Confused, Can you help? In America the term Afro American, Chinese American etc, How do we say the same?

Question

in England? African/English yes, Chinese English yes, Scots English Don't sound right. Welsh English don't sound right, Irish English, don't sound right. Is there another way to say it?

Answer 1

We don't need to say Scots-English, Welsh-English or Irish-English! We're all British! Except the Irish who don't live in Northern Ireland - but then they're simply called Irish, or British if they hold a British passport!

I've never heard or used anything like Chinese-English in conversation, only "her family is from China", or "she's Chinese" but I suppose that if you were writing it for an Americo-centric audience, and the subject's family originated in China and was now residing in England, Chinese-English would make sense.

African-British is wrong and such terms are demeaning, I think. If their grandmother came from Africa but they were born here, they're British, through and through! Skin colour shouldn't change what we decide their nationality is. Anybody who holds a British passport is British!

Answer 2

Well - I guess you could say Anglo-Chinese, Anglo-Singaporean, Anglo-Welsh etc.

Or maybe a more compact way might be to say Chinglish, Singlish and even perhaps Winglish :-)

Answer 3

interested or conscious,they want to know

Answer 4

well it wouldn't be English would it?  I mean everyone is all kinds of keen to make sure Americans know its not England or Brittain that the correct term should be Great Britain or United Kingdom.  Sorry that's my Smart@ss America mouth coming out.

But I don't think there is that much of a need for a deviation in the census for different names in UK.  Not to mention, in America the difference and distinction is only made for non caucasian persons, it's more of a "subspecies" thing (not that asians and africans are sub par, just that there is no term to categorize beyond species....KGCOFGS--nothing after that and there are differences between Asian, African, Native American and Caucasian) .  

Mostly, its to to have a proper and dignified term to refer to a person of ethnicity that's not insulting.

But I do have to ask, wht if they are not decendant from Africa, would they still be called African-American?  I mean what if they are Carribbean, like Barbados or Jamaica or Haiti....sure sure maybe there is a little Africa from 300 years ago, but isn't there more  Carrib Indian?

Answer 5

This is one of the reasons I hate the term African American- many PC folks will use it instead of black then they encounter a black person who is not Americna and the whole Afrianc American thing is tossed out. historicaly asian folks were refered to as yellow but IMHO if your born and rased in England your English.

Answer 6

Martin cannot be from the UK if he thinks the Welsh are Anglo!

for British nationalities there is no need to define anything other than nationality, English, Welsh, Northern Irish, Scottish, Manx and in Cornwall they would also say Cornish (Kyrnow)

For Immigrants they would be known as British...and their ethnicity,

British Asian for example, but as we are less race concious than in the US it's considered improper (and in some cases racist) to mention the ethnicity unless it's specifically required

Answer 7

Black Britons or Afro-English

BBC for British born Chinese

Anglo-Irish for Irish who are anglocised, i.e. born and bred in Britain, or English people in N Ireland.

Welsh is for Welsh people wherever they are found. But the English like to use the derogatory term 'Taffy' for Welsh people even though they live in England.

Answer 8

Yes. Foreigners.

Answer 9

How about Black-British, British-Chinese, or British Asians etc for those with Asian backgrounds born in the British Isles. Scots and Welsh are not foreign to Britain, therefore should have no reason to attach [British] to how they may want to explain their ethnicity..

Answer 10

English!

You either are or you aren't!

Answer 11

Sambo, chinky, jock, taff. But I'm having a hard time promoting these terms for the next Census form. It's PC gone mad. Or maybe just the keyboard!

Answer 12

We just say British.

Answer 13

We don't need American "inclusive" terms.  If we need to describe someone as having dark skin, we call them black.

Answer 14

I guess we would use the word 'Anglo' instead of American.  Although you would propably put it before other word rather than after.

But still it doesnt really sound right... I dont think we use the language in the same way in the UK.  

Answer 15

We don't. You are British regardless.  If you are born here you you have become a citizen, you are British. Or we world just say 'African, Asian, etc.

Actually: _illyanna

The full title of this glorious island..(said in jest) is The United Kingdom of Great Britian and Northern Ireland. Now you know that, you really can be a smart@rsed Amercian type person :-)