The term hyphenated American is an epithet from the early 20th century to refer to Americans who consider themselves of a distinct cultural origin other than the United States, and who claim to hold allegiance to both. An epithet (Greek - επιθετον and Latin - epitheton; literally meaning imposed) is a descriptive word or phrase. ...

The first term typically indicates a region of origin or ancestry; it is paired with "American", sometimes by a hyphen, as in African-American, Irish-American, German-American, Italian-American, Jewish-American, and Japanese-American. The hyphen is traditionally seen as grammatically correct only when the compound term is used as an adjective. Hence, correct forms include an African American and an African-American man. Kinship and descent is one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology. ... A hyphen ( -, or ‐ ) is a punctuation mark. ... An African American (also Afro-American or Black American) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Distribution of Irish Americans according to the 2000 Census Irish Americans are residents of the United States who acknowledge Irish ancestry and self-identify with the term. ... German Americans are common in the U.S. Light blue indicates counties where persons of German ancestry form the largest plurality. ... Logo of Sons of Italy, which is the largest Italian American fraternal organization in the United States. ... A Jewish American (also commonly American Jew) is an American (a citizen of the United States) of Jewish descent or religion who maintains a connection to the Jewish community, either through actively practicing Judaism or through cultural and historical affiliation. ... Serving from 1999 to 2003, Army General Eric Shinseki of Hawaii became the first Asian American military chief of staff. ...

The linguistic construction functionally indicates ancestry, but also may connote a sense that these individuals straddle two worlds—one experience is specific to their unique ethnic identity, while the other is the broader multicultural amalgam that is Americana. Linguistics is the scientific study of language. ... Kinship and descent is one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology. ... This article or section should be merged with ethnic group Ethnicity is the cultural characteristics that connect a particular group or groups of people to each other. ... Cultural identity is the (feeling of) identity of a group or culture, or of an individual as far as she/he is influenced by her/his belonging to a group or culture. ... An apple pie and baseball bat sitting atop an American flag. ...

Usage

The hyphenated or compound term is most often used with pride or respectfully—xenophobic usages tend to drop everything after the hyphen or space. Modern style guides most often recommend dropping the hyphen between the two names except when the compound is used as an adjective; some recommend dropping the hyphen even for the adjective form.[1] On the other hand, compounds with name fragments, such as Afro-American and Indo-European, are recommended to be hyphenated. The problem with the concept of the hyphenated American is that it is not equally applied. United States citizens of Dutch, English, Scottish, French and Ulster Scot ancestry are not hyphenated. They being present at the birth of the United States are at the most referred to as American. It is only later immigrants to the United States who are hyphenated. Thus it could be said to be insulting for the black Americans to be given a hyphenated name as they were present at the beginning of the Republic.

The only purpose it serves is to educate Black Americans as to their ancestry/history. That their ancesters came from Africa. It could be said That African Americans are more United Statian (sic) than even those white European Americans of Anglo Celtic, Dutch and French ancestry

Latin-American controversy

Main article: Use of the word American

"Latin American" refers to the Spanish-speaking people of America including Mexico, Central America, and South America. In the U.S., people of Latin-American descent are thus often referred to as "Hispanic Americans", or by their specific country of origin, e.g., "Mexican Americans". Some observers, particularly those in Latin America, feel that this is implicitly U.S.-centric or American exceptionalist since, in some sense, all Mexicans are Mexican Americans (Mexico being part of the Americas), but many U.S. citizens are not aware of other uses of the word American or do not find the phrase ambiguous in practice. In Spanish, the word americano means "of or relating to the Americas" and "a person from anywhere in the Americas"; for those of the U.S. specifically, the term is estadounidense. Use of the word American in the English language differs between historical, geographical and political contexts. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... World map showing the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere historically considered to consist of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... Map of Central America Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Hispanic, as used in the United States, is one of several terms used to categorize US citizens, permanent residents and temporary immigrants, whose background hail either from the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America or relating to a Spanish-speaking culture. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... Ethnocentricity is the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of ones own culture. ... Progress of America, 1875, by Domenico Tojetti American exceptionalism has been historically referred to as the perception that the United States differs qualitatively from other developed nations, because of its unique origins, national credo, historical evolution, and distinctive political and religious institutions. ... World map showing the Americas CIA map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ...

America is a continent colonised by people of European origin. The North above Mexico was colonised mainly by Dutch, British and French. The South including Mexico was colonised by the Spanish, Portugese and to lesser extent Dutch, French and British.

The large Nations of the North are English speaking. But the majority of the continent speak a language which have its origins in Latin. Thus it could be said to be insulting to refer to those countries to the South of the United States, as Latin American when the "Latin" speakers are in the majority.

Perhaps we should call those who live in the North, Anglo Americans as they are the numerical minority. They also occupy a smaller part of the American continent than the Latin Speakers. In fact even in Canada in North America there is a large "Latin" French speaking province Quebec.

It is a common practise of those of Teutonic, Germanic, English speaking ancestry when colonising and occupying a country. To name the region country, continent. and then ascribe the name of the country to themselves. Thus when we think of Australians, South Africans, South West Africans and Americans as white teutonic/Germanic speakers unless hyphenated.

