BRITS: What's the DIFFERENCE between ENGLAND and BRITAIN, between ENGLISH and BRITISH?

Question

Are they synonimous, or are there slight differences? Please pardon my ignorance. I hope you enlighten me. Thank you very much.

Answer 1

England is a country. It is part of the British Isles, which comprise England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, and all the Scottish islands, Irish islands, Welsh islands and English islands. There are literally hundreds. So anyone from this region is British.

Answer 2

Technically, it's the same as "California(n)" versus "US".

England is one member of the United Kingdom and one area of the "British Isles".

"England" is the 'state', "Britain" the 'country' (actually, "The United Kingdom").

'English' relates to those things done in England that are different from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, only. "British' refers to things associated with the 'ideas' and 'ideals' of the whole nation.

Unfortunately, people have a difficulty making distinctions between "Britain"/"The UK" and "England, which has always been the dominant member of the kingdom/country.
The US, in particular, is bad at this. So many reports and items refer, for instance, to "the Queen of England" rather than "the Queen of the United Kingdom", that confusion is easy.
It is also partly why the Welsh and Scots (not to mention the Republic of Ireland and supporters in Northern Ireland) get upset - they feel they are overlooked.

Think of it in US terms. If it was 'decided' the President had to come from (just off the top of my head) Texas, it could become common to refer to "The Texan President" or "It has been decided by the Texan Congress" as well as the "US President" and the "US Congress". In one sense, it would mean the same thing - but Texas (sorry, guys) ISN'T "the USA"!

Answer 3

Breton - the British were the Celtic Tribes of England, who were Colonised by the romans, who called the islands Albion, - White Lands - because of the white cliffs as you approached it from the south by sea.

The islands were then called the British Isles, by the Roman empire.

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe consisting of Great Britain, Ireland, and several thousand smaller surrounding islands and islets. The islands were named after the Priteni, an ancient name for the Irish and British pre-Roman inhabitants; however, on its own, the dominant modern meaning of the adjective "British" is "of Great Britain or of the United Kingdom or its people", so the term "British Isles" can be mistakenly interpreted to imply that the Republic of Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. The Irish government's policy is that the term is not used by the government and is without any official status, as stated by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern in 2005; the media in the Republic of Ireland also rarely use it. 'British Isles' has also been used to include just Northern Ireland with Great Britain, and not the Republic of Ireland, or even to exclude the entirety of Ireland.

The English, are actualy the Anglo-Saxon invaders who got here in about 400 ad, (allong with Jutes) and divided the main island into seperate kindoms, driving the Romano-celts into the far west and North (Wales, Cornwall, and Scotland).

Then the Danish Invaded, and took the east Coast, but Alfred the Great defeated them, declared peace, and as last surviving king od the Saxons, declared imself the fist king of the AEnglish.

So England, has been the dominant nation historically, and when the empire was established, (Charles 2nd marriage to Catherine of Briganzia in 1672, it was called the Empire of Greater Britan, because Cromwell had conqured Ireland, a few years earlier, Edward the Welsh in 1400, and his Grandfather James was Scottish, so the islands were united for the first time.

Answer 4

Interesting question. First we have the British Isles, which is a group of islands out in the Atlantic Ocean. Then we have the United Kingdom of Great Britain, which is the country most belong to. The United Kingdom consists of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

The best thing to do is call them all British. If you make a mistake and call a Scotsman English, he'll be insulted and may even hurt you.

Answer 5

The difference to being English and British is due to ones birth and loyalties.
As an example, I'm of Irish, Scottish, Welsh, English, and Anglo Indian Decent, though born in England. I am not enough Irish or Scottish or English etc to see myself belonging to anyone of these groups, in effect I am the product of the British empire (For good or bad), my national Identity can only be the union of all these components and that is being British.
Being English is an Identity forged from being largely exclusively English and not having any other cultural connections.
My Grandmother and mother were born in India, so they were classed as Anglo Indian, yet they were British Citizens who were not English but a mixture of the British peoples.
What is different too is that Being British is not dependant upon your race due to the fact that the British Identity is not based on Nationalism but on patriotism and ideals.
I am loyal to the union of this country just as I am loyal to my Scottish, Welsh, Irsh etc ancestors for they are all part of the same history.
In the war my Scottish grandfather fought in an English regiment, there was no great division in those days.
What people are seeing today with all this English and Scottish nationalism is sadly the break down of the Union, which has kept the peace between England and Scotland for over three hundred years.
We must also remember people born in parts of the world we call the common wealth, such as South Africa, Jamaica, where people have British as well as having African decent, they too are part of British history and are British, esspecially as some of these people have settled in Britain since the nineteen fifties.
Personally speaking I class my self as British but never English, England is insignificant compared to British achievements.

Answer 6

The British are from the British Isles.
The British Isles are made up of, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (plus the channel isles and Isle of Man and a few other islands of small land mass)

So Being British means your from the British Isles.
However I am English as I live in England, My friend is Welsh as he lives in Wales, and my girlfiend is Scotish. We are all British. My cousin from the Republic of Island, but he is Irish. However his mate is from Belfast ( the Northern Island - still ruled or govern from Britain) is British.

I Hope that helps. There is another issue - Whats the differents between British Isles and the United Kingdom, but thats another question.

Answer 7

English is people from England. British is people from Great Britain.

England is a country by itself.
Great Britain is England, Scotland & Wales (NOT Northern Ireland as if you include Northern Ireland that is the United Kingdom).

Answer 8

People who was born in England is English. Regarding the royalty and the political organization of the country, Britain will include England, Scotland and Walles, so British is the one who was born in Britain. And United Kingdom will be the combination of Britain (Scotland, Walles and England) and North Ireland.

But many times is used as a synonimous.

Answer 9

Britain is comprised of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. as I was born in England, I'm English. Because England is in Britain I'm British as are the Irish, Welsh, and Scots.

Answer 10

I'm not sure where youe are or where you're from but the difference is quite simple.

British people come from Britain, that means the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northen Ireland (the UK). Welsh people are both Welsh and British, for example, but not English. I am both English AND British, as I was born in England.

I hope that clearly answers your question.