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- "Mi nem amerikaiak vagyunk, h…
"Mi nem amerikaiak vagyunk, hanem kanadaiak."
Translation:We are not American, but Canadian.
16 Comments
213
As a Canadian travelling the world, I have had to assert this countless number of times. Vive la difference!
- 151
Let's rename USA to Usonia, and let "American" only refer to the people of Americas as a whole. People from Usonia are called Usonians.
- 213
Actually, AnCatDubh is mistaken and DuoLingo is right. Canadians and Americans may have similarities but to say there is no difference is simply incorrect. It is like telling an Australian she is from New Zealand. Like telling a Brit he is from Scotland. Like telling a Belgian she is from France. Like telling a German he is Dutch. Like telling someone from Ireland that they are from England. Like telling a Hungarian she is from Romania. Like telling a Japanese girl she is Chinese. Like telling a Canadian, he is American. We're all one family. But not identical. One tapestry. Many threads. Unity in diversity. Cheers, Max
I never claimed they were the same? The joke was about emphasising one of the more obvious differences (namely the Canadian Raising).
Also, Scots are British. They’re not English and they’re more than ready to remind you of that.
I think your German/Dutch and Scottish/English should be swapped around for effect: I think smaller countries would feel more insulted to be called by their bigger neighbour than the other way around -- that would probably be more amusing than insulting.
- 151
American can refer to two things:
- Someone/thing from USA; here a Canadian isn't American
- Someone/thing from the American continent(s); here a Canadian is an American
It depends on how you use the word, and the world are not global. For example a Latin American person would call Canadians and themselves as American, while people from USA are specifically United-Statsians (they're also Americans too); this goes for both when they speak Spanish and English.
This wouldn't have been an issue if USA didn't take the name "America" and applied it to themselves. It would be like if Germany was called the Federated States of Europe, and calling themselves European, and then saying no one else is a European.
- 213
I have personally, and on many occasions, used the phrase in question - or a variant of it - “I am a Canadian not an American” - to correct someone, for instance while travelling - but the awkward malapropism “United Statesian” is only uttered rarely by those wishing to make your point. I have however heard South Americans refer to Canadians and people from the US as North Americans - which is geographically correct, of course.
Yes. Arguably there isn't such a thing as an unnecessary "vagyunk".
