this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2024
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I don’t identify as a US American.
I identify as an American.
Tap for spoiler
I realize that foreigners, in languages other than English, use terms that directly translate to US American. However our preferred nomenclature is American.When interacting with someone from another country, I identify as an American.
When interacting with a fellow American, I identify as a resident of my state, where I have lived nearly my entire life, excepting times spent out of state & out of country while I was in the military.
When interacting with a fellow resident of my state, I identify as a resident of the major city in whose suburbs I reside.
When interacting with a fellow resident of the metro area, I identify with either the general region of the metro area or the specific municipality in which I actually reside.
I usually use US American as Canadians and Mexicans are also Americans, and that can go all the way to Central and South America depending on how you divide continents
Awkward, stilted, and a little holier-than-thou.
Mexico American - doesn’t make sense
Mexican American - American whose origins lie primarily in Mexico
Canada American - doesn’t make sense
Canadian American - American whose origins lie primarily in Canada
Frankly, I think most Canadians would probably feel insulted if you addressed them as Canada Americans. They don’t want to be tainted by association with us.
Mexicans and Canadians have those demonyms, so no need to worry for them.
I've seen Canadians being okay with being called "North Americans", when discussing something impacting both Canada and the USA, so it seems in this situations it's fine by team. Canada Americans would indeed be strange.
The UK British example is interesting.
Not British, so hopefully I'm not butchering this up.
UK is Great Britain (so Scotland, England, Wales) + Northern Ireland.
UK British in opposition to UK Northern Irish makes limited sense because both demonyms are enough to see who's who (British vs Northern Irish). And if you want to go deeper, you can use Scottish, English, Welsh.
To have a situation similar to America would be to have the English using British to only qualify themselves, disregarding Scottish and Welsh people.
Ah, indeed, it's more clear. In summary, there should be another name than "British Isles" to describe that archipelago. Interestingly enough, it seems like schools books in Ireland indeed do that
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_the_British_Isles#Republic_of_Ireland
So, if we were to use this logic for the USA, there may be another demonym to use? Spanish has “Estadounidense” (https://dle.rae.es/estadounidense), which in English would be something like UnitedStatesian, or USian
Take this with a grain of salt bc small sample size, but I've also heard from South or Latin Americans that simply saying "American" = USA. It's just that rest, I don't know why.
Language might be one reason, and Hollywood and other cultural exports, but also I think people there identify more with like a Global South than as part of the American continent.
So to me it's one of those things that you would think increase welcomingness and inclusivity, but for whatever reason in practice kinda somehow does the opposite (or not opposite, but just has the negative effect of sounding awkward without much of any positive benefit).
But I'd be happy to be proven wrong if that's actually the way it is. If you find out, please let us all know, maybe with a post about it!? :-D
In English, I assume? Because in Spanish, they would usually use "Estadounidense" (https://dle.rae.es/estadounidense)
I did strongly wonder if that is the reason why, but ultimately can only guess or relate from someone who actually knows:-).