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Originally Posted by dsfraser
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Originally Posted by Pirate-Drakk
Likewise, don't call the USA troops "Americans" because Canadians are Americans just like the Mexicans. Would you include the Mexicans in D-Day with the Americans? Furthermore, everyone who lives in South America are technically "American's". Even Texans are Americans! 
Americans is like Russians, get it? Yes, it's technically wrong, but it is common usage.
Let's just pretend we all know who we are talking about. For all practical purposes, during WWII the Soviets and Russians were the same regardless of who/what/where you have before or after WWII.
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Rah, Rah, Rah!!
Absolutely right, to a point. "America" certainly includes Canada and Mexico, as well as the USA. But it also includes Argentina and Guatemala, and all points between. They are SOUTH America. WE are NORTH America. We are ALL Americans, and the fact that US media and US writers proclaim "American" to be purely related to the USA is offensive to the rest of two continents.
This is a pet peeve of mine. I never refer to "American". I refer to the "USA" because it is more accurate, and the use of the term "American" to describe the activities of the USA is pure arrogance, even though it has become popular usage.
Cheers
Scott Fraser
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Wow, and my pet peeve is that the US is allowing a genocide to go on in Darfur because of intelligence considerations. The Sudanese government knows a lot about al-Qaeda because it hosted them for years. Compared to that you can call me just about any name and I'll answer to it.
It's a slippery slope that you're on. After all, a substantial portion of the population of Poland in 1939 was Ukrainian. Some were Czechs. Jews were (and are still by many) considered a nationality unto themselves. Should we refer to the Polish army as "The Army of Poland" and its citizens as "Citizens of Poland"?
The USSR was comprised of most of the old Russian Empire. They were virtually all subjects of the Czars and were referred to as "Russians" irrespective of their "nationality". I have both of my grandfathers' naturalization papers and both list nationality as Russian. Neither was Russian but both were born in the old Russian empire.
You're guilty of it yourself. Here's a quote:
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Originally Posted by dsfraser
As to the outcome? After Moscow, the Germans were toast.
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Aren't we forgetting that Romanian, Hungarian, and Italian forces fought alongside "the Germans"? What about the foreign legions of the Waffen-SS? What about Austrians? Are they German? As we all know, Austria was forcibly absorbed by the Third Reich. Many did not agree with it, yet they were drafted, fought, and died... as Austrians.
Most Spanish speaking North Americans refer to US citizens as
norteamericanos. Those Mexicans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, etc, all are "North Americans" and the strict defiintion of the word means "North Americans" but go to Google language and the definition is simply "American". They don't use it to describe themselves, nor do they use it to describe Canadians (what is a Canadian by the way? - I might get different answers in the Maritime provinces, Quebec, and BC, but rarely will a Canadian refer to himself as "American" even though strictly it's true).
As long as people can make themselves understood and are not being derogatory, let's try not to be too strict.
FWIW, I generally refer to Soviet forces as just that, and the Soviet Union as that as well, and have in this very thread. But sorry, I'm an American.