Gerben42 Posted May 6, 2012 Report Share Posted May 6, 2012 Name ten such countries. B-) As for "stealing" the name, not if we used it first. And regarding your last point above, I found this article interesting. Federal Republic of GermanyFederal Republic of NigeriaRussian FederationFederative Republic of BrazilFederation of Saint Christopher and NevisUnion of the ComorosUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Mexican StatesUnited States of AmericaFederal Democratic Republic of EthiopiaFederal Democratic Republic of NepalCommonwealth of AustraliaSwiss Confederation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwnn Posted May 6, 2012 Report Share Posted May 6, 2012 Federal Republic of GermanyFederal Republic of NigeriaRussian FederationFederative Republic of BrazilFederation of Saint Christopher and NevisUnion of the ComorosUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Mexican StatesUnited States of AmericaFederal Democratic Republic of EthiopiaFederal Democratic Republic of NepalCommonwealth of AustraliaSwiss ConfederationLooks like you have two. But of course it depends on your definition B-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordontd Posted May 6, 2012 Report Share Posted May 6, 2012 Btw, if you haven't ever watched the UK version of Top Gear, and have any interest at all in cars, this has to be the best show ever....This seems like quite an over-bid. For me, who does have quite a lot of interest in cars, it's one of the dreariest shows ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onoway Posted May 7, 2012 Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 I really enjoyed the English version of Junkyard Wars. Especially the one where various countries tried to make an all purpose vehicle which would triumph over all the various obstacles, for if I remember a maximum of $3000 and a month of time. Totally other end of the spectrum from other "car" shows but lots of fun to watch ingenuity at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelandakh Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Someone from the UK says "It's good to hear the views of an American". Two guesses: First, if the host knew that his guest was a Canadian he would not refer to him as an American and secondly, the Canadian might well correct him.Someone from the US says "It's good to hear the views of a European". Two guesses: First, if the host knew that his guest was English he would not refer to him as a European and secondly, the Englishman might well correct him. Similarly,Someone from the US says "It's good to hear the views of a Brit". Two guesses: First, if the host knew that his guest was Scottish he would not refer to him as a European and secondly, the Scot might well correct him. This is a game that could run and run. Members of many nationalities do not like to be mixed in the the "noisy neighbours". This does not mean that Scots are not British, nor that Englishmen are not European, nor that Cannucks are not American. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onoway Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 not refer to him as a European and secondly, the Scot might well correct him. This is a game that could run and run. Members of many nationalities do not like to be mixed in the the "noisy neighbours". This does not mean that Scots are not British, nor that Englishmen are not European, nor that Cannucks are not American. I used to have a travel book published in 1908 which confidently stated that it was only a matter of time before Canada became one of the United States. However, speaking as a Canuck, and regardless of the esteem I have for many Americans individually, I do not consider myself even remotely an American and indeed will correct anyone who refers to me as such. We are not "Americans" even if we live in the Americas because common usage of the term specifically refers to citizens of the United States of America. It's just being cute to pretend otherwise. It may be that anthropologists refer to the Americas but that has as little in common with what is GENERALLY understood today as a $2 bill in Canada. Still legal tender, but definitely a curiosity which likely wouldn't even be recognized or accepted as such by most people. In common conversation nobody refers to citizens of Mexico as Americans, and the people living on and patrolling the US side of the Rio Grande, or paying for building the border fence, would think you were certifiable to do so. It used to be common for Americans to use Canadian flags and such on their backpacks or luggage when travelling so they wouldn't be casually identified as Americans. So although it might be pedantically accurate to say that Mexicans and Canadians are Americans, it certainly isn't correct in any other sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelandakh Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 I used to have a travel book published in 1908 (I think, certainly well before 1910) which confidently stated that it was only a matter of time before Canada became one of the United States. However, speaking as a Canuck, and regardless of the esteem I have for many Americans individually, I do not consider myself even remotely an American and indeed will correct anyone who refers to me as such. Again speaking personally, I think that the thrust of our present politicians toward bringing us closer to the American way of doing things is an extremely misguided and unfortunate direction to take.An Englishman could not have said it any better regarding Europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike777 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 I think one huge difference America has from other nations is that we are still growing our population, mainly through immigration, while many parts of the western world have declining populations. Demographics is driving many changes around the globe. One example is a declining workforce supporting an older, growing, nonworking population. Another differnce in the American Way may be a stronger belief, compared to other countries, in capitalism. I do note that Canucks, through their pension/retirement plans are owners of many of these large corporations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasetb Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 (edited) Another