America and American

[Paul Frank]

In Spanish many people say "americano" when they mean someone from the
American continent. One of Pablo Neruda's poems, an ode to the potato, says
"somos americanos." My question is this: when did the words America and
American become synonymous with the United States of America? Have Canadians
ever thought of themselves as being American (though not in the sense of
being part of the United States)?

Paul
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Paul Frank
English translation from Chinese, German,
French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese
Cell phone: +33 681 146 755 - France
E-mail: paulfrank at wanadoo.fr