Question for people in the UK: Who do you call British?

Question

Are all people in the United Kingdom considered British? For example would it be correct to call someone from Scotland British? Or Wales? Or Northern Ireland?
Dumb question I know but I was curious.

Answer 1

You can call everyone on the British Isles British but in some places you will receive a good thrashing.

This image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:British_Isles_Venn_Diagram.png does a decent job of explaining the relationships which can be a bit confusing. It comes from this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles_%28terminology%29

Answer 2

Northern Ireland doesn't count as British.

To be British you have to come from the mainland, England/Scotland/Wales

That is why in the Olympics etc we are referred to as Great Britain & Northern Ireland

Answer 3

Although I am no expert on this, I would say that a "Brit" is someone from England, while a "Scot" is someone from Scotland. An "Irishman" or "NorthIrishman" from their respective nations . . . and so on.

Over here on this side of the water, we refer to Americans as those in the U.S. Even though Canada and Mexico share the same continent, citizens of either of those two nations are not labeled as Americans.

Also, anyone occupying any area of Central or South America is not referred to as American. The exception though, is that many from Central America are called Latin American or Latinos, for short. It is more of an ethnic label, rather than a geographic label.

Most anyone in this world takes some sense of pride in identifying with his or her country of origin. To call a Frenchman a European seems insulting, 'cuz even though he is definitely European, he is first from France.

Also, Hawaiins are more Hawaiin than American, probably when it comes to their identity, ethnicity, etc.

Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese, Korean, etc. are all Asian, but would probably prefer to be labeled by their respective country of origin.

It's all about respect. British, American, Asian, European, Caucasian, Hawaiin, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, African-American, etc. are all very broad terms. Society deems them acceptable, when one is unsure of another's specific origin.

Answer 4

I would call anybody born on these island British, but I do know there are a lot of people out there who prefer to be called English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh.

Answer 5

i think mainly all are called Brits except those stayin Northern Island.

If u're aware, there are lot of expats stayin there, they can't be called Brits.