What should residents of the USA be called?

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Not sure this belongs in AoLS but it may have political overtones.

In another thread the use of American to describe residents of the United States of America.

I agree that it is a misuse of term American but can't think of a replacement.

Yankee has connotations to some people here that are unpleasant even after almost a century and a half. I do not like being called a Yankee and certainly don't consider my self one.

Any ideas, thoughts, comments?

 

We'd call you Yanks, but I'm aware that is just as inaccurate.

 

Wouldn't it technically be "United States of Americans"? Generally the entire title of the nation state is used to identify an inhabitant of a nation (unless the nation state has another title associated with it like Britain/Great Britain for the UK). Unfortunately the entire of the nation state of the United States of America would be overly tedious and excessive to use.

 

Which is why it's typically truncated to "Americans". Then again, we could just call ourselves "Uniters", like Bush does.

 

"Uniters" ? That in my opinion would be even less appropriate, at least right now.

 

For me (the general first definition in MW online), Yankee indicates someone from New England, not the whole of US.

Speaking from a tangent perspective, I would be called a 'resident Canadian' when my permanent residence status is finalized. 'Resident American' should work just as well.

 

I have no idea why the word American wouldn't be appropriate.

If it makes you feel better, I guess you can always use "residents of the United States of America".

 

My point in the other thread was that everyone else in the world calls us "Americans." Who started that label I don't know but go to Europe, go to Asia, go to South America and when someone says "ah, those bloody Americans" you know exactly who they are referring to.

I'm an American living abroad and while I tell people I am from "USA" they are the ones who say "oh, America, huh? You're an American?"

Furthermore, the term "American" has so many negative connotations in the world that I don't know a single Mexican or Canadian who would ever want to be called an "American." "Who me? American! Hell no!! I'm Canadian!"

Ultimately, it's just a short, simple label that is easy to say. No one calls them selves a "New Zealander" do they? Kiwi, if you please and Aussie for their neighbors.

 

Just call us a**holes. Most of the world already calls us that anyway.

 

Excuse me DR, I am offended by that. No, I'm not American, I'm an @$$hole...

 

I call myself a New Zealander. A Kiwi is either a bird or a rugby league player so the term is actually a bit more confusing when used around here, and is probably used more by people referring to us.

But there are actually plenty of other countries where the name of the inhabitant is tricky.

What do you call someone from France? A Frenchperson? Or the Netherlands? A Netherlander?

 

Up until WW II people from other countries called us Yanks or Yankees. I have no idea why that changed. I do know that the term "American" was used in the USA. I have a vivid memory of ancient times when I was 18 yrs old. I was visiting a Mexican relative and referred to myself as American. She politely but firmly told me that was incorrect and resented by Mexicans since they were just as much "American" as a gringo(a).

Times have changed and so have terms.

 

The term 'Americano' seems to be catching on in Belfast.

 

I'll settle for "Master"

Seriously, the entire world already calls us Americans. That is what we are. To the best of my knowledge there isn't another nation in North or South America that uses it.

 

@The Great Snook, I think your statement is a wee bit illogical; if French folk, for instance, decided to call themselves European I don't think the other countries would like it.

The USA is one of many American countries and anyone living in those countries is an American. The fact that Europeans, Asians and Africans refer to residents of the USA as American doesn't change that fact.

I think the main reason we are called American is because of our rather generic name; United States of American.

 

When I was living in the US years ago, people used to call themselves 'Italian', 'Irish', 'Polish' etc to each other, but outside of the US they refer to themselves as 'American'.

 

I don't think logic has anything to do with it. The point is that the French don't call themselves that and I'm not aware of any other nation that has staked a claim to the term "American".

 

Right. There's no system for why you are called what you are called. Someone from France is French, which seems reasonable, but I have no idea why someone from the Netherlands is Dutch.

Which is why there isn't much confusion. If someone refers to themselves as American, you would assume they were from the US. Sure, technically anyone from either the North or South American continent is an American as well, but Canadians don't call themsleves Americans, and neither do Mexicans, Brazilians, Venezuelans, Bolivians, etc., etc., etc. If we're the only ones who refer to ourselves as Americans, I don't see why it's confusing.

 

It's confusing because in latinamerica the word "american" means born in the American continent, not only in the US. This has been said, but not from our (mine) perspective of a spanish speaking person. When you people say you're "american" we hear "I was born in America" which isn't very precise. I mean, in spanish I've never heard anyone say "he's american". It's either "he's north-american" or "he's yankee". Perhaps other people from another spanish-speaking country could clarify what I'm trying to say.
It's clear in english, but in spanish we use a different term, just to remember them we're americans as well.

 

Well, that's easy. In the lands that are nether, many languages are spoken but mainly dutch. Dutch and not alemannic like in Germany.