The indigenous populations of those countries are either mis named ie "Red Indian' in the Americas or given a name that does give them a sense of belonging to the new found Nation such as native, bantu or black in South Africa or merely aborigine in Australia

It leads to the arrogant assumption on behalf of the white Anglo/Celtic Dutch Americans. That they are the only Americans. whilst the others are lesser hyphenated Americans. Winston Scott

Hyphenated-American identities

Most usage experts recommend dropping the hyphen because it implies to some people dual nationalism and inability to be accepted as truly American. The Japanese American Citizens League is supportive of dropping the hyphen because the non-hyphenated form uses their ancestral origin as an adjective for "American." Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Stub ...

By contrast, other groups have embraced the hyphen, arguing that the American identity is compatible with alternative identities and that the mixture of identities within the United States strengthens the nation rather than weakens it. Alternate meaning: crucible (science) The melting pot is a metaphor for the way in which heterogenous societies develop, in which the ingredients in the pot (iron, tin; people of different backgrounds and religions, etc. ...

'European American,' as opposed to White, Caucasian, or Non-Hispanic White, has been coined in response to the increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S., as well as to this diversity moving more into the mainstream of the society in the latter half of the 20th century. The term distinguishes whites of European ancestry from those peoples of Middle Eastern or North African descent. It is also meant to discourage a dichotomous view of the racial landscape, in which "Whites" are conceived as separate from the rest of the racial groups, which have hyphenated terms denoting ancestry. The term nonetheless has many detractors who criticize it for collapsing the pronounced cultural differences between Europe and the United States. European American is a term for an American of European descent, who are usually referred as White or Caucasian. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Diversity is the presence of a wide range of variation in the qualities or attributes under discussion. ... A dichotomy is a division into two non-overlapping or mutually exclusive and jointly exhaustive parts. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Population of the United States, 1790 to 2000 The demographics United States depict a largely urban nation, with 57 percent of its population living in places more than 100 miles away from the ocean (2003). ... Kinship and descent is one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology. ...

History of the term "hyphenated American"

The term "hyphenated American" was popularized in the 1910s by President Theodore Roosevelt, responding to the increasing fractionalization within the nation along ethnic lines. In an October 12, 1915, speech to the Knights of Columbus, Roosevelt said, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Knights of Columbus emblem The Order of the Knights of Columbus is the worlds largest Catholic fraternal service organization. ...

"There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. ... The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans or Italian-Americans, each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality, than with the other citizens of the American Republic. ... There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else."

President Woodrow Wilson also regarded those whom he termed "hyphenated Americans" (German-Americans, Irish-Americans, etc.) with suspicion, saying, "Any man who carries a hyphen about with him carries a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals of this Republic whenever he gets ready." Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924) was the 28th President of the United States. ...

Opposition to hyphenated identities outside the U.S.

Some Canadian newspaper writers have attempted to promote "dehyphenated Canadianism" in the 1990s. The trend of Canadian English in this aspect follows that of the American English in general. Canadian English (CaE) is a variety of English used in Canada. ... English language spread in the United States. ...

Views of hyphenated Americans

While some "hyphenated" Americans do hold to loyalties to other countries, which draws criticism from some Americans, others do not, and some claim that the critics miss important points.

There are many "hyphenated Americans" who do not define or desire to define themselves as such, but rather are defined as such by other people, both with linguistic descriptions, and with different treatment. The result is that even if these Americans are, in Roosevelt's words, "American and nothing else," they still may end up having a different experience, and for that reason may develop shared understandings with others of their type, whether they want that or not. This in itself becomes, ironically, a reason for them to be interested in their "hyphenated" identity, as they learn how to cope with the unique experiences dealt them.

There are many American immigrants or children of immigrants - a rapidly increasing number of whom claim dual citizenship - with profound and immediate connections to their homelands. Whether their loyalities be mixed or not, they require hyphenated identities because they cannot sacrifice half of who they are. Moreover, while criticism of "mixed loyalties" may perhaps be warranted in the political sphere, it is very often a cultural inevitability. As globalization has changed patterns of immigration to the U.S., having "mixed loyalities" may have become merely one among the wide range of political biases that people hold.

Lastly, some do not view hyphenated Americans as having conflicting loyalties because they agree with the "global citizen" concept of caring about all people regardless of nationality, a concept that more people are following in light of increasing globalization.

