"USians"

[aluka]

You'll always be yanks to me. Especially those from the south.

 

[Evie]

Anyway, I have said this a long time ago on these forums. There are two kinds of Americans (because of the two general cultures that each coined the word at almost the same darn time, being South American and United States American) - try and learn to deal with with it.

This Quebecer takes offense at the name hijack there. First them brits had to take Canada away from us to give it to the whole country, next you tell us only South Americans and US Americans are Americans?

This Quebecer may be joking a little, mind...

More seriously though, should be Latin American, not South - Mexico and the rest of Central America would take offense at "south"

 

[QuoVadisNation]

If the Canadians feel that they wish to incorporate the term Americans into their self-describers, they are perfectly free to do what the South Americans have done and still do and cause years and years of confusion and unsolvable disagreement between our respective countries.

 

[Evie]

Hey, I said Quebecer. You know, the Semi-Latin Americans.

That way we can do it in French, and you guys won't understand because hey, why bother learning a second language?

It's not like we're going to ask English Canada's permission to do anything. They're welcome to join the bandwagon, though.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

If I ask 'Americans' a question, who might I be referring to? If the answer is unclear, your use of language is clumsy.

I automatically assume that asking an "American" a question means that it's intended that a resident of the United States should answer.

As Brennan summed up...

It should probably be added that, in much of Latin America (and French Quebec), "The Americas" are defined as a single continent - "America" stretching from the Cape Horn all the way to Canada.

In the perspective of many of those people, the American use of "Americans" as if they were the only Americans in the world is unbridled American arrogance and hubris - to think that they actually have a right to the name of our continent for themselves, and themselves alone. (And in the process, denying us inhabitants of America-the-continent the right to our proper name - like the people of Asia are Asians, the people of Europe are Europeans, the people of Africa Africans...but the people of America are not Americans because the most annoying country on the continent has decided they had a monopoly on that name.

The fact that said country has a bad tendency to treat the entire America/Americas as their own private playground, and any country within as their pet vassals, on whom it has rights of life and death, really doesn't help either - in that sort of condition, their hijacking of the continent name for their own country feel like more of the same horsehockey imperialism.

Mind, personally, I tend to only use USians or United Statesians when I'm being whimsical or not very serious (ie, the same times I,m likely to use Canuckistan, Hockeyland and various other less-than-serious names for places) ; in serious discussion, I want to be understood, not to make a point about how ridiculously arrogant Americans are when it comes to naming themselves.

When talking French, though, "Étatsuniens" is far more commonly used, and I'm not shy about using it either.

Back when they were choosing a name for their country, they should have gone with the explorer's first name. "The United States of Vespucci" has a nice ring -- all hail to our southern neighbors, the Vespuccians!

When the United States became a country, not only was it the only independent country on either of the two American continents...

I don't think the indigineous population called themselves Americans.

But they had countries, yes?

Well, how much they were countries in the modern sense vary from group to group. Certainly the Aztecs and Incans had something approximating countries ; you could certainly make a case for, say, the Iroquois as well.

The rest? Not so much.

Oh, my. So the Iroquois Confederacy, the Aztecs, the Incans, the Northwest Coast tribes (culturally connected via the potlatch customs), the Mound Builder culture, and many others both pre-European contact and contemporaneous -- NONE of those would constitute an "independent country"? I beg to differ.

I for one am often too lazy to write 'US Americans' or 'US citizens'. Simply calling them 'Americans' can be confusing, though - people from all the many other countries on the two continents can feel referred to. So why not 'USians'? it is short, precise, easily understood.

Personally, I never feel referred to by the term "American." On the other hand, the term "North American" is a different matter. The thing is, the first refers to a foreign country. The latter refers to the continent where I happen to live.

If the Canadians feel that they wish to incorporate the term Americans into their self-describers, they are perfectly free to do what the South Americans have done and still do and cause years and years of confusion and unsolvable disagreement between our respective countries.

Yes, let's not start describing ourselves as "Canadian Americans."

 

[Simple Simon]

and where is that country 'America'? None of my maps shows one.....

 

[Shaihulud]

Sounds fair, I will now henceforth call people of the USA Usians.

 

[bhsup]

If you have a problem with calling people from the USA "Americans", you can refer to us as "Lord and Master". We'll know who you're talking about. Personally, I think you should just stick with "American", but it is your call.

 

[Brighteye]

This is a wonderful idea. I've never come across the term USians, but I think that I'll start calling US citizens Useians. Or maybe USAns. Or nUSans. Or USers.
The possibilities are endless, but I need to settle on one name, and I think that USers is good. A slight modification to reflect their country's attitude to the world and we have it: abUSers. Perfect!

 

[Junzi Nicuzn]

Let's say us people from the US gave up the adjective American to describe us. How many of you are going to pick it up now that the moniker is available? Not that many. You will most likely still refer to yourselves as Canadian or Mexican or Bolivian or etc. American is what we call ourselves, America is in the name of our country, and it flows off the tongue better than USians or United Statesians.

