...we just had a discussion/argument in the office.

If you are from Scotland...are you considered "British"?

Someone in our office was speaking to a Scottish customer and commented on her "British" accent.

He was corrected by someone who said "Scottish" not "British".

I argued that British means from the British Isles...so England, Wales, Scotland are all British.

Others argued that British & English mean the same thing, so if you're from England, you have a British accent.

I googled it of course, and Wiki's definition of "British" lends support to my argument...but then the other camp says that when we say "British accent" we mean someone who speaks english like an Englishman.

Yes.

Your co-worker needs to bone up on the historically testy relationship between England and Scotland.

As a purely geographical matter, yes - Scotland is part of Britain. But in no way would a Scots accent be considered "British."

I also have friends from England who get very annoyed if you refer to them as "British" instead of "English."

As near as I can reckon, it's like in Clueless, when Cher talks about her housekeeper "talking Mexican" when she's from El Salvador.

imago said:

Yes.

PurpleJedi said:

imago said:

Yes.

Yes, they are British.

As is their accent.

However, it would be likenned to saying a Canadian is American and has an American accent.

Well, not as extreme, but you get my point.

The Scottish make better lovers, that's for sure, lawd....

Genesia said:

Your co-worker needs to bone up on the historically testy relationship between England and Scotland.

As a purely geographical matter, yes - Scotland is part of Britain. But in no way would a Scots accent be considered "British."

I also have friends from England who get very annoyed if you refer to them as "British" instead of "English."

As near as I can reckon, it's like in Clueless, when Cher talks about her housekeeper "talking Mexican" when she's from El Salvador.

Yeah...I think that the term "British accent" (which I've heard before) is incorrect.

But then, since in America we speak "english" I guess it's easier to say (of an Englishman) that he has a "British" accent (as in "British english" compared to "American english").

No?

imago said:

PurpleJedi said:

Yes, they are British.

As is their accent.

However, it would be likenned to saying a Canadian is American and has an American accent.

Well, not as extreme, but you get my point.

The Scottish make better lovers, that's for sure, lawd....

Wait-! Aren't Canadians still part of the British Empire??? ...googling now...

I haven't participated in a thread this bad in a long time.

imago said:

I haven't participated in a thread this bad in a long time.

Only cuz you took a break and stopped posting...

PurpleJedi said:

Genesia said:

Your co-worker needs to bone up on the historically testy relationship between England and Scotland.

As a purely geographical matter, yes - Scotland is part of Britain. But in no way would a Scots accent be considered "British."

I also have friends from England who get very annoyed if you refer to them as "British" instead of "English."

As near as I can reckon, it's like in Clueless, when Cher talks about her housekeeper "talking Mexican" when she's from El Salvador.

Yeah...I think that the term "British accent" (which I've heard before) is incorrect.

But then, since in America we speak "english" I guess it's easier to say (of an Englishman) that he has a "British" accent (as in "British english" compared to "American english").

No?

Sort of. But a Scottish accent is so distinct it doesn't make sense at all to call it a "British" accent. And even within England, you can get very different sounding accents depending on region. The Mancunian is different from the black country is different from the cockney.

Yeah, they're all British, but their accents are all different, so using the most descriptive makes the most sense.

oh my god, I've got to do SOMETHING to make this thread better, so here:

CarrieMpls said:

PurpleJedi said:

Yeah...I think that the term "British accent" (which I've heard before) is incorrect.

But then, since in America we speak "english" I guess it's easier to say (of an Englishman) that he has a "British" accent (as in "British english" compared to "American english").

No?

Sort of. But a Scottish accent is so distinct it doesn't make sense at all to call it a "British" accent. And even within England, you can get very different sounding accents depending on region. The Mancunian is different from the black country is different from the cockney.

Yeah, they're all British, but their accents are all different, so using the most descriptive makes the most sense.

Now that makes sense...

Am I wrong, or can you not call the Irish British?

I was told anything British had to be in Great Brittain, which is part of the UK. GB is Scottland, Wales, and England, while the UK is all the afore mentioned plus Ireland and something else or some shit like that.

imago said:

CarrieMpls said:

PurpleJedi said:

Yeah...I think that the term "British accent" (which I've heard before) is incorrect.

But then, since in America we speak "english" I guess it's easier to say (of an Englishman) that he has a "British" accent (as in "British english" compared to "American english").

No?

Sort of. But a Scottish accent is so distinct it doesn't make sense at all to call it a "British" accent. And even within England, you can get very different sounding accents depending on region. The Mancunian is different from the black country is different from the cockney.

Yeah, they're all British, but their accents are all different, so using the most descriptive makes the most sense.

Having worked with so many different "British" accents as an actor (RP, Midlands, Estuary and Cockney), I tend to err on the side of specificity, myself.