List

• African American
• Alaskan Native American
• Albanian American
• Arab American
• Armenian American
• Asian American
• Austrian American
• Bahamian American
• Basque American
• Belarusian American
• Belgian American
• British American
• Canadian American
• Chinese American
• Colombian American
• Croatian American
• Cuban American
• Danish American
• Dutch American
• English American
• Estonian American
• European American (Euro-American)
• Faroese American
• Filipino American
• Finnish American
• French American
• German American
• Greek American
• Hispanic American
• Icelandic American
• Indian American
• Irish American
• Iranian American
• Italian American
• Jamaican American
• Japanese American
• Jewish American
• Korean American
• Laotian American
• Latvian American
• Lebanese American
• Lithuanian American
• Macedonian American
• Malaysian American
• Mexican American (sometimes Chicano)
• Native American
• Native Hawaiian
• Norwegian American
• Pakistani American
• Polish American
• Portuguese American
• Romanian-American
• Russian American
• Scottish American
• Scots-Irish American
• Swedish American
• Taiwanese American
• Turkish American
• Ukrainian American
• Vietnamese American
• Welsh American

An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Alaska Natives are indigenous peoples who live in what is now the U.S. state of Alaska. ... Albanian-Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Albanian ancestry. ... Arab Americans constitute an ethnicity made up of several waves of immigrants from 22 Morocco in the west to Oman in the east. ... An Armenian-American family in Boston, 1908. ... An Asian American is a person of Asian ancestry or origin who was born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... Austrian-Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Austrian ancestry. ... Bahamian Americans are citizens or residents of the United States of Bahamian ancestry. ... Basque-American Lauburu Basque-Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Basque ancestry. ... Belarusian Americans (Belarusian: ) are Americans of Belarusian descent. ... Belgian-Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Belgian ancestry. ... British Americans are citizens of the British or partial British ancestry. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A Chinese American is an American who is of ethnic Chinese descent. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Americans of Croatian Descent Bill Belichick Nick Saban Categories: | ... A Cuban-American is an immigrant to the United States from Cuba. ... Distribution of Danish Americans according to the 2000 census Danish Americans are Americans of Danish descent. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... British Americans are citizens of the United States of British or partial-British ancestry. ... Estonian-Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Estonian ancestry. ... European American is a term for an American of European descent, who are usually referred as White or Caucasian. ... Faroese Americans are Americans of Faroese descent. ... In 1998, Benjamin J. Cayetano became the first Filipino American (and second Asian American after Governor George R. Ariyoshi) to be elected state Governor of the United States. ... Finnish Americans are Americans of Finnish descent, who currently number at about 700,000. ... A French American or Franco-American is a citizen of the United States of America of French descent and heritage. ... German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry. ... A Greek-American is a citizen of the United States who has significant Greek heritage. ... The Hispanic world Hispanic (Spanish: Hispano) is a term denoting a derivation from Spain, its people and culture. ... Icelandic-Americans are Americans of Icelandic descent. ... For an article on American Indians see Native Americans. ... Irish population density in the United States, 1872. ... Iranian-Americans (sometimes called Persian-Americans) are Americans of Iranian descent, including those who are expatriates in exile or permanent immigrants. ... An Italian-American is an American of Italian descent either born in America or someone who has immigrated. ... Jamaican Americans are Americans of Jamaican descent. ... Serving from 1999 to 2003, Army General Eric Shinseki of Hawaii became the first Asian American military chief of staff. ... A Jewish American (also commonly American Jew) is an American (a citizen of the United States) of Jewish descent who maintains a connection to the Jewish community, either through actively practicing Judaism or through cultural and historical affiliation. ... A Korean American is a person of Korean ancestry who was either born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... A Laotian American is a resident of the United States who is of ethnic Laotian descent and also one group of Asian Americans. ... Latvian-Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Latvian ancestry. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Distribution of Lithuanian-Americans according to the 2000 census Lithuanian-Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Lithuanian ancestry. ... Macedonian Americans are Americans of Macedonian descent. ... Malaysian Americans are United States citizens with original origins in the peoples of Malaysia. ... The ethnonym Mexican-American describes United States citizens of Mexican ancestry (14 million in 2003) and Mexican citizens who reside in the US (10 million in 2003). ... Chicano teenager in El Pasos second ward. ... A Sioux in traditional dress including war bonnet, circa 1908. ... In April of 1990, Daniel K. Akaka became the first native Hawaiian and Chinese American to serve in the United States Congress as a Senator from the State of Hawaii. ... The Norwegian-Americans are an ethnic group in the United States. ... Pakistani Americans refers to someone born in the United States of Pakistani descent or to someone who has immigrated to the United States from Pakistan. ... Polish-American refers to American citizens of Polish descent. ... Luso-Americans or Lusitanic American is an American whose backgroud culture is from Portuguese language cultures. ... A Romanian-American is a citizen of the United States who has significant Romanian heritage. ... A Russian-American is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States who has Russian heritage. ... Map showing the population density of Americans who declared Scottish ancestry in the census. ... Scots-Irish (formerly Scotch-Irish) is a term used to describe inhabitants of the USA and Canada of Scots-Irish (particularly Ulster-Scots) descent, who formed distinctive communities and had distinctive social characteristics. ... Children from Lapland at the Ellis Island Immigration Station, N.Y. and N.J., USA, photographed c. ... A Taiwanese American is an American of Taiwanese ancestry. ... Turkish-Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Turkish ancestry. ... Distribution of Ukrainian-Americans according to the 2000 census Ukrainian-Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Ukrainian ancestry. ... A Vietnamese American is a resident of the United States who is of ethnic Vietnamese descent. ... Map showing the population density of Americans who declared Welsh ancestry in the census. ...

See also

• American people
• Demographics of the United States
• Ethnic origin