What does it mean to be an American?

[MjM]

What does it mean to be an American?

It means we are #1. USA #1 USA #1

 

[Bugfatty300]

The term for Americans used in Mexico and Central America is North American and never just American.

Which is funny because I've never heard anyone call themselves Central American or Southern North American. Just Mexican, Guatemalan, Panamanian, etc.

"Estadounidense" is used a lot in books and a papers but I never hear it spoken.

 

[NickyJ]

American means "from the U.S." After all, I have yet to hear Canadians, Brazilians, or any other countries from North or South America be called "Americans" in foreign countries...

 

[mayor]

Well by popular use it means you're an US citizen. However technically it means someone from either North and South America. Just as I can be defined as an European.

But I think due to the arrogance of US citizens of calling themselves Americans as if they represent the both continents the term American is no longer applicable to a Canadian or a Brazilian.

I think nowadays a Canadian, American, Mexican etc. can be labeled as North Americans and Brazilians, Argitinians, Colombians can be labeled as South American or Latin American.

 

[strijder20]

Whatever you say, it means : From either of the Americas; the Western Hemisphere.
Although that's not it's common usage, and I encourage you to use the first one to avoid confusion. Although technically, the one you were in discussion with wasn't wrong either.

 

[Ronojoy1917]

Americans are people from the U.S.

Canadians, as an example, are not Americans. Their country is in North America, but it does not make them Americans. Let's take another example: Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is in Asia, but would anyone call Saudis Asians?

Many people would definitely call Saudis Asians. As they should, because anyone from Asia should be called Asian.

American is the term that will have to be used for U.S. citizen until a better adjective becomes popular. Like 'United Statsers'.

 

[onedreamer]

none of the three in an absolute way. It obviously depends on the context, like many other words and adjectives you will find in a vocabulary. Btw, the button "other" or "none of the above" is missing.

 

[onedreamer]

I have only ever heard it used as the first.

I doubt it. Or did you always speak of american indians as people of the USA?

 

[Skwink]

-delete-

 

[warpus]

Or perhaps more appropriately, what does American mean?

It depends on where you're from.

To U.S. Americans and Canadians it means "from the U.S."

To people south of your border it means "from the continent of America"

And if you're from Iran it means "Great Satan"

 

[NedimNapoleon]

I really dont know, I'm a Connecticuter.

 

[Smellincoffee]

American makes me think of either a citizen of the USA, or a member of any first peoples tribe. My definition isn't sure what to make of Mexicans.

 

[timtofly]

It means to being too fat and lazy to do the jobs that other types of Americans will do.

That is being un-american and involves foreign interest as the labor pool. Any one who comes and puts in a hard days labor is AMERICAN more than one who takes advantage of cheap labor to make them selves fat and lazy.

 

[GenMarshall]

American = United States.

Kind of a no brainer here.

 

[warpus]

American = United States.

Kind of a no brainer here.

Like I said earlier, the world has different meanings in different parts of the world.

To you American means U.S. citizen, to a Brazilian it means something else.

There is no "right" answer here.

 

[Silurian]

Latin America = Miami

 

[Tahuti]

When I use the word American, I use it to describe US citizens, not all people from the Americas. I've never seen any use for one term to describe Canucks, US citizens and Latin Americans in the same lump anyway.

 

[cardgame]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Meh.

When I first saw this thread's title, I wanted to say "it means that you are a citizen of the best, most kick-ass country in the world". But the actual thread question was much lamer. Obviously I do not approve of labeling anybody outside the context of the USA "American", at least in English.

Feel free to start the more exciting thread

 

[Murky]

Or perhaps more appropriately, what does American mean?

It is just another name for a citizen of the United States of America.

 

[Arwon]

I'd like to hear from some more non-monolingual-Anglophones.