differnce in the American Way may be a stronger belief, compared to other countries, in moving away from capitalism.FYP onoway, I will say that you Canucks are in fact Americans, albeit North Americans. I also agree that Mexico should be considered part of Central American, because from my view they sure have a lot more in common with Nicaragua and Honduras then they do with the USA. Of course, I live not 4 hours from the Canadian border, hate spicy food, and have no understanding of Spanish whatsoever. Edited July 13, 2012 by chasetb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onoway Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 FYP onoway, I will say that you Canucks are in fact Americans, albeit North Americans. I also agree that Mexico should be considered part of Central American, because from my view they sure have a lot more in common with Nicaragua and Honduras then they do with the USA. Of course, I live not 4 hours from the Canadian border, hate spicy food, and have no understanding of Spanish whatsoever.Oh well then! I had not understood that the habit of preferring hamburgers to tacos was more significant in determining definition than the fact that although we both are supposedly democracies, democracy is manifest though totally different political systems. Of course, you regularly eat poutine and saskatoons, (though not together), speak both official languages (English and French), suffer no delusions about universal health care involving "death squads", and had no banks deliberately free falling on citizens who then got the bill for cleaning up the mess. oh.just a minute.... Sorry, but to say Canadians are Americans is ignorant. You have company though, a couple of years ago a US Senator indignantly declared that Canada was "UnAmerican!" for something we did. Unsatisfactory as our education system often is, I believe that most Canadians, and all our politicians, understand that there is a border and a DIFFERENT country on the other side of it. What a concept. Call us "North Americans" and I have no dispute with you. Just "Americans" means something entirely different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finch Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 I think one huge difference America has from other nations is that we are still growing our population, mainly through immigration, while many parts of the western world have declining populations. Demographics is driving many changes around the globe. One example is a declining workforce supporting an older, growing, nonworking population. Another differnce in the American Way may be a stronger belief, compared to other countries, in capitalism. I do note that Canucks, through their pension/retirement plans are owners of many of these large corporations. here are a few countries in which the population is growing (data from world bank via google): UKFranceCanadaNew ZealandAustraliaNetherlandsItalySingaporeSpainSwitzerland (this is not by any means an exclusive list, I just looked at a few countries in the 'western world' at random) It's true that all these countries also tend to have substantial immigration, but to suggest the USA is somehow unusual in that respect is a little odd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike777 Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 I think one huge difference America has from other nations is that we are still growing our population, mainly through immigration, while many parts of the western world have declining populations. Demographics is driving many changes around the globe. One example is a declining workforce supporting an older, growing, nonworking population. http://www.indexmundi.com/g/r.aspx?c=ee&v=24 Country Comparison > Population growth rate I note indeed the population is growing in many countries but at a rate close to zero, The main point remains in many places a minority of workers may soon have to support a majority who do not work outside of the home due to age, illness, retirement, disability, etc etc... Beware Of Europe's Ticking Demographic Time Bomb http://seekingalpha.com/article/342551-beware-of-europe-s-ticking-demographic-time-bomb -- btw we see this in American cities as well as some countries in Europe already where the working/tax paying populations are having problems paying for those that are retired public workers. So perhaps parts of America are indeed becoming like many other parts of the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelandakh Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 Just "Americans" means something entirely different....to you. I think you are missing the whole point that American can also refer to an inhabitant of the continent(s) rather than specifically of the USA. Thus American is no different from European in this context. When referencing Canada in combination it is clear that this is the meaning being attributed to the word American. Noone is suggesting that Canada is part of the USA any more than referencing a Brit as European suggests they will start eating sausage and sauerkraut and become German. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwnn Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 I think you are missing the whole point that American can also refer to an inhabitant of the continent(s) rather than specifically of the USA.And I think you are missing the whole point that this usage is extremely rare. Thus American is no different from European in this context. Yes it is, because this usage is extremely rare. Usage is the most important factor when trying to find out what English words mean. And the most common use (by far) for the word 'American' is 'from USA' (or citizen of USA or something related to USA). If you want to pretend otherwise, fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mycroft Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 I got a new one on this yesterday flying home from the Nationals. MSP->YYC, we were told by the Triangle Airlines staff that the in-flight internet is only available in North America, so it would stop working once we entered Canada. We had about an hour of (massively expensive) internet available to us before we left North America. Yes, he did say this twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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