I'm English... the main difference between us is that British tends to denote a Celtic or Celtic-ruled race, either Goidelic such as the Scots, Manx or Irish, or Brythonic, like the overlords of the Welsh (the welsh themselves were not Celts, but NEVER say that to a Welshman...) or the Bretons of France... The English on the other hand are descendants of Saxons, Angles, Jutes, Frisians and other Norse-Germanic settlers... we of Leicestershire also have a percentage of Danish blood from the Viking settlers in our area... which is why we feel more at home dealing with fellow Scandinavians, rather than Europeans... we are not part of Europe, and most do not consider themselves European, except the snobby ones...
Originally posted by big gay kirk
I'm English... the main difference between us is that British tends to denote a Celtic or Celtic-ruled race, either Goidelic such as the Scots, Manx or Irish, or Brythonic, like the overlords of the Welsh (the welsh themselves were not Celts, but NEVER say that to a Welshman...) or the Bretons of France... The English on the other hand are descendants of Saxons, Angles, Jutes, Frisians and other Norse-Germanic settlers... we of Leicestershire also have a percentage of Danish blood from the Viking settlers in our area... which is why we feel more at home dealing with fellow Scandinavians, rather than Europeans... we are not part of Europe, and most do not consider themselves European, except the snobby ones...
"British" as a term lost that connection (to a Celtic origin) centuries- more- ago when it first fell into disuse. Unless you are talking about pre-Saxon times, Britain means nothing but a landmass- as meant when the term returned to use relatively recently- and hence is associated with all three cultures on it.
And there is nothing the slightest bit snobby about feeling European.
Wow! I've learned more here than I did in high school...Since I've never taken college level world history, I wouldn't have been so confused...In short, since the name UKoGB encompasses all the separate regions it would be safe to say though I would never assume nor dare to call a Scot or an Irishman British? but never call them English? But one who is English can be called either one or the other...And if I understood the last post by Ush, and I like to think that I do, the term "British" is considered dated by todays standard?
No, just the ancient meaning of 'British', which referred to a culture, and that the Romans would have used, has nothing to do with the modern day use of it, which simply refers to a geographical region.
Scots and Welsh ARE British, because they are part of Great Britain.
Northern Irish and Irish are not- they are part of Ireland.
They are seperate land masses.
But CULTURALLY, 'English' and 'British' have become a little synonomous.