Is it acceptable to say "America" when you mean the USA?

No one will arrest you if you use the term, but I personally think it should only be used when you are actually in the US.

If you are in Mexico or Brazil or Argentina or Canada (or any other country of the Americas or outside) you should use the term the USA or simply the US.

What do you think?

2010-07-16T10:33:45Z

Law Man: It may be insulting or not, but it's not correct. America(s) is the entire continent, not one country.

2010-07-16T10:41:52Z

Susan Texas: You mean well, I am sure, but who is talking about the term "American"? I said "America."

2010-07-16T10:46:22Z

Susan Texas (2): Not at all. When someone says "American" it's perfectly clear what is meant. There is no other adjective when you refer to people from the U.S. However, when you're talking about the country "America" is not the only option.

alberto2010-07-19T20:39:08Z

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Not of course. America is the name of a continent, not a country and there's no difference betweeen America and Americas.

The name of the country is The Unietd States of America, not The America of United States. This means that some states in a continent called America are united to form a nation - The United States in a continent called America.

I really don't know why only people from USA assumes that AMERICA is the name of their country sibce every person from any part of the World call the entire continent America. America never an official name gave to USA. First place to be called America was Dominican Republic.

Who said insult? This has not to do with insult. This is just uncorrect.

Everybody is invited to visit my channel about Brazil:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AllAboutBrazil#g/p

Anonymous2010-07-16T17:40:10Z

Yes. Technically, people in Canada, South America and Mexico could also call themselves Americans, but they don't. They refer to themselves by the country, providence or territory in which they live. People in Mexico called themselves Mexicans.

If someone calls himself an American everyone know he lives in the United States of America. Some people just say that they are from The States while traveling in Europe.


Add: same difference.

Anonymous2010-07-16T17:59:33Z

I live since 17 years in Buenos Aires - Spanish has become my language -
Yes, I learned the proper way to call the USA, the people and the continent -
In Spanish, it is easy to differenciate the two -

With the English language it is difficult as no appropriate name is coined -
The meaning of América and americano is undertood and never confused -
At least here in Argentina, and in Brazil -

When we say "Norte Americano", we mean Canada + USA -
We often say "Yanqui" - is a nickname - NOT an insult -
And it is not the translation of Yankee, although it sounds the same -

We could say "Yanqui" about someone from Tennessee or Alabama -
But they think we confuse them as "Northerners" ! It is not the case -
Call us "Argies" or even "Gauchos"... we do not mind

Anonymous2010-07-16T17:44:15Z

Nope. America is just fine. You call La República Federativa do Brasil , Brazil and Canada, Canada. In the case of Los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, we call it Mexico and them Mexicans. See how that works? So yeah, you call America, America. To debate this point is silly. And if anyone is insulted by this reality or convention, they are thin skinned, ignorant butt wipes.

jeeper_peeper3212010-07-16T17:42:15Z

Because there is a difference between america and americas

Americas refers to north, central and south america.

North America, has two countries: america and canada

Your confused because the word america, is used in different context, but it doesn't have the same meaning in those different context.

The united states, is called america, because that's what the land that is now the US, was called in the 1500's

Go look at old maps, america was specifically referring to what is now the US, on those old maps.

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