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submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by valveman@lemmy.eco.br to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world

Well, everybody born in the american continent is technically "american" too, including Central and South America. Is there a specific term in english for these people?

Edit: Thanks for all your answers, especially the wholesome ones and those patient enough to explain it thoroughly. Since we (South Americans) and you (North Americans) use different models/conventions of continent boundaries, it makes sense for you to go by "Americans", while it doesn't for us.

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[-] JonEFive@midwest.social 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

While technically correct, I've never heard a Brazilian refer to themselves as "American" when they intended to mean South American. Linguistically, when you say "American" you're talking about a citizen of the United States, not just any person from the western hemisphere. And if you're talking about a specific continent (North America, Central America, South America) you're going to be specific about it. A Brazilian would say "I'm South American" when referring to their continent.

[-] Phen@lemmy.eco.br 5 points 1 year ago

Brazil considers the Americas to be a single continent, with south/north being subdivisions. A lot of people here don't understand that usa's actual name is America just like the continent, so they often get mad when the word American is used to refer to people from the USA instead of from anywhere in the americas.

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[-] Kase@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Idk about everybody else, but you can call me Michael (or kase, obv) :)

[-] Socsa@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 year ago
[-] zazaserty@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 year ago

In spanish its estadounidense

[-] mojo@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

Main protagonist

[-] weew@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 year ago
[-] EsteemedRectangle@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 1 year ago

Murican. Defenders of Freedom. Liberators of Liberty. Hot Dogs. Butch.

[-] sqw@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 year ago
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[-] VinesNFluff@pawb.social 6 points 1 year ago

Stinky Gringo

[-] HardlightCereal@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago
[-] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

♪Booooooorn in the US-A!♪

and you have to sing it in tune to use this term correctly.

To answer your question seriously: As a Canadian, I'd say "...from the States" to describe an American.

Bonus: "our Southern neighbours" is the polite term I use when something stupid happens in the US and I'm hoping and praying Canada can ward off that part of culture making its way here.

[-] OriginalUsername@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

"someone born in the US"

[-] KidnappedByKitties@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

Simple, USAmerican

[-] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

In Arabic there's multiple possibilities depending on the speaker, but my favorite is "Amrikani"

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[-] Blastasaurus@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

First off, there is also a North America.

Second, those of us in North and South America refer to ourselves as such. Canadians are North Americans, not Americans.

Third, Americans are usually referred to as Yankees or Yanks outside of America, much like the English are referred to as Poms and the Canadians referred to as Canucks.

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this post was submitted on 15 Oct 2023
188 points (87.0% liked)

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