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>America is a continent, But it's not. North America and South America are just as separate as Africa and Eurasia. >sticking to definitions that are internati
by SerLava 8y ago
>America is a continent,
But it's not. North America and South America are just as separate as Africa and Eurasia.
>sticking to definitions that are internationally agreed upon.
"American" is used as the demonym pretty much everywhere in the world other than Central America and South America. So that advice is backwards.
And try to empathize by imaging that you can't call yourself a demonym, and you have to either go by a bizarre acronym like "RAian" for the Republic of Argentina, or when someone says "I'm French, what about you?" you have to say "Well, I am living in the Republic of Argentina"
Then turn around and direct this at Australians. They apparently have no right to their demonym either, because New Guinea is part of the continent. And in their case, it's actually part of the continent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_(continent) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_(continent)
Papua New Guineans and Indonesian Papuans already have their own names for themselves, but what if they also want to say they're Australian? Let's have everyone switch from "Australian" to "CAian" for the Commonwealth of Australia.
San Marino is literally on the Italian Peninsula, so "italiano" is off completely. They need to start going by "RIano" or something.
And how many countries are in the South of Africa?
- badosu 8y ago> But it's not. North America and South America are just as separate as Africa and Eurasia. Could you clarify that? I understood that as both cases are separated by a channel (Panama vs Suez), or did you have another meaning?
- jhoward321 8y agoWell in both cases North/South America and Africa/Eurasia are on different tectonic plates.
- badosu 8y agoGotcha, thanks!
- ASalazarMX 8y ago> "American" is used as the demonym pretty much everywhere in the world other than Central America and South America. Solely by misappropriation. America was world-wide known as a continent before England sent their colonizers. Somehow migrating to America was misappropriated as meaning "migrating to the English colonies in America". Somehow the United States of America became the only America. I have the theory that if their name had been less generic, say United States of New England, The word America would have retained its original meaning.
- pzone 8y agoOf course the only reason we use the term "American" is because of the USA! It's a natural term for residents of the USA, and has become ingrained in English by virtue of America being the largest English speaking country for nearly 200 years. Do non-English speakers have a problem with this? In Spanish the term for USA is "Estados Unidos" which isn't problematic at all.
- ASalazarMX 8y agoIt has nothing to do with language, it's about regional identity. Imagine if the French told Europe that France is now Europe, and what was Europe will now be called the Europes. It wouldn't matter if they say it in French or German.