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Brits also Emphasize about their norman, viking and anglo-saxon ancestry, the same way americans emphasize how much british and specially germand and Irish they are (the most overstated ethnicities by far).
Many brits cant simply say they are english, scottish or welsh without having to mention they think they have important norman, viking, etc ancestry. The same way can be said by americans claiming certain nationalities they are not.
That just doesn't happen with British people or other people for that matter. I've never heard anyone go into that sort of detail. The only people that do that are on anthro boards and the internet where people have an interest in discussing that sort of detail.
The common man in the street wouldn't even know if they had a Norman derived name or anglo-saxon. People might know their surname is of Scottish or Welsh origin. Most people aren't even very interested in the subject. The only place I would have discussions on this is the internet. No one I know is at all interested.
I think it is more an American thing and doesn't seem to happen in other countries. Even in Australia people usually call themselves Australian especially if born here. Irish-Australian or Italian-Australian is not much used here in my experience.
Actually Australians are pretty similar to Americans in that respect. Since both are immigrant countries, most people here have roots elsewhere. Also many are either recent arrivals themselves or children of immigrants, so they are often quite connected to their culture. Especially in parts of Sydney and Melbourne, many many born and bred Aussies can speak a second language such as Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Arabic, Greek.etc. I know many Australians who also identify strongly as Italian, Irish, Chinese, Indian, Lebanese.etc. Indeed the Lebanese often talk about white Anglo-Saxon Australians as just 'Aussies', I think a usage which is sometimes perpetuated by the dominant northwest European group themselves. Even recently, however, many upper class Australians with British ancestry often looked to England as the mother country.
Disagree. Australians are as or even more obsessed with their ancestry. There are plenty here who play up how Italian they are or something and even talk in a slightly different accent. Thing Mary Coustas' character 'Effie' who was a Greek Australian stereotype.
As the others have noted, the obsession with ancestry is a very American thing. Probably due to being a fairly modern immigrant society.
Not true at all - the British are very interested in their ancestry... ancestry.co.uk is very popular here. They just don't think of their ancestry in terms of Viking, Anglo-Saxon, Norman, etc. Most couldn't possibly trace their tree that far back anyway. You might say the British are less interested in their DNA ancestry but in the genealogy bug is just as big here as it is in the US.
Actually Australians are pretty similar to Americans in that respect. Since both are immigrant countries, most people here have roots elsewhere. Also many are either recent arrivals themselves or children of immigrants, so they are often quite connected to their culture. Especially in parts of Sydney and Melbourne, many many born and bred Aussies can speak a second language such as Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Arabic, Greek.etc. I know many Australians who also identify strongly as Italian, Irish, Chinese, Indian, Lebanese.etc. Indeed the Lebanese often talk about white Anglo-Saxon Australians as just 'Aussies', I think a usage which is sometimes perpetuated by the dominant northwest European group themselves. Even recently, however, many upper class Australians with British ancestry often looked to England as the mother country.
I was talking about Australians that have been here for a few generations mostly. I think if you have obvious non-European ancestry people often will say they have Chinese ancestry for example. I've never heard anyone refer to themselves as Irish-Australian or Italian-Australian. When I was in primary school there were quite a few first generation Italians kids who insisted they were Australians. Look at Olivia Newton-John and John Farnham both born in England and referred to by themselves and others as Australian. John Farnham is looked on as an Aussie icon. Maybe parts of Sydney or Melbourne that have heavy "ethnic" communities and identify as such are different than the mainstream people that I have come into contact with. My daughter for example identifies as only Australian. She was born here but I was born in Ireland and her father was born in England but both of us came here as children.
I've never heard anyone but Americans calling themselves 'heritage of choice'-American. And I've never heard Australians calling themselves hyphenated anything either.
Many British have asked me why Americans are so big on genealogy. I just tell them it's like being adopted - they want to find their roots. Or maybe it's not enough to just be called American. As someone else said, the British are just 'British', no hyphens.
What about the Use of the term "White" in UK and the US, UK census use the word "white british", and the US uses the term "white american". Nowhere in continental europe people use "white french" or "white german" etc, they just recognize "ethnic german", "ethnic dutch", "ethnic french" ,etc. The use of labels such as "white" or "white people" is definitely an anglospheric term, I have never met an european who called himself white or considered this or that white or non-white, they just care of their nationality, unlilke Americans and to lesser extent brits.
What exactly is the difference between a white German and an ethnic German?
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