Nationality

[EMom]

No offense taken. If someone is offended, they are looking for something to be offended about.

I say Texas, too! So let me ask you this: Is your husband originally from Texas?

Yes, but he's not as hardcore Texan as I am. His family has been here a long time, but mine got here first. Mine was here before the Revolution and an ancestor fought at The Battle of San Jacinto. I think his (on his mother's side) arrived around the same time. His father was an import from up north, however. So he's only half-Texan.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Yes, but he's not as hardcore Texan as I am. His family has been here a long time, but mine got here first. Mine was here before the Revolution and an ancestor fought at The Battle of San Jacinto. I think his (on his mother's side) arrived around the same time. His father was an import from up north, however. So he's only half-Texan.

Oh I see. I asked because my husband isn't originally from Texas and was surprised early on when he got here that people would go overseas and say that they were from Texas and not America or The USA.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

DH laughs when we are abroad and people ask where we are from, because he says we are from the USA/American and I say, "Texas."

Anyone who knows even one Texan will understand

 

[EMom]

Anyone who knows even one Texan will understand

And every single time I say, "Texas," I am met with a positive response and often a lot of questions. People are very friendly when you say you are a Texan. But I've never said it hoping for a good response. It just comes out.

TEXAN!

 

[declansdad]

Really? Does that mean EurAsiaFrica is also one? I'll stick with the longstanding convention understood by most.

No, it does not.

Given' Art's use of the 4 or 5 continent theory, it could.

^ R. W. McColl, ed. (2005, Golson Books Ltd.). 'continents' - Encyclopedia of World Geography, Volume 1. p. 215. ISBN 9780816072293. Retrieved 2012-06-26. "And since Africa and Asia are connected at the Suez Peninsula, Europe, Africa, and Asia are sometimes combined as Afro-Eurasia or Eurafrasia."

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

This was actually something that came up in conversation a lot when I was living in Chile. From what I understand, a lot of people from South America actually do take exception to 'Americans' using this term (with the response that they were Americans too...). As a result, a lot of expats would just say "I'm from the US" instead of "I am American".

Personally, I think it's pretty well understood that being American means that your from the United States of AMERICA, but there always seem to be people who will get their panties in a knot over something!

 

[minkydog]

DH laughs when we are abroad and people ask where we are from, because he says we are from the USA/American and I say, "Texas."

And every single time I say, "Texas," I am met with a positive response and often a lot of questions. People are very friendly when you say you are a Texan. But I've never said it hoping for a good response. It just comes out.

TEXAN!

We were in England a few years ago and just about everywhere we went people asked us if we were from Texas! I guess it's our southern accent *which is NOTHING like a Texas accent!* but I reckon they couldn't tell the difference. We explained that we were from Georgia, on the east coast--blank looks. So we started saying we were from Atlanta, where the 1996 Olympics were held--THAT they understood.

The funniest encounter was in a restaurant in Bath. Our waitress had lived in Texas when she was under 6 but she remembered the one most important thing about her experience--sweet tea. When she heard us speak she asked if we wanted some sweet tea. OMG, did we ever! We had been in-country for about a week and we were really missing our iced tea. (Sorry, UK, putting 2 ice cubes in glass of hot black tea does not constitute iced tea.) She didn't know how to make it, but she invited us to go into the kitchen and show her how. In about 5 minutes she proudly marched through the restaurant with her pitcher of sweet tea and 2 glasses. Mmmm, heaven! She got a BIG tip for that one!

ETA: We are American. I don't really cotton much to hyphenated nationality, unless you actually came from there or speak the language fluently. My grandparents came from Wales and spoke English, making me technically 2nd gen Welsh-American. But to call myself Welsh-American doesn't really ring true. I was born in Virginia, USA, which makes me not only an American, but an extremely blessed American.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

We were in England a few years ago and just about everywhere we went people asked us if we were from Texas! I guess it's our southern accent *which is NOTHING like a Texas accent!* but I reckon they couldn't tell the difference. We explained that we were from Georgia, on the east coast--blank looks. So we started saying we were from Atlanta, where the 1996 Olympics were held--THAT they understood.

The funniest encounter was in a restaurant in Bath. Our waitress had lived in Texas when she was under 6 but she remembered the one most important thing about her experience--sweet tea. When she heard us speak she asked if we wanted some sweet tea. OMG, did we ever! We had been in-country for about a week and we were really missing our iced tea. (Sorry, UK, putting 2 ice cubes in glass of hot black tea does not constitute iced tea.) She didn't know how to make it, but she invited us to go into the kitchen and show her how. In about 5 minutes she proudly marched through the restaurant with her pitcher of sweet tea and 2 glasses. Mmmm, heaven! She got a BIG tip for that one!

When I was doing the college program, a couple of friends of mine from New England said that they wanted me to meet this guy. They said that he was from somewhere in Texas but they didn't know where. So I go and meet him and I hear him speak. I asked him where he was from because it clearly wasn't Texas. He was from Savannah. My friends insisted we sounded exactly alike.

I really can't be too mad, though. I can't really tell a different between New Jersey and New York accents.

 

[Janepod]

Actually as a geographical term, the Americas are only considered a single continent in Spain, Portugal, and most Latin American nations. For the most part, the rest of the world considers this two separate continents.

