Monday, July 09, 2007

France is criticizing our arrogance again


Should 'U.S. Americans' Instead Call Themselves 'United Statesians?' - Le Monde.
“Américain” (in French the ethnonym is capitalized, the adjective is lower case) is a word with many meanings, depending on context: “américains” applies to all Américains (from the United States), yet all Américains (from North and South America) are not necessarily américains.

That's why “Américain,” which first appeared in French as early as the 16th century and is applicable to groups other than just the inhabitants of the United States (in contrast to Canadien, Mexicain, Argentin, etc.), has a certain unsatisfactory quality about it, and it would be preferable to find something more precise.
And what is this "English" for how we talk?

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