What you're taught isn't always correct.
How do you judge an accent as pretentious?
Sure, but the number of continents is something rather conventional isn't it? There is no place for correctness here.
In many places in Europe, America is considered to be a continent, always has been that way since Columbus got there in 1492. So the notion that there isn't such a thing America and there are instead two different continents sounds rather silly. Even the names are silly, North and South America, if they are different, why have they the same name? Wasn't there more names available in the English language? it's sound like it was a split from the cool war.
We do talk about North and South America, but always as subdivisons of a same continet, never different continents.
In many places in Europe, America is considered to be a continent, always has been that way since Columbus got there in 1492. So the notion that there isn't such a thing America and there are instead two different continents sounds rather silly. Even the names are silly, North and South America, if they are different, why have they the same name? Wasn't there more names available in the English language? it's sound like it was a split from the cool war.
We do talk about North and South America, but always as subdivisons of a same continet, never different continents.
"We do talk about North and South America, but always as subdivisons of a same continet, never different continents."
Then the education system in your country needs to be fixed, are North and South America ARE two *separate* tectonic plates, ergo two *separate* continents. Go learn some geography.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Plates_tect2_en.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics
Then the education system in your country needs to be fixed, are North and South America ARE two *separate* tectonic plates, ergo two *separate* continents. Go learn some geography.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Plates_tect2_en.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics
What makes a continent is something conventional: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent#Number_of_continents I'm sure you know that if you're so into geography. Otherwise Europe wouldn't be considered a continentd, would it? So, all the people who talk about Europe being a continent should take geography classes?
There are 7 continents. Get over it. If you won't accept North and South America as two different continents, then you should not call Europe one either.
"all the people who talk about Europe being a continent should take geography classes?"
No, people who *don't* consider Europe a continent should be the ones who should take classes. Europe and Asia are divided by the Ural Mountains whether people want to believe it or not.
The seven continents are:
Africa
Antarctica
Asia
Australia
Europe
North America
South America
"all the people who talk about Europe being a continent should take geography classes?"
No, people who *don't* consider Europe a continent should be the ones who should take classes. Europe and Asia are divided by the Ural Mountains whether people want to believe it or not.
The seven continents are:
Africa
Antarctica
Asia
Australia
Europe
North America
South America
Honestly, though, the division between Europe and Asia is more a cultural thing than a geographic or geological thing; one should really speak of six continents, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Eurasia, North America, and South America. (North America and South America are only very weakly connected, and were completely separate landmasses in the past; the same applies also to Africa and Eurasia, with the Arabian peninsula historically having actually been attached to Africa not the rest of Eurasia.)
Either way, America is not a proper name for a country, that's all. Let's face it, Bits and Americans have achieved a lot, but they are not very good at choosing names for countries, are they?
I have to recognise that in the case of the UK, well, it's a tricky thing, but for fuck's sake, you Americans have had 200 years to think of a normal name for your nation.
I have to recognise that in the case of the UK, well, it's a tricky thing, but for fuck's sake, you Americans have had 200 years to think of a normal name for your nation.
<<<<Many Canadians use the term: US Americans.>>>>
<<No, they don't.>>
They really don't, then? I had taken it as a truth, although it seemed rather redundant...
<<No, they don't.>>
They really don't, then? I had taken it as a truth, although it seemed rather redundant...
At the signing of the US Decl. of Independence someone actually argued that "United States of America" was not a good name for a country (in the musical '1776' the custodian suggests this) but, at the time of the signing of the DoI, the US was actually a confederation similar to the EU, so it's similar to arguing the "European Union" is not a good name for a country.
The only people who do this whole "Statian" "US American" crap are uber-PC fruitcakes who are late to the pity party known as the 1990s. Usually it comes from a) nutcases from Canada who shouldn't be taken as representative of their respective country and b) nutcases from South America who make their points on English usage in the most garbled English possible.
Hate to break it to you weirdos, but an American = from the United States. End of story.
Hate to break it to you weirdos, but an American = from the United States. End of story.
I judge a pretentious accent when the speaker of the accent is pretentious when he/she is speaking in a pretentious accent.
***it's similar to arguing the "European Union" is not a good name for a country***
That's an interesting point. Once most European countries have merged together under the European union flag (except perhaps wee little Switzerland, ever the loner, ever the tiny island of neutrality surrouned by the EU mammoth, I wonder if the time will come when we will all have to think up a name appropriate for the world's youngest "Nation"? All I can think of right now is Europa - at least it's a little less boring than Europe, and in any case, Europe would not be approrpiate anyway, as Europe also includes loners like Switzerland - or maybe Norway, too, if they persist in remaining aloof and out in the cold - literally - Norway isn't quite the warmest place to be in January....even worse than Scotland. ;-)
Soon there will be no more space left on the flag for all those little yellow dots all in a circle o the EU flag, will there? I daresay the Eurocrats will solve that problem, much like the Americans did when they kept adjusting their flag as more and more newly formed States joined the American Union.
That's an interesting point. Once most European countries have merged together under the European union flag (except perhaps wee little Switzerland, ever the loner, ever the tiny island of neutrality surrouned by the EU mammoth, I wonder if the time will come when we will all have to think up a name appropriate for the world's youngest "Nation"? All I can think of right now is Europa - at least it's a little less boring than Europe, and in any case, Europe would not be approrpiate anyway, as Europe also includes loners like Switzerland - or maybe Norway, too, if they persist in remaining aloof and out in the cold - literally - Norway isn't quite the warmest place to be in January....even worse than Scotland. ;-)
Soon there will be no more space left on the flag for all those little yellow dots all in a circle o the EU flag, will there? I daresay the Eurocrats will solve that problem, much like the Americans did when they kept adjusting their flag as more and more newly formed States joined the American Union.
And we will have the PC people distinguishing between "EU Europeans/EUans" and "Swiss/Norweigan Europeans"