Difference between revisions of "American"
Daverichards (Talk | contribs) (You do not need to refer to leftists in every article.) |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
The term '''American''' in common parlance around the world, means "resident of the United States", or "pertaining to the [[United States]]." Thus: American citizen, American history, American foreign policy. | The term '''American''' in common parlance around the world, means "resident of the United States", or "pertaining to the [[United States]]." Thus: American citizen, American history, American foreign policy. | ||
| − | + | Some claim that all the residents of North and South America are technically "Americans" however people outside the United States almost never call themselves "Americans", and almost always limit the term to the U.S. The people of Canada, for example, almost never call themselves "Americans." | |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
The term "North America" usually refers only to the U.S. and Canada, but sometimes Mexico is included, as in the "North American Free Trade Agreement" (NAFTA). | The term "North America" usually refers only to the U.S. and Canada, but sometimes Mexico is included, as in the "North American Free Trade Agreement" (NAFTA). | ||
Revision as of 03:45, August 12, 2012
The term American in common parlance around the world, means "resident of the United States", or "pertaining to the United States." Thus: American citizen, American history, American foreign policy.
Some claim that all the residents of North and South America are technically "Americans" however people outside the United States almost never call themselves "Americans", and almost always limit the term to the U.S. The people of Canada, for example, almost never call themselves "Americans."
The term "North America" usually refers only to the U.S. and Canada, but sometimes Mexico is included, as in the "North American Free Trade Agreement" (NAFTA).
In Spain, the Spanish term "Americano" means someone who lived in Spanish Latin America and has now returned to Spain.
The term "Latin America" (and "Latin American") was invented by the French in the 1860s as part of their goal of controlling Mexico. The term has caught on and usually means the resident of any Spanish-speaking or Portuguese speaking country south of the U.S.
Further reading
- Villafañe G. Santo, . Luís Cláudio. "American, United Statian, Usamerican, or Gringo?" AmeriQuests (2005) 2#1 online edition
