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Article: United States, 'tis of thee. (using 'America' to mean 'United States')(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- August 26, 1995
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WHY, asks a Canadian reader, does The Economist write America when it means the United States? The short answer is, why not? Most English-speakers use the two almost interchangeably; and America is shorter, a real gain for a slim weekly. Yet almost is not entirely. Johnson happily uses America in general references--to its geography, say, or its society--but prefers the United States where what's meant is specifically that juridical entity or its government. Our reader has half a point.
Some North Americans much prefer the United States; Johnson's old Funk & Wagnalls dictionary indeed suggests that to use America like this is specifically British. No. It was Coolidge ...