedantic at best.

> I find the terms "USAsian" and "Merikan" (in all of its
> spellings) offensive and disrespectful, deliberately so, in
> spite of coy protests to the contrary by persons applying
> those appellations. Using either of those terms is a great
> way to get off on the wrong foot with me.

>If you want to refer to me by my nationality in a civilized
>conversation, call me an American.

I am an American. I have been known to use "US" as an adjective when
there might some ambiguity but I feel no compunction in using
"American". Practically any Canadian will use American to mean a citizen
of the USA, as will numerous Europeans damning the country for its
"misdeeds" :-)

Incidentally, have you ever looked at the British Chambers English
Dictionary under "America"? The name is ascribed to Richard Ameryk of
Bristol who financed some of Cabot's voyages :-) I don't think I am
really convinced but Ameryk was an importer of salt cod and probably had
heard rumors of Newfoundland before Columbus sailed.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:07:49 +0100, "Mike demi spaniard............"
> wrote:

>Corey Richardson said
>
>>>because hes a troll who constantly xposts nonsense between these two
>>>groups.
>>
>> 1 I'm *not* a troll!
>
><yawn>

Oh dear

That from the person who alters his username all of the time

Mike........... wrote:
> Following up to Kathleen Hansen
>
>> Seriously, when was the last
>> time you ever heard a Canadian or a Mexican, let alone a south American
>> self-identify as an "American"?
>
> its something that only exists on usenet as far as I know, I did ask if any
> south americans get upset, i'm unclear what the answer was.
I worked in the Middle East with some Canadians and they always
identified themselves as "North Americans." Finally asked one why and he
said most Arabs thought everyone who spoke "American English" were
Americans and didn't even know where Canada was. I thought he was just
trying to pretend he was a real 'Murican. <G>

"Giusi" > wrote in message
...
> "Andy" <q> ha scritto nel messaggio > BTW, American is only four
> syllables, USAians is five syllables (USA-i-an).
>> American is THE convenient short term. Granted USAian is too commonly
>> used
>> and it IS too late to bring it up for further debate but it's not in my
>> vocabulary.
>>
>> Andy
>> American, not North American or USAian
>
> Be that as it may be, I know many other Americans who find it offensive,
> especially South Americans. I don't always, but sometimes say USian
> depending on the context.
>
If they feel they have to say USian..... **** em , there pussys.
I aint never,ever going to be that candy ass