3 ms·

The continent is North America. If you want North and South America, Americas is fine, but must be plural. You're being simultaneously pedantic and wrong.

allendoerfer 12y ago
Alright, lets do this. Wiki says you are pedantic and wrong while I am only pedantic. > The Americas, or America, also known as the New World, are the combined continental landmasses of North America and South America … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas I love how strong you all feel about this. Just relax. I am from Deutschland, but most people on the world call it either by a too general term Germania - and nobody in Denmark, Austria or the Netherlands is offended - or the too specific term Allemannia - and nobody in Switzerland is offended. In English you even use your own names for German cities (Cologne, Munich etc.) and the people there do not give a crap.
- thedufer 12y ago
  Wikipedia is a great resource in general, but it fails in places. For example, none of the 3 sources cited for that usage of America agree with that. One points out that America (singular) can mean any of N America, S America, or the USA (but not both N and S America). The second doesn't refer to America singular at all, instead clarifying usage of "American". The third gives us some historical context - America was used to mean N + S America, but only prior to the 18th century. I will admit that if you are from the 17th century, your confusion is reasonable, but I question how you found HN. More importantly, at least 95% of the English-speaking world disagrees with you, and that's the real test of language and definitions. I'm curious - in what way is Germany not an appropriate name? My understanding is that it's a translation of Deutschland, and considered an exact synonym. I'll admit that hundreds of years ago Germany or Germania meant something different from modern-day Deutschland, but I fail to see how that's relevant.
  - allendoerfer 12y ago
    Germany is the biggest Germanic country (population-wise) but the Dutch and others are Germanians, too. Much like the US is the biggest American country, but Canadians are Americans, too. It would be weird to use the word "Germane" in German for Germans, because we would picture some wild guys fighting Romans. For the same reason, you do not call the French Gallian or the Italian Roman. I indeed said "American" and at least cited some sort of source instead of claiming that you are "95%" wrong, but lets keep it with this. I mentioned the German-story anecdotally. Nobody really cares. Names are just words, you can just relax, when its clear, what the word was intended to say. I promise to add a "North" the next time and hope, that I will not get chased by angry Mexicans.

allendoerfer 12y ago

Alright, lets do this. Wiki says you are pedantic and wrong while I am only pedantic. > The Americas, or America, also known as the New World, are the combined continental landmasses of North America and South America … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas I love how strong you all feel about this. Just relax. I am from Deutschland, but most people on the world call it either by a too general term Germania - and nobody in Denmark, Austria or the Netherlands is offended - or the too specific term Allemannia - and nobody in Switzerland is offended. In English you even use your own names for German cities (Cologne, Munich etc.) and the people there do not give a crap.

thedufer 12y ago
Wikipedia is a great resource in general, but it fails in places. For example, none of the 3 sources cited for that usage of America agree with that. One points out that America (singular) can mean any of N America, S America, or the USA (but not both N and S America). The second doesn't refer to America singular at all, instead clarifying usage of "American". The third gives us some historical context - America was used to mean N + S America, but only prior to the 18th century. I will admit that if you are from the 17th century, your confusion is reasonable, but I question how you found HN. More importantly, at least 95% of the English-speaking world disagrees with you, and that's the real test of language and definitions. I'm curious - in what way is Germany not an appropriate name? My understanding is that it's a translation of Deutschland, and considered an exact synonym. I'll admit that hundreds of years ago Germany or Germania meant something different from modern-day Deutschland, but I fail to see how that's relevant.
- allendoerfer 12y ago
  Germany is the biggest Germanic country (population-wise) but the Dutch and others are Germanians, too. Much like the US is the biggest American country, but Canadians are Americans, too. It would be weird to use the word "Germane" in German for Germans, because we would picture some wild guys fighting Romans. For the same reason, you do not call the French Gallian or the Italian Roman. I indeed said "American" and at least cited some sort of source instead of claiming that you are "95%" wrong, but lets keep it with this. I mentioned the German-story anecdotally. Nobody really cares. Names are just words, you can just relax, when its clear, what the word was intended to say. I promise to add a "North" the next time and hope, that I will not get chased by angry Mexicans.