Well, everybody born in the american continent is technically “american” too, including Central and South America. Is there a specific term in english for these people?
Edit: Thanks for all your answers, especially the wholesome ones and those patient enough to explain it thoroughly. Since we (South Americans) and you (North Americans) use different models/conventions of continent boundaries, it makes sense for you to go by “Americans”, while it doesn’t for us.
North and South America are so big and diverse that there's really no usage for the term "American" being used to refer to everyone on both continents. US just took the term for themselves and no one really cared enough to complain
Spanish speaking nations complain. They don't mean USA when they say Americano
Okay, but most people in the US wouldn't call themselves Americano.
Well, no. That's a kind of coffee.
Holup being from Spanish America I promise you Americano does in fact mean American, despite all complaints.
What are you talking about? all my life it's been “estadounidense”. Americano was always politically charged and used by those promoting globalization.
Now this is the most interesting comment chain so far for me. TIL
Not using EEUU?
Que chucha, acá siempre usamos estadounidense, norte americano, o derechamente gringo. Jamás he escuchado a nadie decir americano para referirse específicamente a los de EEUU.
Excepto la ropa americana, pero ese es otro contexto cultural que no tiene anda que ver con la discusión.
I have in Mexico. Strangely "estadounidense" is not something a Mexican would call themselves.