Comment on Apple has seemingly found a way to block Android’s new iMessage app

• Cethin@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  I never said it does. I just said it’s the correct word. It’s not confusing or ambiguous. Only one country uses it. It also does represent multiple states in the americas, hence the name.

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  • onlinepersona@programming.dev ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    If that’s the correct word to you, fine, use it. I won’t. Just because one country assumes it can be eponymous with not just one, but two entire continents, doesn’t make it right, nor do I have to agree with it.

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    • Cethin@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      And I guess South African should be something else, because there are other states in southern Africa? Language doesn’t really care about being “correct” with terms. It cares about being understandable. No one knows what USAian is. Everyone knows what American is. There isn’t really any debate anywhere around what to call people from the United States of America, even among other American nations.

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      • onlinepersona@programming.dev ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        And I guess South African should be something else, because there are other states in southern Africa?

        You are correct, it should be something else. To agree on what is pretty difficult though. Azania has been suggested, but there are 12 official languages that probably have their own terms. I won’t even attempt to guess how many different tribes were brutally merged into one country by imperialists when they drew the borders to call it South Africa. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did rename themselves someday.

        Even India doesn’t want to be called India. There’s a growing movement for it to be called Bharat.

        No one knows what USAian is

        Funny that, I didn’t have to explain to anyone what it is because the immediate reaction by people like you was "that’s not how you say ‘American’ ".

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