Off Topic — HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to Well. I got told one time

It probably varies from country to country.
ER — (archived)

And with time. I remember my grandfather being very upset about USA citizens claiming the term "American" for themselves. Today, though, I think it is becoming accepted by Latins as specifically for USA ciitzens. Even the commonly used term "norteamericanos" is rarely applied to Canadians who are certainly "North Americans", as they often call themselves. (Whenever someone says "North American", you know they're Canadian, no one else says that!). The Spanish term "estadounidense" is rarely used except in formal speech and writing, and/or journalism.

The adjective "Americano" is still used for generic New World items which do not imply nationalism. For example, a biologist may talk about American birds, or a linguist may speak about dialects of American Spanish, or an anthropologist may describe American Indian tribes, to refer to New World examples which include both N and S America.

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