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this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2026
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The singular America that you’re referring to that in fact did not come out of the blue was a man by the name of Amerigo Vespucci. He is credited with discovering what we now know as the two distinct continents of North America and South America, together referred to as “The Americas” (Plural) which were named after him.
Because Amerigo “discovered” two continents. One is further north, the other south. Hence, North America, and South America. You’re also confusing terms. There’s a difference between “North America” and “Northern America”. Similar to how there is a big difference between “North Ireland” and “Northern Ireland”. These are not interchangeable terms.
They’re reacting like you’re claiming that the astronaut is “American”, which you are, and he isn’t. He’s North American, or Canadian. If you just say “American” then you’re referring to somebody from the United States, which he isn’t. You’re acting like the word “North” in “North American” can be dropped in this context without changing the meaning but you’re incorrect.
Because “American” is the recognized demonym for the citizens of the country United States of America. It refers to the citizens of that country, not the continent it’s in.
Nope, the plural was used the same way as The Indies for India or The Japans for Japan. It's a coloquialism from the time.
I am not.
Funny thing, in my country the demonym for a US citizen is North-American. Again, sorry for not beeing a non-american.
I generally disagree with everything else you're saying but something that hasn't been called out is that The Indies was never used to refer to India, the country. In current day, there's the West Indies, which are annoyingly next to North America. In the past, East Indies or 'The Indies' referred to the greater Indian peninsula, but not the country itself, and not West Indies. By using this example, you've highlighted a flaw in your argument that the term 'America' has to encapsulate North America and South America, as 'The Indies' doesn't even encapsulate West Indies.
This is a very funny demonstration of your lack understanding of the English language.
No, no it’s not lol. There are 23 countries and foreign territories in North America. North-American would refer to all of them.
Looks like the most widely used Portuguese demonym is Americano/americana. Which would be “American” which is correct.
There’s also the term “Estadunidense”, which would be “United Statesian” in English, which obviously is not a term used in English at all, but it is accurate nonetheless. If you don’t like the term American and wanted to use this one instead, I don’t think anyone would mind.
North-American would be meaningless as a country’s demonym because there are 3 countries in North America and a number of other non-continental nations and territories. North-American refers to all of them, not a single country like the United States. Mexico, the USA, and Canada are all North American, but they’re not all citizens of the United States. It would be like using the demonym “European” to refer specifically to Portugal.
Every country has its ignorants. Though from what I can see, most Portuguese use the term Americano/Americana which is correct.
I don’t believe that most Portuguese would use the term North-American, as that makes no sense. The USA, Mexico, and Canada are all North-American so using that to refer to people from the United States is illogical nonsense. I have faith that the Portuguese people are smart enough on the whole to know that the United States is not the only country in North America. Like I said that would be like saying the demonym for Portuguese specifically is “European”, it would make no sense.
If you insist, you can call them North-Americans, but understand that you are also referring to the people of Mexico and the people of Canada. If you try to assign all of North America to the US, you will only be pissing them off, and it reflects poorly on you and your country.
I’m trying to give your country the benefit of the doubt. Every source I can find says that most Portuguese use the correct Americano/Americana terms. If you insist that your country is full of the willfully ignorant, I will not argue it.
Not for me, for the majority of the world. American has been used to refer to people from the United States of America for nearly 300 years. To be upset about that now is just asinine.
You can, but it does not refer to United States citizens only. It refers to everybody in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and technically speaking almost two dozen other countries and states. You need to understand the difference, this is not a difficult concept.
“America” is a short name for The United States of America. It is the only country on the continent with “America” in the name. Which is also why United States Citizens are known across the world as “Americans”. It is distinct to them because it’s part of the name of their country. It is not an actual geographic place.
The United States of America is a country, which is located on the continent called North America. There is no such place as just “America” here. In most English speaking countries, or around the world. The small fraction of foreign countries who have a crude and primitive understanding of North American geography are really not a factor.
You spent half a day trying to convince people from a region that you know more about the place they live and the terms they use than they do, even though you live across an ocean. Then you cry because several people from that region educate you.
I have been very patient with you and explained this to you in great detail without insulting you, but you insist on being a culturally and geographically ignorant halfwit.
All the evidence I can find shows that most of the Portuguese use the correct terms (American) most widely. One single news article is not proof to the contrary. Anyone who uses the term “North-American” in your country is a drooling idiot.l, including you lol.
I don't even get why are we arguing what is the correct word in Portuguese
The correct word in English is not North American, so don't use it in English
So as a non-non American, who have clearly never lived in North or South America, who obviously doesn't understand how language works within the dozens of countries who exist within those two continents, think you have any authority to tell the people like me who actually live here how we are supposed to identify?
Your opinion is neither warranted nor necessary. It takes zero effort to keep your incorrect mouth shut.