This is merely a question of linguistics, but aren't Americans from North and South America? If so (and they are), why are Mexicans, Canadians, Argentians, and Brazilians to name a few not called Americans? The counrty I live in is the United States of America. This is a rather unimportant question overall but got me thinking from Lanni's post on "What is American?"

The problem is that there isn't a convenient adjective for "of the United States of America" or a convenient noun for "citizen of the United States of America," and so we use the word "American," even though that should strictly relate to the whole of North, Central and South America.

In English the word "American" seems to have been originally used of native Americans throughout the continent. The earliest quotation in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1578 ("The Americans which dwell under the equinoctial line.") The British settlers in North America naturally regarded themselves as English or British. When relations between Great Britain and its colonies started to get strained, we find "American" being used in Britain and North America for the colonists, who soon became citizens of a new republic.

According to Bill Bryson ("Made in America"), the problem was recognized from the beginning in the States, but nobody could find a solution. I suppose we can use "United States", abbreviated to "US" as an adjective, but somehow this only seems appropriate in certain cases. "The US forces in Europe" sounds OK, but I don't think we'd naturally say "He's bought a US car." And "she's a US citizen" sounds rather legalistic compared with "she's an American."

In practice, American mainlanders from Mexico southwards (except perhaps for the Guyana area) are "Latin Americans", Canadians are Canadians, and that leaves "Americans" for the people of the USA. We don't seem to feel the need of a term for "relating to the whole continent of America," possibly because we don't see it as an entity except in a geographical sense.

Wow Tom! Thank you for that informative answer! I had figured on my own most of that (no easy way to say "United Statesan") so we just adapted "American". I did not know about the history though. Thanks for the response!
Mike

I just think every other country scrambled for another name when they tried to lump us all in together.

Qwiz

There is something that bothers me. I do not like how people still refer to Native Americans as "Indians." Columbus thought he was in India the first time he landed in North America. That is his own mistake so why are some people still using that word for the TRUE americans?

(great historical info in the above post btw!)

Some consider calling Native Americans 'Indians' politically incorrect: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~djkaiser/125/pc.html

I don't care the least bit about political correctness, and I'll leave it at that.

{Edit} I do however, wish that people understood that 'Indians' are from India!

Thats cool.

Just something that has always bugged me.

"American" is short for "United States of America", just as "Mexican" is short for the "United States of Mexico". It's a nickname, not intended to represent any place with "America" in the name.

This problem of not having a convenient adjective for "The United States of America" doesn't appear in the Spanish language. In Spanish the term "estadounidenses" is used for the citizens of the USA, and that is the correct one to use. One will never find in a Spanish language newspaper or magazine the word "American", but you will always see "estadounidense" or "norteamericano", when refering to someone from the US. This is because in the Spanish language the "American" term means everyone who is from the American continent, so if one says just "American", it might be confusing because it is not being determined what country the person is from.

I think it is a little bit weird for Latin-American people to think we're not also "Americans". They always tell you that besides of being Latin-American, and in my case, South-American, you are also American, since you are in the American Continent. Just like people who are in Europe are Europeans.

Perhaps "Americans" from USA could be called "Statesiders",
or if this is offensive to those from the former Confederate states Dixie-Americans or Yankee-Americans. Better still
if you tell us your name we'll call you that. Regards, Tin

This may a bit off the track, but it was brought up here. To all of those who argue about “native Americans”, “native American Indians” or in fact Amerindians, has anybody thought to ask these people themselves. I think you’ll find that prior to European invasion and the imposition of being named as one group, these people considered themselves to be a large group of quite separate nations. To lump them all together as one people is, in my opinion, quite offensive.

Spot on, Eraserhead.

And in that vein, I much prefer the designation "Seppo", which is certainly picturesque and evocative and with a mere two syllables distinguishes me and mine from the rather polite agglomeration of statists who live to my north, as well as from the people to our south from whom we stole much of what now constitutes the southwestern US.

"Yankee" has odd origins and connotations and in my view is just insufficiently descriptive. Bette Davis and Endicott Peabody were "Yankees"; I am a Seppo and darned proud of it.

Coolupway, I was going to suggest Seppo (tongue firmly in my cheek), but thought it may offend some of your northern neighbours. Here’s cheers to you.