"VGer47" wrote in message
news:1148236508.436196.190310@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Sorry about that; over here the three are seen as more or less
> interchangeable in common talk. I doubt even serious newspapers always
> manage to use the right term in the right place. But I'll try harder in
> the future. (Splitting the country up for simplification isn't an
> option I suppose?
>
> Didn't think so. ;-) )
Ah well don't worry.........I am getting used to people making the mistake.
I'm not so used to such polite retractions though! I've obviously built up a
bit of a reputation on this group for being fussy about the said subject.
Probably stems from a thread a while back when one or two American (I think)
posters insisted that because they often use the terms as intechangeable
then it was ok to keep on doing so, even if they knew that people were
offended by it. I don't mean to be a continual grump though!
Basically from a Scottish viewpoint (and you can say the same for other
non-English Brits) most folk would almost certainly correct you but it's
unlikely they'd be offended unless you stubbornly continued to do it. You'd
have to understand the dynamics on our island and the history and
rivalry..........but basically without resorting to curses, an Englishman is
just about the last thing a Scot would want to be called.
You probably know already but just in case anyone else wonders what I'm
going on about. The state is the UK (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).
Great Britain consists of Scotland, England and Wales. We call Scotland and
the others 'countries' which can throw some foreigners who often think of
countries as being only independent states. Citizens of the UK are called
British as there is no alternative like United Kingdomer! Britain itself or
Great Britian is generally an acceptable shorthand for the whole state
though some in Northern Irleand, for obvious reasons, would dislike that
term. England should be used for that part of Great Britian which isn't
Scotland or Wales :-) Most Scots are happy to be called Scots or Scottish,
and British - but they tend to dislike Scotch and English is a complete no
no.
cheers
Allan
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