"USians"

[Evie]

I just love how people argue that "American" is confusing. In the English language there is no confusing what "American" refers to. Anyone who thinks otherwise, so far as I can tell, just has some ridiculous spite towards the US. North American, South American, Latin American, etc all work when referring to the more general groupings. If you really need a term to group them all at once (and never in 20 years have I seen this) you can easily say North and South Americans. Bam, done. I'm sure it's used just as often as I refer to all the Eurasians.

I don't think anyone said it was confusing (in English, anyway - not quite the same story in Quebec French and Latin American spanish)

Most of those people (who grew up with the linguistic equivalent of "american" in their language having two meanings) find it highly annoying.

Calling it "ridiculous spite" really doesn't help your case. But then, it seems most Americans feel it would be personally painful to try to understand point of views other than their own.

As I said, people will call you USians or Unitedstatesians. You will call yourself Americans. There is nothing either group can do about what name the other use.

 

[MadScotsMan]

I don't think anyone said it was confusing (in English, anyway - not quite the same story in Quebec French and Latin American spanish)

Most of those people (who grew up with the linguistic equivalent of "american" in their language having two meanings) find it highly annoying.

Calling it "ridiculous spite" really doesn't help your case. But then, it seems most Americans feel it would be personally painful to try to understand point of views other than their own.

As I said, people will call you USians or Unitedstatesians. You will call yourself Americans. There is nothing either group can do about what name the other use.

No, people would still call us Americans in english, because USians doesn't move, and neither does Unitedstatesians. In other languages, yeah, but not english.

Coming from Canada, most canadians feel the same way about anything different too. Americans aren't the only arrogant ones in the world.

 

[Evie]

Yeah, okay, that should have been "SOME" people. Didn't want to imply everyone does it, just that some people will do it - enough for it to matter. My bad.

As for the rest, true, it's hardly only Americans. Bit unfair of me ; I can only say the posters' assertion that any use of any word other than "American" came from "ridiculous spite" is the sort of thing that really set my teeth on edge. I'm always most likely to spit on Americans when I see Americans spitting on, well, pretty much anyone Americans have a tendency to spit on.

But as I said before, it seems to me both words are here to stay, and people should learn to quit whining about them already.

 

[raketooy]

In Finnish there are the words "Yhdysvallat" (= "the joint states") and "yhdysvaltalainen" for US and US citizen respectively, and the words "Amerikka" and "amerikkalainen" for America and American. In formal speech when referring to US, "Yhdysvallat" is always used, but in colloquial situations it is slightly more common to use "Amerikka" (which is ambiquous, as it technically means whole America) or the slang word "jenkit" (= "yankees"). "Amerikkalainen" (= "American") can be used in formal situations, too, especially when there is no ambiquity (as it can also refer to someone from, say, Brazil). In formal situations when the ambiquity has to be avoided, "yhdysvaltalainen" is used to refer to something from US. In colloquial speech "yhdysvaltalainen" sounds a bit silly sometimes, so when it is necessary to be specific, we use something like the prefix "jenkki-" (from "yankee"), like "jenkkifutis" is American football (though the official term is "amerikkalainen jalkapallo", but not "yhdysvaltalainen jalkapallo") ("futis" is a slang term and "jalkapallo" is official, both mean football (soccer) per se).

Complex, but the point is that Finns do understand how US citizens refer to themselves as Americans, and we very rarely use words USians or United Statesians or the like in English.

 

[scy12]

The reason i do not want the term Usians to be used is because it just sounds strange. And the fact i din't know it existed . Why should i care on how Usians call them selfs , though ? Thanks for introducing this word to my dictionary ...

 

[Arwon]

I just love how people argue that "American" is confusing. In the English language there is no confusing what "American" refers to. Anyone who thinks otherwise, so far as I can tell, just has some ridiculous spite towards the US. North American, South American, Latin American, etc all work when referring to the more general groupings. If you really need a term to group them all at once (and never in 20 years have I seen this) you can easily say North and South Americans. Bam, done. I'm sure it's used just as often as I refer to all the Eurasians.

I already gave a clear example of when it´s vague and confusing - contrasting peninsular Spain with America, it´s cumbersome to differentiate when you mean what.

 

[Junzi Nicuzn]

I don't think anyone said it was confusing (in English, anyway - not quite the same story in Quebec French and Latin American spanish)

No, but there are two continents full of Americans. So to call citizens of the United States 'Americans' is to cause confusion.

This English dude was.

 

[MadScotsMan]

Yeah, okay, that should have been "SOME" people. Didn't want to imply everyone does it, just that some people will do it - enough for it to matter. My bad.

As for the rest, true, it's hardly only Americans. Bit unfair of me ; I can only say the posters' assertion that any use of any word other than "American" came from "ridiculous spite" is the sort of thing that really set my teeth on edge. I'm always most likely to spit on Americans when I see Americans spitting on, well, pretty much anyone Americans have a tendency to spit on.

But as I said before, it seems to me both words are here to stay, and people should learn to quit whining about them already.

Most people have never heard the terms( Since I haven't until now, I'm most people), and if you ever said that in the States, people would look at you funny, and ask if you mean asian or the University of Southern Indiana Nursing Students. That's what it says in the online dictionaries anyway.

 

[Evie]

USians probably ; the more common "Unitedstatesians", not so much. It's *pretty* clear what a "Unitedstatesians" is.

 

[sysyphus]

Of course, we could take a cue from one of their own:

Top 10 Canadian Nicknames for Americans

10. Skinny bacon lovers
9. Willard-watchers
8. Continent hogs
7. Unmounties
6. Surfboard-riding goofballs
5. Individually wrapped cheese slice junkies
4. Upper Mexicans
3. Pizza-gorged convertible jockeys
2. Star-spangled sissy boys
1. Sununus

 

[Grandpa Troll]

Its kinda of funny, I was born in Maine along the Canadian border.

I went into the USArmy in mid 1970's and fell in love with the warm southern hospitality.

But these days, people dont say to me, are you an American?

They ask are you a Southerner or a Yankee///lol

Like who gives a flip, we beat the south and I tell 'em I am not a member of the occupying military forces, merely an observer.

 

[Yui108]

Well, I think it would be much more practical to just use Americans, as I thought Usians had something to do with a Pan Asian agreement...

Also- It isn't the American's who are getting insulted

 

[JohnRM]

This is the...

United States of America

America is in our name. It is what we are; Americans.

People from Latin America and Canada are also Americans, but good luck trying to find a one of them who refers to themselves as anything but Canadian, Colombian, Peruvian, et al.

People use the term USians, because they want to be derogatory when speaking to or about Americans. They have some gripe and perhaps a giant oak tree up their butt and they want to offend us. No big deal. In fact, the more offended one gets, the more they will do it.

 

[sysyphus]

That's pretty much how I see it. You're more than welcome to the term... now give us back the Alaska panhandle you mincing thieves!

 

[JohnRM]

Would you settle for a referendum?

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

That's pretty much how I see it. You're more than welcome to the term... now give us back the Alaska panhandle you mincing thieves!

We didn't take the panhandle, we took what is now the Eastern edge of the panhandle! You want it back? Molon labe!

 

[MadScotsMan]

Well we got Alaska from Russia first, so you would have to ask them.

 

[Bigfoot3814]

Well we got Alaska from Russia first, so you would have to ask them.

But when the Russians had it, the only people living there were the Eskimos.

 

[sysyphus]

Well we got Alaska from Russia first, so you would have to ask them.

The bit you stole from us was never a part of Russia, you coaxed the Brits into nicking it away from us.