Subject:
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National nouns (was:Americans, North Americans, Americasians)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.fun
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Date:
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Wed, 29 May 2002 23:34:43 GMT
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Viewed:
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862 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Bruce Schlickbernd writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler writes:
> > In lugnet.off-topic.debate, David Koudys writes:
> >
> > > I don't like Bush (I don't have to--I'm not American). That said, I'll give
> > > him the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise, though
> >
> > I'm American(1), and I don't like him either, but I'll likewise give him
> > the benefit.
>
> (ka-snip of worthy observations regarding Bush, Enron, the Conservative
> Media, etc.).
>
> >
> > Dave!
> >
> > (1) I know, I know--everyone likes to say "You're not American; you're
> > *United Statesian*" Nuts to that--through college and business and travel
> > I've had occasion to know several dozen non-US citizens, *all* of whom
> > without exception referred to citizens of the United States as "Americans."
> > That's not a huge sampling, I grant you, but it's enough to convince me that
> > it's okay to call myself American.
>
> United Statesian is so confusing to those of us who live so close to the
> border of the United States of Mexico. Which United Statesian are they
> refering to? I suppose one could call us United Statesian and them Estados
> Unidasian, but that seems a worse fracture of the language than "Statesian"
> is.
(Note: there are other nations with "United States" on their name: Brazil is
oficcially "Federative Republic of the United States of Brazil". Obviously,
they call themselves brazilians)
> Besides, Mexicans (see how that gets rounded off? Note how it works
> the same for the USA) aren't Americans. Pause while the shrieking dies down...
>
> They are North Americans, continentally speaking; Central Americans,
> situationally speaking; or Americasians, globally speaking if you wish to
> speak of the "New World" i.e. the linked continents of North and South
> America: i.e. the Americas (plural, thus Americasian). Yes, Canadians are
> Americasians, or North Americans, not Americans.
I dispute the term - isn't there a single America (i.e., plural of America
being the same word as the singular)?
> Bruce
> None of the above, I'm 'Merican ;-)
>
>
> Jusssssssssst teasing!
Well, I know. But come to think of it, you are not alone. Other nations have
the misfortune of not having a proper noun to designate its inhabitants:
take Central African Republic, for instance; what do you call a national of
*that* state? Central-African-Republican?
:-P
Pedro
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