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America
Function: geographical name
1 either continent (North America or S.South America) of the western hemisphere
2or the Americas
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
You can keep saying that America doesn't exist as an English geographical name, continent, pieces of land floating on the sea or whateveer, but it's not like you've got much of a leg to stand on, innit?
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From dictionary.com
and you left out the third deffinition on yours, shameful editing for your own purposes.
1. United States.
2. North America.
3. South America.
4. Also called the Americas. North and South America, considered together.
You see, we can all find information, to match our arguments
but then I remembered something that was important. That this argument wasn't.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-ojg9UjMk0&feature=related
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Unfortunately this "Statian" troll has been a pox on here for a few years now, always beating the drum for this silly word that no one but him uses.
Look, Statian Troll...if you want to use the word "Statian" to refer to Americans, be my guest. After all, you're the one that will be on the receiving end of the funny looks and "huh?"s.
Take it from us -- the native speakers: the word (1) sounds silly; (2) isn't used by *anyone* but you; (3) stands no chance of entering into popular use.
The original topic of this thread is actually interesting. This "Statian" crap is pure nonsense plain and simple. Can we try and gear the conversation to be more in line with the OP's intent?
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"and you left out the third deffinition on yours, shameful editing for your own purposes."
My only point was that, when talking in English, a Mexican is an American, and that's what I provided incontrovertible evidence for. Not being my point demonstrating that a US citizen is not an American -- Are we mad? -- I've kept silent on that.
So, as long as people keep saying things like "I am American, you are Hispanic", I claim the right to call those rednecks whatever thing I like.
Next question.
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If you're from Mexico, you're a Mexican; if you're from Cuba, you're Cuban, if you're from the United States of America, you're American. It's not complicated.
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He is trying to make language fit into a logical paradigm, which it doesn't. "Well, Mexico is on the American continent; therefore, Mexicans are 'Americans.'"
Language doesn't work that way. That is like trying to come up with some sort of logic as to why a hot dog is called a hot dog. "Well, it's not a dog; it's a type of sausage....this doesn't make any sense..."
Give it up. Case closed.
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Spanish has the same thing so until Spanish starts using "norteamericanos de los EEUU" English won't adopt "Statian".
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"He is trying to make language fit into a logical paradigm, which it doesn't. "Well, Mexico is on the American continent; therefore, Mexicans are 'Americans.'"
Language doesn't work that way. That is like trying to come up with some sort of logic as to why a hot dog is called a hot dog. "Well, it's not a dog; it's a type of sausage....this doesn't make any sense..."
You must be abnormal, the words America and American appear in may English dictionaries in a sense that is connected with the Americas, and for very good reasons. This whole phenomenon receive a name that it's gonna surprise you a lot. It's called polysemy and it's about identical words meaning different things in different contexts. That's exactly how languages work, and that's why most Hispanics talking in Spanish have no trouble in saying American of people from the US. Not only Spaniards, many Latin Americans do it, because the alternative words are perceived as PC or non-colloquial, and because American is jut plain and correct Spansih. They are Americans themselves who tend to avoid that word in Spanish, probably after having had some kind of run-in with some Hispanic idiot, yeah, exactly the Spanish version of you.
So just stop insulting your language, learn it a bit, and the next time you hear an Argentinian refer to themselves as an American, just because he wasn't in the mood for avoiding the word that day, please don't make such a fuss of it. If you don't understand what did he mean with American, just ask. That's the way languages work.
Alternatively, you can just write to the people running the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the WordReference dictionary and all the others, and tell them how wrong they are and how little they kow about the way the Engish language work.
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What the hell are you talking about? We're talking about the English language. If you're speaking to someone in Spanish, follow the conventions in Spanish - American can mean someone from Argentina. When you're speaking in English, you follow the conventions in English - an American is only someone from the United States.
That is how language works. Deviate from it and people will look at you like you're crazy, and rightfully so.
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"What the hell are you talking about? We're talking about the English language. If you're speaking to someone in Spanish, follow the conventions in Spanish - American can mean someone from Argentina. When you're speaking in English, you follow the conventions in English - an American is only someone from the United States.
That is how language works. Deviate from it and people will look at you like you're crazy, and rightfully so."
http://www.wordreference.com/definition/American
Only in case you can read.
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Yes, Wordreference.com, there's a reliable source. Next you'll cite Meriam Webster, a children's dictionary.
Unlike French, the only set standard the English language has is how people who speak English use it. That's why English is a more fluid, and more debatable, language. In our debate here, you are 100% wrong.
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Yup, what I see from those sites is, an American is a person from the United States. Thanks for confirming that... it's how people in English use the word. You can't argue with an entire culture that the way they do something is wrong.
What's your next project, fighting with the French because they use too many silent letters?
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