Why do American kids call Santa Claus "Santa" instead of "Claus" ?
I often hear in American films or series children exclaiming "Santa !" when they see the old beardy guy. Many adults refer to him as Santa too. That sounds preposterous since Santa Claus is just a Scandinavian deformation of Saint Nicholas, and therefore Santa just means Saint. That's his title. His name is Claus. The Japanese do the same mistake, but at least they have the excuse that it is not part of their culture or language group.
I often hear in American films or series children exclaiming "Santa !" when they see the old beardy guy. Many adults refer to him as Santa too. That sounds preposterous since Santa Claus is just a Scandinavian deformation of Saint Nicholas, and therefore Santa just means Saint. That's his title. His name is Claus. The Japanese do the same mistake, but at least they have the excuse that it is not part of their culture or language group.