And those of you claiming to be confused - bull. You're being obstinate. You can usually tell if they mean the citizens of the US or the residents of the continents by the conversation around the term. It's rare that anyone will refer to or address someone not of the US as American. And it is also unlikely that a person will address the people of both continents as a whole - the culture south of the Rio Grande differs from that of Canada and the US, so it is the rare query that will encompass everyone on both these continents. Usually one speaks of North Americans or Central/South Americans. Divided the same way that Europe has Eastern Europeans and Western Europeans, or Asia has Orientals, Indians, and Middle Easterners (a broad term, I know)

We're not denying there are other people on this continent, or that they are American by virtue of residing in North/South America. We're denying any of you put America in your name, with the exception of American Samoa. Not like you named yourselves the Canadian Provinces of America or the United Mexican States of America.

Who really cares that much about identifying which continent they originate from? Like it's something to be proud of? Unless you were born in Antarctica, there's no reason to brag. It's the country, the people, and the culture which makes your birth place special.

 

[Defiant47]

Remember: the correct way to pronounce "USians" is similar to "Asians".

 

[Bigfoot3814]

You'll always be yanks to me. Especially those from the south.

Actually, that's totally wrong! I know that outside the US, yank is a deragatory word for an American, and I assume you beleive people from the South fit more stereotypes of Americans. Yankee was a word that actually originated in the North, as a name for the British to call the American rebels during the war for independence. However, it didn't really bother us, and we sort of adopted it as our own. Even the song "Yankee Doodle" was invented by the British to make fun of us, but we used it as our impromtu National anthem.

Then during the civil war, the South used the word Yankee to describe the "Northern Agressors" with which they were at war. They felt no cultural or historical connection to the North, and being called a yank would not make sense to them.

So if you wanted to call a USian a name, yank is not your best choice. If that person was from the South, you could possibly use redneck, hillbilly, sesh, hoss, Hatfield/McCoy, among others. Yank is not that powerful. We even have a baseball team called the New York Yankees.

Or, you could just be nice and not bellitle people for where they come from.

 

[sysyphus]

Let's say us people from the US gave up the adjective American to describe us. How many of you are going to pick it up now that the moniker is available? Not that many. You will most likely still refer to yourselves as Canadian or Mexican or Bolivian or etc. American is what we call ourselves, America is in the name of our country, and it flows off the tongue better than USians or United Statesians.

Agreed, this Canuck has no need to use the term American to refer to anything other than the silly buggers south of the border who lacked the creativity to come up with a decent name for their country.

I would also like to see the use of the word "Indians" limited to people from India.

 

[skadistic]

So is there another country that has America in its name or not?

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Okay... so if Americans adopt the term "Usians" to refer to themselves, logically that would make everybody else "Themians."

 

[Rambuchan]

It should probably be added that, in much of Latin America (and French Quebec), "The Americas" are defined as a single continent - "America" stretching from the Cape Horn all the way to Canada.

In the perspective of many of those people, the American use of "Americans" as if they were the only Americans in the world is unbridled American arrogance and hubris - to think that they actually have a right to the name of our continent for themselves, and themselves alone. (And in the process, denying us inhabitants of America-the-continent the right to our proper name - like the people of Asia are Asians, the people of Europe are Europeans, the people of Africa Africans...but the people of America are not Americans because the most annoying country on the continent has decided they had a monopoly on that name.

The fact that said country has a bad tendency to treat the entire America/Americas as their own private playground, and any country within as their pet vassals, on whom it has rights of life and death, really doesn't help either - in that sort of condition, their hijacking of the continent name for their own country feel like more of the same horsehockey imperialism.

This attitude is in evidence yet further when we see citizens of the USA refer to, say, the president of Iran as "Ahmanutjob", "Ahma-din-Laden", "Ahmadinawhatevathefukyoucallhim" and "you-know-who-ejad".

And it's not confined to just world leaders who happen to be disliked. It generally applies to any name that sounds unusual. They simply can't be bothered and, worse, don't see why they should either.

Now, you may say I'm generalising unfairly here, but I'm yet to meet a single US citizen (and I've met truck loads), including my own relatives, who has had the courtesy to even try and pronounce a foreign name correctly (they must be out there somewhere). Reminds me of old fashioned Brits who think they still rule the world.

Back when they were choosing a name for their country, they should have gone with the explorer's first name. "The United States of Vespucci" has a nice ring -- all hail to our southern neighbors, the Vespuccians!

I was waiting for someone to mention him. Here's some more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldseemüller_map
And look where the name America appears.

 

[Gabryel Karolin]

People are used to it by now so why bother. It is kind of stupid though. Like Germany calling itself the United States of Europe when it formed and then insist they have monopoly on calling themselves European.

 

[RedRalph]

Ram, that post reminds me of the one about Medvedev, some Americans here on OT were outraged that Yurps thought Condoleeza Rice should learnt to pronounce it properly

 

[Rambuchan]

Ram, that post reminds me of the one about Medvedev, some Americans here on OT were outraged that Yurps thought Condoleeza Rice should learnt to pronounce it properly

Aye. Medvedev was the other example that I couldn't remember. It's all basically a blend of arrogance and ignorance, which most people find to be quite a tasteless cocktail to encounter.

 

[shortguy]

Are people ever actually confused by this, or is this just something that people complain about because it "seems like it ought to" or "may someday" be confusing? Do any of you have personal experiences of hearing "Americans" and thinking of the wrong ones?