As a geological term there is a split on this as well because of the organization of the tectonic plates or something. This issue is outside my personal scope except to note that there isn't anything like a consensus.

I grew up in Belgium and was taught that "America" is one continent and "Eurasia" is another. So, five total.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Yes, but he's not as hardcore Texan as I am. His family has been here a long time, but mine got here first. Mine was here before the Revolution and an ancestor fought at The Battle of San Jacinto. I think his (on his mother's side) arrived around the same time. His father was an import from up north, however. So he's only half-Texan.

So back in the 1770s you would say your nationality was Spanish?

 

[EMom]

So back in the 1770s you would say your nationality was Spanish?

I have joked that DD might be able to get a minority scholarship, as my family WAS Mexican at one time. I mean, it WAS Mexico when my family fought to make it Texas. That made us Mexicans. Rebellious Mexicans, but Mexicans nonetheless.

I don't think we were in Texas while it was still part of Spain. We arrived on the tail end of Mexico time. So we were Americans who became Mexicans, then Texans and back to being Americans.

 

[DawnM]

Where I grew up, all Caucasians were referred to as Europeans. It took me a long time to figure out that I was not actually European (ok, well, generations back I guess!)

I too refer to those from the US as American.

Dawn

 

[PrincessKsMom]

I'm from NJ, work in NYC. I haven't traveled overseas, but I'm pretty sure the minute I open my mouth no one would have to ask the question.

 

[ronandannette]

double post

 

[ronandannette]

If you are from the USA, you are called an American simply because that makes more sense and flows better than saying you are a United Statesian. It's that simple.

I have never heard a Canadian make a stink about "being an American too." They seem happy to be Canadians. I have only heard it from those from countries south of the US, be it North American or South America. IMHO, it is faux indignation and not worthy of attention. It's not as if we are cheating them out of anything.

If they want to say they are a South American or North American, (as vague as that is) fine. But they are not an American, as that indicates someone from the USA.

eh! And (no offence intended) we DO NOT like to be mistaken for Americans when we're abroad.

 

[Mskanga]

Actually as a geographical term, the Americas are only considered a single continent in Spain, Portugal, and most Latin American nations.

That is news to me and I'm from Spain.

 

[cobright]

That is news to me and I'm from Spain.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. Let me try again. Spain, portugal, and most latin american nation are the only places where this view is still commonly taught in schools. I used too many absolutes for this statement as well but it shouldn't be too 'weasely'.

I didn't mean that everyone is spain feels this way.

 

[crashbb]

Technically all of the Americas is one continent.

Actually as a geographical term, the Americas are only considered a single continent in Spain, Portugal, and most Latin American nations. For the most part, the rest of the world considers this two separate continents.

As a geological term there is a split on this as well because of the organization of the tectonic plates or something. This issue is outside my personal scope except to note that there isn't anything like a consensus.

That's right. Depends on where one is. I have text books that refer to the America's as one continent. Just because something is written in a USA text book does not make it correct.

Just because something is written in an Art1 text book does not make it correct.

You make a statement like it is an absolute, when it is clearly not.

I have to admit that I've often wondered why people in the US are named after the entire continent (which includes other countries), but never been offended by it. I guess Australians do the same thing (though many people go straight to Australasia as a continent).

 

[topolino]

As many of you stated, there is no adjective in the English language to denote someone from the USA. However, a term like that does exist in other languages.

For example, in Italian, someone from the USA is known as "statunitense", while the term, "americano" is more broad and indicates someone from the Americas.

By the way, the first letters of the terms were left intentionally in lowercase by me, because in Italian, a nationality is an adjective like any other, and therefore is not capitalized. Of course the endings of the adjectives would change to agree in gender and number, but this is not a discussion on Italian grammar.

 

[PigletsPal2]

The term you are looking for is 'Demonym' or sometime the word used is gentilic. I like demonymn myself because that was always the lable givin it in the CIA World Factbook. It's what we call people based on their national citizenship (sometimes applied to a person based on their "home-country").

So why do Citizens of the United States get to be called 'Americans'?

Mostly it's a matter of convenience. United Statesians wouldn't work because there are other 'United States' out there, Mexico is actually named "United States of Mexico". So a demonym is something everyone more or less agrees on, it should specify the nations geographic location, and it has to be unique. America is a part of our nation's name and it fixes us to a specific if broad location. Add to that, Mexico's citizens have been happily calling themselves Mexicans for a good long time and Canadians are just as happy being called Canadians.

Put it this way, it's one of the few times American arrogance didn't just claim a continent for itself (or at least a continental name).

Some fun with demonyms:

• People from the Netherlands are most often called Dutch
• People from Guernsey are called Sarnian
• People from The Hague are called Hagenaar or Hagenees depending on being born there or not.

Yay! Another reader of the CIA World Factbook! We got a copy every year for our DDs when they were in HS; they had consistently high grades in Geography, Economics, and World History thanks to the factbook.

Living overseas for so many years, we just kind of adopted the accent of the country where we were living; as a result, no one seems to be able to "place" us as Americans, Canadians, British, Spanish, Peruvian, German, etc. Kind of interesting for a gal who started out speaking with a Norfolk/Hampton Roads, VA drawl.

Queen Colleen