Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mit-eddie.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!harvard!think!mit-eddie!barmar From: barmar@mit-eddie.UUCP (Barry Margolin) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.nlang Subject: Re: One for our side Message-ID: <316@mit-eddie.UUCP> Date: Tue, 5-Nov-85 02:05:41 EST Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.316 Posted: Tue Nov 5 02:05:41 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 8-Nov-85 04:08:19 EST References: <973@decwrl.UUCP> <12580@rochester.UUCP> <1587@uwmacc.UUCP> <1385@ihlpg.UUCP> <348@ubvax.UUCP> Reply-To: barmar@mit-eddie.UUCP (Barry Margolin) Organization: MIT, Cambridge, MA Lines: 23 Xref: linus net.politics:11162 net.nlang:3386 The full name of the US is "The United States of America". As far as I know, we are the only country whose name contains the name "America". Just as residents of The Commonwealth of Virginia call themselves "Virginians" and residents of The Republic of West Germany (I think that's its full name, please don't flame at me if I am wrong) call themselves "West Germans", residents of "The US of America" can call themselves Americans. Indeed, some other collection of states could unite themselves, and they might be The United States of Foobar; they would call themselves "Foobarians", not "Unitedstatesians", just as West Germans do not call themselves "Republicans". Yes, it is a problem that there are several geographical and political entities whose names are some variant on "America". But residents of the United States of America have no more or less right than residents of South America to call themselves "Americans". However, except for residents of the US of A, all the other Americans have other country-name-based designations (e.g. "Brazilians", "Mexicans", "Canadians"); why do they want our name? -- Barry Margolin ARPA: barmar@MIT-Multics UUCP: ..!genrad!mit-eddie!barmar