Why North Americans think America it is only the U.S. and the rest of the continent it is not?
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Most folks I know use the word in accordance with what the dictionaries say; that is, they understand the word America could refer to the nation or refer to the continent(s). The word can be used in more than one way, depending on the context.– J.R.Sep 25, 2013 at 8:27
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Related: Can I use “US-American” to disambiguate “American”? If not, what can I use?.– gerritSep 25, 2013 at 9:36
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This is a loaded question. Stack Exchange does not accept loaded or rhetorical questions. Back up your premise. As it stands it will be easily contradicted by a random world map printed in the US.– RegDwigнtSep 25, 2013 at 11:11
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1 Answer
I'm not sure North Americans, or anyone else, do think that. America is short for United States of America, just as Britain is, not entirely accurately, short for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It will normally be obvious from the context whether the word refers to the sovereign state of the USA, or to the continent as a whole.
answered Sep 25, 2013 at 7:02
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4And England is often used to label eleven men wearing football shirts (or cricket whites), and salt to label the particular salt, sodium chloride. These are examples of the trope synecdoche ( examples.yourdictionary.com/examples/… ) . Sep 25, 2013 at 7:11
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Canadians are of course from North America, but not all of them like to be considered as US-Citizens. Sep 25, 2013 at 14:16
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Mexicans, and other small countries, consider themselves to be Mesoamericans, not North-Americans. Sep 25, 2013 at 14:17
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Monroe declaration means :"all the New World belongs to the USA, or at least the fate of all these countries" Sep 25, 2013 at 14:20
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@MarkThorin - That's an interesting paraphrase of the Monroe doctrine. I wouldn't call it a very accurate one.– J.R.Sep 25, 2013 at 20:54