Comments on: The Demonyms of the United Kingdom http://deanebarker.net/blog/post/311 It's like an electronic mirror, into which I can gaze. Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:35:59 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: cmadler http://deanebarker.net/blog/post/311/comment-page-1#comment-10615 cmadler Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:28:39 +0000 http://deanebarker.net/blog/post/311#comment-10615 Well, both islands (as well as various smaller surrounding islands) are the British Isles, and any inhabitant of any of the British Isles could be said to be British. The larger island, with England, Wales, and Scotland, is "Great Britain", but there was also a nation called the "Kingdom of Great Britain" from 1707 to 1800, a nation called "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" from 1801 to 1927, and "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" since 1928. This is the problem with multiple overlapping places with the same or similar names. Consider: American (North and South America) -American (US) --New Yorker (state) ---New Yorker (city) -American (native) -Argentine --American (city in Buenos Aires province) European -Dutch --American (city in Limburg province) Even though Ireland is technically part of the "British Isles", because of the history of conflict between Great Britain and Ireland, I'd expect someone from Ireland to be pretty upset if you referred to them as "British." See, for example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles_naming_dispute Well, both islands (as well as various smaller surrounding islands) are the British Isles, and any inhabitant of any of the British Isles could be said to be British. The larger island, with England, Wales, and Scotland, is “Great Britain”, but there was also a nation called the “Kingdom of Great Britain” from 1707 to 1800, a nation called “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland” from 1801 to 1927, and “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” since 1928.

This is the problem with multiple overlapping places with the same or similar names. Consider:

American (North and South America)
-American (US)
–New Yorker (state)
—New Yorker (city)
-American (native)
-Argentine
–American (city in Buenos Aires province)
European
-Dutch
–American (city in Limburg province)

Even though Ireland is technically part of the “British Isles”, because of the history of conflict between Great Britain and Ireland, I’d expect someone from Ireland to be pretty upset if you referred to them as “British.”

See, for example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles_naming_dispute

]]> By: Corey V. http://deanebarker.net/blog/post/311/comment-page-1#comment-10613 Corey V. Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:41:13 +0000 http://deanebarker.net/blog/post/311#comment-10613 And that "demonym" is a real word just made my day. And that “demonym” is a real word just made my day.

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