Words, words, words …

Many foreigners say ‘England’ and ‘English’ when they mean ‘Britain’, or the ‘UK’, and ‘British’. This is very annoying for the 5 million people who live in Scotland, the 2,8 million in Wales and 1,5 million in Northern Ireland who are certainly not English. (46 million people live in England.) 'English' is not the same as 'British'!

People who are English are from the country of England. On the other hand, British people are people who live in Great Britain (Britain) and the UK. Although everyone in the UK has a British citizenship they have different nationalities.

England is only one of the three countries in Britain (Scotland, England and Wales). The Scots and the Welsh sometimes get angry when they are referred to as 'English'. They do not live in England and they have their own parliaments, so why should they take their identity from England? They have their own identity. There are often distinct differences between people living in each of the three countries in Britain. This is because different groups of people tend to develop their own customs and way of life.

England. People born in England are called English or British and can say that they live in England, Britain and/or the UK. Most people in England tend to say they are British rather than English.

Slang terms sometimes used for the English include "Sassenachs"* (from the Scots Gaelic*), "Limeys"* (in reference to the citrus fruits carried aboard English sailing vessels to prevent scurvy) and "Pom/Pommy"* (used in Australian English and New Zealand English).

Scotland. People born in Scotland are called Scottish or British and can say that they live in Scotland, Britain and/or the UK. Most people in Scotland will say they are Scottish rather than British.

Wales. People born in Wales are called Welsh or British and can say that they live in Wales, Britain and/or the UK. Most people in Wales will say they are Welsh rather than British.

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*Sassenach – [´sæsənæk] сущ.; ирл.; шотл.; презр. англичанин

*Gaelic – Gaelic - [´geilik] 1) гэльский, гаэльский язык (язык шотландских кельтов) 2) любой из гойдельских языков (группа, включающая ирландский, шотландский и мэнский языки)

*Limey - сущ.; сниж. англичанин; английский матрос

*Pom/Pommy - австрал.; разг.; неодобр. англичанин

DID YOU GET IT?

Answer the questions using the information from the text.

1. Why do some people living in the UK get angry when they are called English?

2. Do all the citizens of the UK have the same national identity?

3. What do people living in Scotland / Wales / England tend to call themselves?

   1. Who do you call British?