The Rice University Neologisms Database

Canadian English of 'American'. The clipping is an informal use of the word American. It mimics the way many Canadians pronounce it. When referring to the people in the U.S., Canadians do not like to use the word Americans as it carries some geographical information. Since Canada is also part of the North America continent, “America” is not accurate enough to exclude Canadians from the context. The alternative Merkan was then made up for this purpose.