I've never attempted Scots, though - which is quite eye-popping in its difficulty. Most often I wind up lapsing into a Ned Divine-ian Irish, for some reason - though the two are very different.

unique said:

imago said:

Am I wrong, or can you not call the Irish British?

I was told anything British had to be in Great Brittain, which is part of the UK. GB is Scottland, Wales, and England, while the UK is all the afore mentioned plus Ireland and something else or some shit like that.

Irish is Irish. Northern Ireland is part of Britain but not the southern part which is just Irish. You fucking foreigners wouldn't understand it but it's like calling Canadians Americans. Same landmass, different country.

And another thing.

One of my English friends hates being called a European. Why is that?

imago said:

Am I wrong, or can you not call the Irish British?

I was told anything British had to be in Great Brittain, which is part of the UK. GB is Scottland, Wales, and England, while the UK is all the afore mentioned plus Ireland and something else or some shit like that.

Only if you care to start a war.

Northern Ireland may be considered part of Britain - but not the Republic of Ireland.

imago said:

unique said:

imago said: Irish is Irish. Northern Ireland is part of Britain but not the southern part which is just Irish. You fucking foreigners wouldn't understand it but it's like calling Canadians Americans. Same landmass, different country.

And another thing.

One of my English friends hates being called a European. Why is that?

Because they aren't European?

Genesia said:

imago said:

And another thing.

One of my English friends hates being called a European. Why is that?

Because they aren't European?

Well, I also call him Austrailian because I know he hates that, so my various insults are changed up to keep him agitated.

unique said:

imago said:

Am I wrong, or can you not call the Irish British?

I was told anything British had to be in Great Brittain, which is part of the UK. GB is Scottland, Wales, and England, while the UK is all the afore mentioned plus Ireland and something else or some shit like that.

Irish is Irish. Northern Ireland is part of Britain but not the southern part which is just Irish. You fucking foreigners wouldn't understand it but it's like calling Canadians Americans. Same landmass, different country.

Actually Northern Ireland is part of the UK not part of GB.

In Scotland if we are filling out any kind of application form our nationality is "British" not "Scottish".

In England Andy Murray is British until he loses then he becomes Scottish again.

imago said:

oh my god, I've got to do SOMETHING to make this thread better, so here:

That was funny.

My thread still rocks without it though.

unique said:

Scottish is British but I suppose you wouldn't say a Scottish accent is British rather than Scottish Like carrie said , who has heard my accent, you wouldn't really say it was British, rather than Scottish. The British accent is perhaps more known as an English accent Scottish is like English but with more swearing and alcohol.

unique said:

imago said:

Am I wrong, or can you not call the Irish British?

I was told anything British had to be in Great Brittain, which is part of the UK. GB is Scottland, Wales, and England, while the UK is all the afore mentioned plus Ireland and something else or some shit like that.

Irish is Irish. Northern Ireland is part of Britain but not the southern part which is just Irish. You fucking foreigners wouldn't understand it but it's like calling Canadians Americans. Same landmass, different country.

Technically however...everyone from the southern tip of Chile up to the northermost corner of Canada is "American".

Genesia said:

imago said:

Am I wrong, or can you not call the Irish British?

I was told anything British had to be in Great Brittain, which is part of the UK. GB is Scottland, Wales, and England, while the UK is all the afore mentioned plus Ireland and something else or some shit like that.

Only if you care to start a war.

Northern Ireland may be considered part of Britain - but not the Republic of Ireland.

Mike Myers portrays us brilliantly

Genesia said:

imago said:

And another thing.

One of my English friends hates being called a European. Why is that?

Because they aren't European?

Why? Because they're not part of the mainland?

I think that "European" encompasses all of what is considered part of "Western Europe" and that includes the British Isles. Just like Sicily is "Italian".

imago said:

unique said:

imago said: Irish is Irish. Northern Ireland is part of Britain but not the southern part which is just Irish. You fucking foreigners wouldn't understand it but it's like calling Canadians Americans. Same landmass, different country.

And another thing.

One of my English friends hates being called a European. Why is that?

britiain isn't part of europe that's why. we aren't fucking foreign. we speak da motherfucking english. only foreigners are european

muirdo said:

unique said:

imago said: Irish is Irish. Northern Ireland is part of Britain but not the southern part which is just Irish. You fucking foreigners wouldn't understand it but it's like calling Canadians Americans. Same landmass, different country.

Actually Northern Ireland is part of the UK not part of GB.

In Scotland if we are filling out any kind of application form our nationality is "British" not "Scottish".

In England Andy Murray is British until he loses then he becomes Scottish again.

that explains why the americans looked at me funny when i wrote "motherfucker" as my nationality on my visa waiver card

unique said:

imago said:

And another thing.

One of my English friends hates being called a European. Why is that?

britiain isn't part of europe that's why. we aren't fucking foreign. we speak da motherfucking english. only foreigners are european