Indeed, U.S.A. is not America!
America is the name of a whole continent. United States of America means that the United States belongs to America and NOT that America belongs to the United States. So, next time you want to refer to The United States of America, you can do it as U.S. or the States or whatever you want but not as only America. Gotcha?
How should I use the term America then?
Here we will show you some wrong and correct uses of the term America:
This is how we do it in America.
This is how we do it in the States.
- America is my country and I love it.
- The United States is my country and I love it.
- America lost the Vietnam war.
- U.S.A. lost the Vietnam war.
- Here in America we love Mc Donald's.
- Here in the U.S. we love Mc Donald's.
Please, note that this page in not about demonyms (gentilics) but about the way to call a country.
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Comments (1250)
“Parias was described by Waldseemüller's follower, Johannes Schöner as: "The island of Parias, which is not a part or portion of the foregoing [America] but a large, special part of the fourth part of the world", indicating uncertainty as to its situation.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldseemüller_map
“Waldseemüller’s America actually identified what is today South America. “Parias” is the name Waldseemüller identified with what is today North America.”
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/apr25/america-beautiful/
“The Caribbean Islands, including ‘Isabella’ (Cuba) and ‘Spagnolla’ (Hispaniola), are shown off the eastern coast, in a sea labelled for the first time as ‘Oceanus Occidentalis’, or Western Sea. The continent supports Spanish claims to the region by flying the flag of Castile, but is not given the name of America. Instead, in its southern regions, it is named ‘Parias’ in capital letters. So the great birth certificate of America actually calls North America ‘Parias’, a word taken from Vespucci’s account of his meeting with the local inhabitants who used it to designate their homeland.
The map reserves the name ‘America’ to describe the southern land mass, and is placed in the location of modern-day Brazil.”
From: A History of the World in 12 Maps by Jerry Brotton; p. 174
Buy it today. Printed in the United States in America and released in 2014.
But before I proceed in bringing other information, I like to say that your idea that the name America changed its meaning after annexing north of the landmass/new world is a stretch. The meaning of America does not change just because the north was still being explored. I believe the name was to encompass the entire new world and not just the southern part of it. For one, the middle part, Central America was discovered before the south so it is implied that discoverers had more info on that part first. Thus, the name America was meant to mean all of those new world lands being discovered not just the south.
Then how do you explain the existence of the name ‘Parias’? You love Waldseemüller’s use of ‘America’, but you don’t like his use of ‘Parias’ because it destroys your false narrative, so you falsely claim that Waldseemüller named all of the Americas ‘America’ in 1507, even though he clearly and obviously only named South America as ‘America’. What about Parias? If he named all of the Americas as ‘America’, why is only South America labeled as such?, and why is North America labeled as ‘Parias’? You have never directly answered this question because it clearly exposes your falsehoods. Nice try.
Please don't assume for me. It would be interesting to find out why they wrote Parias there. But if you are a curious person, like I am, you will notice on the 1507 map that Asia is not written all over the continent but in a small place of the map that could be what it was Kasajistan. Same with Africa, it wasn't written all over the continent, but in small piece of it where Nigeria seems to be now. So, the idea that America was only written on what it seems what is now Brazil, is debatable.
What is Parias then? What about the Schöner quote?
“So, the idea that America was only written on what it seems what is now Brazil, is debatable.”
How exactly is it debatable? Where is ‘America’ written anywhere else other than over present-day Brazil? It is clearly not written over present-day North America, so there is nothing to debate about that. Please stop lying and fantasizing.
Listen I had a loss in the family so I couldn't reply. David, stop being so impulsive. I am just building my case and why I believe as I believe regarding the issue of America. These information which I wrote a few days ago are from before the country was even born. It is just the beginning of what I am trying to say. So that is why I stated that we got that America was one continent. We both seem to agree on that. But before the continent was mapped in the 1507 map, the lands being discovered were thought to be all part of a "New World" when they finally realized that it was not Asia(China, India Etc). This new world, was still under discoveries from European navigators from various countries such as Spain, Portugal, and others. This is where Amerigo Vespucci enters into the scene. I am reading a book about him which has him as the one who discovered that the lands were not part of Asia but a new world a new continent. Meanwhile Columbus thought he had found Asia.
Mrs. Anonymous says...
People have been conditioned to call the United States "America" for years and years not realizing that the name belongs to the continent in which the country resides. America is still a continent, even though the English speaking countries, like the U.K. and the U.S. teach a two continent version in today's schools, the original version, which other countries still teach, is still one continent called America.
3 months ago
David says...
Wrong again...and again...and again, payasa. The original version is America and Parias. 1507! Why do you keep pretending that America has always referred to all of the Americas? It’s because you falsely claim that proper nouns can never acquire additional meanings, so you have to lie to yourself and everyone else that the meaning of America didn’t change from South America to all of the Americas. But then you say that the name did change in order to encompass all of the Americas, but only that specific change in the meaning of a proper noun is acceptable, but the change in meaning to the USA is somehow unacceptable. You are dishonest, delusional, and completely full of BS.
3 months ago
“Are you kidding? When did you do this?”
Today is commemorated in Argentina the 170 years since the death of José de San Martín who with his military campaigns liberated Argentina, Chile and Peru from the tyranny of the Spanish crown at that time, and that is why he is called "The Liberator of America" in South America .
My tribute here to this hero of freedom.
¡Viva el General San Martín!
Mrs. Special Needs, why are you so quiet? Cat got your tongue?
“Are you kidding? When did you do this?”
Have I answered these questions to your full satisfaction? ;-)
Too much spam here... eau de toilette
haua haua haua haha coming from the North
David says...
When will you and your ilk learn that proof of the existence of one meaning of ‘America’ does not disprove the existence of the word’s other meanings? Yes, we know, ‘America’ can mean ‘the Americas’. We also know that it can mean the USA. You can list all the soccer tournaments you want. You can mention the 5 rings of the Olympic flag. You can pretend that the name of the Organization of American States is some devastating proof of your so-called argument. Yet, after all this, the fact remains that many, many, many people use ‘America’ to mean the USA. Sorry, kids, but facts are facts. The truth sometimes hurts, but it shall set you free.
a year ago
“Are you kidding? When did you do this?”
Incidentally, this was my post that Fake David copied while impersonating me. Fake David wrote:
“When will you and your ilk learn that proof of the existence of one meaning of ‘America’ does not disprove the existence of the word’s other meanings even when wrong? We rule the world. Get over it! Mongolian-American”