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Well tbh hes right. Americans always say 'i'm Irish' or 'i'm Scottish' which is putting a label on yourself. We do not do that here in the British isles.
Are you kidding me?
Americans are not "always saying" they're Irish or Scottish unless the topic is ancestry. Or if it's St Paddy's day - on that day, everyone's Irish.
Well tbh hes right. Americans always say 'i'm Irish' or 'i'm Scottish' which is putting a label on yourself. We do not do that here in the British isles.
You may not but I know many who do - my English husband calls himself half-Irish and I know an English born man who has Scottish ancestry so he calls himself Scottish when the topic of heritage comes up.
The difference is that many Americans appear to be desperate to put labels on themselves. For example, Irish-American or Scots-American. I don't think Brits are all that interested in the labels.
I enjoyed tracing my family tree back. It was very interesting and I was able to find a whole bunch of second cousins who I didn't know existed. We even did a second cousins reunion. But it is done now. I pretty much know where I came from. Time to look to the future.
Plenty of Americans have little interest in their family tree or what their ancestors were doing. However, most will be aware of where their ancestors came from, and will refer to it if asked. Many (probably most) don't care all that deeply about it, and the hyphenated is the usual convention.
You may not but I know many who do - my English husband calls himself half-Irish and I know an English born man who has Scottish ancestry so he calls himself Scottish when the topic of heritage comes up.
Well yes I do know those people but they are a different case. Anyone in the British isles that I have met who have discussed their ancestry have always based it on their parents who were born in another country.
The americans are basing their ancestry from 300 years ago. Its kind of like me saying oh i'm Scottish when I have absolutely no connection to Scotland at all.
The americans are basing their ancestry from 300 years ago. Its kind of like me saying oh i'm Scottish when I have absolutely no connection to Scotland at all.
It's often far less, maybe 100 years ago. People of my parent's generation often had a grandparent who was born in another country or at least spoke a second language. The ones whose ancestry is from 300 years ago generally don't mention it much if at all.
I do have a friend who does think of his ancestry as "German" and his family has been in the country for 300 years, but until 100 years ago his family was speaking German.
Well yes I do know those people but they are a different case. Anyone in the British isles that I have met who have discussed their ancestry have always based it on their parents who were born in another country.
The americans are basing their ancestry from 300 years ago.
Says who? My Italian ancestors immigrated in 1912, not that long ago when you consider that half of my family members still alive today personally knew and remember these immigrants. I have collected many first hand accounts from living ancestors about my immigrant relatives, memories which are important to them and therefore to me as well.
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Its kind of like me saying oh i'm Scottish when I have absolutely no connection to Scotland at all.
I don't think you fully understand the influences immigration in America had and still has. But that's okay, a lot of British people don't because the UK didn't experience it the way America did.
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