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"America" is the only word in "the United States of America" that is sufficiently unique to identify which country you're talking about. Mexico is "the United M
by blakeyrat 10y ago
"America" is the only word in "the United States of America" that is sufficiently unique to identify which country you're talking about. Mexico is "the United Mexican States", so there's a large overlap. Canada's just Canada.
So being pedantically technically-correct, people saying "the United States" or just "the States" are using a name that could be confused for Mexico in theory in some place or time.
- dragonwriter 10y ago> So being pedantically technically-correct, people saying "the United States" or just "the States" are using a name that could be confused for Mexico in theory in some place or time. In theory, but not in practice. I mean, even in los Estados Unidos Mexicanos [0], the phrase Estados Unidos without qualification invariably and without confusion refers to the USA, and the things and people belonging to their northern neighbor are described with the adjective "estadounidense". [0] Which, AFAIK, no one ever actually refers to as such in conversation, and there have even been recent proposals to change the official name to simply México.
- blakeyrat 10y ago> In theory, but not in practice. Yes, thank you, that was the joke. Apparently far too subtle.