Thread: saying America when actually referring to the USA

Speaking for myself, I mean no disrespect when I refer to people of the US as "Americans." It's just a more expedient way to refer to "the citizens of the US" which is a bigger mouthful. I can see how people in Canada might be offended, since they are also part of the North American continent. But even most Canadians I know don't bat an eye when I refer to US citizens as "Americans." It rolls off the tongue easier and has fewer syllables. "US citizens" = 5 syllables. "Americans" = 4 syllables. Sometimes I just call us "Murkans" (more fitting these days) which only has 2 syllables. It's probably just a sign of how lazy we Murkans are

Originally Posted by Deborski

But even most Canadians I know don't bat an eye when I refer to US citizens as "Americans."

For that matter, when Islamic radicals say Marg bar Amrika! (Farsi) or Al maut li Amrika! (Arabic), they don't mean "Смерть Канаде!"

Sometimes I just call us "Murkans"

I've also seen the spelling "Merkins". (Note that, historically, a "merkin" was a маленький парик для лобка!)

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

For that matter, when Islamic radicals say Marg bar Amrika! (Farsi) or Al maut li Amrika! (Arabic), they don't mean "Смерть Канаде!"

I just wonder if you know that just out of curiosity, or did you learn either of those languages?
I'm asking that because I was never exposed to languages like Farsi or Arabic.

Originally Posted by Боб Уайтман

I just wonder if you know that just out of curiosity, or did you learn either of those languages?
I'm asking that because I was never exposed to languages like Farsi or Arabic.

You just need to be a bit closer to Langley, VA to know it

Originally Posted by Doomer

You just need to be a bit closer to Langley, VA to know it

Sorry, I did not get the joke.

Originally Posted by Боб Уайтман

Sorry, I did not get the joke.

I was referring to CIA headquarters that resides in Langley, VA
Throbert is in Virginia, as well

Originally Posted by Doomer

I was referring to CIA headquarters that resides in Langley, VA
Throbert is in Virginia, as well

Throbert has BEEN to the CIA headquarters at Langley and got to go on a tour! Biggest surprise: Their large collection of Abstract Expressionist paintings, including artists like Jackson Pollock. Second biggest surprise: The experimental "роботическая стрекоза" from the 1970s. Total non-surprise: Like a lot of the CIA's big ideas, the robot-dragonfly did not actually work. (Or, rather, it worked in the laboratory, but only if they turned off all the fans and air-conditioners, because the slightest breeze made it crash.)

Originally Posted by Doomer

I was referring to CIA headquarters that resides in Langley, VA
Throbert is in Virginia, as well

OK, It makes sense now

Originally Posted by Боб Уайтман

I just wonder if you know that just out of curiosity, or did you learn either of those languages?
I'm asking that because I was never exposed to languages like Farsi or Arabic.

I don't know either of these languages. Actually, I learned these phrases years ago on an Internet thread in which someone was complaining about the "ignorant" way that some Americans pronounce "Iraq" and "Iran" as Ай-рэк and Ай-рэн (instead of Ирак, Иран).

But then a Persian-American commenter pointed out that in both Farsi and Arabic, they "ignorantly" say ам-РИ-ка instead of а-МЭ-ри-ка -- so if some Americans want to say АЙ-РЭН, not и-РАН, that was their own business!

(And a Russian commenter added that Russians "ignorantly" say Стамбул and Пекин instead of "Istanbul" and "Beijing"... there were other examples given, too.) Anyway, that's how I learned how to say "Death to America!!!" in Farsi and Arabic.

Originally Posted by Deborski

Speaking for myself, I mean no disrespect when I refer to people of the US as "Americans." It's just a more expedient way to refer to "the citizens of the US" which is a bigger mouthful. I can see how people in Canada might be offended, since they are also part of the North American continent.

What about Mexicans ? Now they get really offended 'cause you don't even consider them as North Americans
Just kidding