Whats your ethnic background?

[sb129]

Ok, understood.

 

There must be a difference between Italian-American culture and Italian culture though? Have you spent any time in Italy to be able to make that observation?

 

The point I am trying to make- why don't you say Italian-American?

To me that explains your heritage perfectly- an American with Italian heritage.

 

Its semantics, I know, but just trying to explain how I interpret things.

If you just said "Italian" I would assume you were born there.

 

Not having a go SP, just using your situation as an example.

[Disciple of Mystery]

Rotteweiler? You're part dog?

 

it could be part bitch, LOL that was joke by the way.

 

as for me

Dad- the Dos Equis Guy (stay thirsty my friends)

Mom- Elvira Mistress of the Dark

[shadowplay]

Ok, understood.

 

There must be a difference between Italian-American culture and Italian culture though? Have you spent any time in Italy to be able to make that observation?

 

The point I am trying to make- why don't you say Italian-American?

To me that explains your heritage perfectly- an American with Italian heritage.

 

Its semantics, I know, but just trying to explain how I interpret things.

If you just said "Italian" I would assume you were born there.

 

Not having a go SP, just using your situation as an example.

 

I think it is purely a semantic thing.

 

I would describe myself as Italian-American. If somebody asked my nationality I would say American. If I were abroad and somebody asked me "what are you?" I would say American. But when the question pertains to ethnicity I take that as genetic make up by country of origin a few generations back, not nationality. That's what people in America are usually referring to when they inquire about ethnicity. I think if I were overseas and somebody asked my ethnicity I would have them clarify whether they meant nationality or where my ancestors were born.

Edited May 18, 2010 by shadowplay

[tigressA]

I'm 1/2 Italian (mom's side), and the other half is some combination of African-American/Irish (dad's side).

[sb129]

TigressA, I bet you are HAWT.

 

SP- you're right, semantics. Thanks for explaining.

[Carolyn]

It took the Normans and Saxons about 300 years of living together before they decided it was alright to call themselves English.

 

So that would have been 13th - 14th century then?

 

Sorry, you are wrong.

 

England was known as Angle-Land (England) and since the Saxons arrived, centuries before the Normans ventured here.

 

England and the English nationality had long been established and before they arrived.

[skydiveaddict]

Dad Irish

mom Irish

me Irish

[Toki]

So that would have been 13th - 14th century then?

 

Sorry, you are wrong.

 

England was known as Angle-Land (England) and since the Saxons arrived, centuries before the Normans ventured here.

 

England and the English nationality had long been established and before they arrived.

 

As far as I remember in Saxon history, the Angles were a Germanic Tribe, that conquered and occupied large swathes of Britain, The Venerable Bede wrote them down as the Angelfolc, and Alfred the Great was a Saxon describe himself as being Engel. However, there is little evidence in written scriptures from the time (which is why they call it a Dark Age) that the Kingdoms of Mercia, Northumbria, Wessex, Sussex, Cantware, or any of the other Saxon tribes actually considered themselves to be Angle except in East Anglia.

 

By 1066, most written evidence suggests that the population of these former kingdoms (having been united by this time) considered themselves to be Saxons first. However, the root word of England (Anglaland) had spread amongst the Kingdoms, but was predominantly used to describe the landmass, and not the people themselves, except obviously in East Anglia where they considered themselves Anglo-Saxons.

 

What the Saxons lacked was a solid national identity, sort of like in the US where people from Texas don't call themselves American, they usually call themselves Texan first, or Floridian, or New Yorker. The Normans brought in modern Feudalism, which meant records needed to be kept for taxation and consensus purposes. Which meant if your local Lord was taxing you too heavily, you moved elsewhere instead of sticking by your clan. The Normans were really responsible for the modern usage of England, or English, because the Norman word for Britain was 'Angleterre', so when they would write down where someone was from, or where they were going, they would write something like "Worcestershire, Mercia, Angleterre, 1163" Whereas before it would have been something like "Worcestershire, Mercia, 1029" Eventually as time went on and the Normans amalgamated with the local population, the dominant language in use was Old English, which obviously at some point came about probably because of rampant migration, words such as Anglish came into use to describe everyone living in Anglaland, which later would later turn in English, and England.

 

However, whether or not the Angles came in vast numbers is not known, the Saxons didn't like keeping records. What is pretty clear is that before 1200 people still considered themselves to be Saxon, or Norman but not necessarily Angle. Why that is? I don't know, perhaps the East Anglians were more prone to setting up shop elsewhere than staying home, compared to other Saxons. What is known is that sometime after 1200 the usage of English, and England came into wide spread use.

 

I would like to check that with an expert, but that's what I seem to remember. Not usually this long winded.

Edited May 20, 2010 by Toki

[D-Lish]

Dad Irish

mom Irish

me Irish

 

I like Irish;)

[Gold Pile]

I like Irish;)

guess what I am. Want to see my blarney stones?