I appreciate empires history etc, but what in the world warrants us being called great. Isin't a wonder why they call us pompus? I think its about time we dropped the "great".
2006-11-07 23:24:41 · 20 answers · asked by ? 5 in Social Science ➔ Other - Social Science
not an immigrant and family history going back al least 6 generations BRITISH. Rome had the greatest empire in history, but Italy does not prefix its name with a glorification.
2006-11-07 23:35:58 · update #1
Macca 64 has shown me even the english language sometimes can be misleading to a fellow brit. I will blame my monotone history teacher for my ignorance.
2006-11-07 23:52:40 · update #2
In Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (circa 1136), the island of Great Britain was referred to as Britannia major ("Greater Britain"), to distinguish it from Britannia minor ("Lesser Britain"), the continental region which approximates to modern Brittany. The term "Bretayne the grete" was used by chroniclers as early as 1338, but it was not used officially until James I proclaimed himself "King of Great Britain" on 20 October 1604 to avoid the more cumbersome title "King of England and Scotland".
The full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
And please leave off the abuse Mark - it gains nothing and just shows you up as being small minded.
2006-11-07 23:34:59 · answer #1 · answered by macca 64 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
The British people occupied an area that is basically the U.K. and Brittany, the larger part was `Greater Britain` and the smaller part `Lesser Britain`, then via stages, Great Britain and Little Britain over the Sea, to Great Britain and Brittany/Brezh/Bretagne.
I have just returned from Brittany again. A lovely place, I recommend it thoroughly...awesome cakes !
2006-11-08 00:02:52 · answer #2 · answered by Robert Abuse 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
SIMPLE
within the British isles there are many Islands.(over 400)
The Largest of these i.e. the one with Scotland,England and Wales is called Great Britain.
The Great has nothing to do with being powerful or fantastic but merely a geographic term to do with size.
job done!
2006-11-08 11:05:45 · answer #3 · answered by Jimbobarino 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What does all the stuff against immigrants do here?
Referring back to the one who said they have to learn English if they fail to understand the meaning of Great Britain (I do by the way), well, the immigrants know at least two languages and at least they make the effort to learn English as a foreign language, whereas a lot of englishspeaking people dont even bother to learn any other language.
And why should an immigrant have something against the country he immigrated to? Maybe because of all this comments? Taken from nowhere?
2006-11-07 23:41:47 · answer #4 · answered by dorotti 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
properly at the start, because of the fact the united kingdom has had extra terrorist assaults than the U. S., i might say the war in Afghanistan is extra suitable than only an "American war". different than for that, i think of what you could desire to distance yourselves from is the ecu. Why you enable a team of foreigners dictate coverage to you is previous me. and you're ideal, France and Germany communicate a stable recreation yet they'd't furnish. in my opinion, from what i've got learn the German troops in Afghanistan, i in my opinion think of they'd desire to flow residing house in the previous somebody breaks a nail. the base line is, while the chips are down, no one can deliver it like our cousins - the Brits (and Scots and Irish), the Canadians, the hot Zealanders and the Aussies. mutually, we are particularly a family individuals.
2016-10-21 11:30:55 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's because we comprise of 3 Countries (I didn't include N.Ireland as the title is Great Britain and N.Ireland, no offence guys) that form a greater Nation.
It is historical, true, but we should not drop it. Our Nation is called "The United Kingdom of GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland". We have been called that for a long time and I will give up that name over my dead body. I'm in the RAF and am a patriot. That is the title of my Nation and I am PROUD of it.
It will always be Great Britain in my eyes.
2006-11-07 23:37:59 · answer #6 · answered by genghis41f 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Firstly you are not comparing like with like, Britain comprises several countries, all your other examples are single countries.
if Britain is great, how come there is Greater Manchester.
You are considering the word "Great" in an erroneous context here.
Nobody calls it that anyway, overseas we allways called it "Ukay"
2006-11-08 00:27:54 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Nowadays we're commonly referred to as the United Kingdom, which is a complete joke anyway.
Britain is only relevant to the English and also Northern Irish Prods.
2006-11-07 23:29:30 · answer #8 · answered by J Tourettes 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
lol
it's not that we're great, it's derived from Britannia major or something like that, the latin name that the romans gave to it
here i got this from wikipedia
n Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (circa 1136), the island of Great Britain was referred to as Britannia major ("Greater Britain"), to distinguish it from Britannia minor ("Lesser Britain"), the continental region which approximates to modern Brittany.
2006-11-07 23:32:21 · answer #9 · answered by town_cl0wn 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
In this case great does not signify super, fantastic, etc. It merely means great as in size. Equivalent to Greater London, Manchester, Glasgow, etc.
If foreigners fail to grasp this concept then they should learn English.
2006-11-07 23:33:01 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