Help please? Brit pick...

[foxmonkey]

I have a question for any Brits on my flist. And *please* excuse my ignorance. I'm embarrassed that I have to ask about this!

How do you refer to yourself, are you English or British? What's the key difference? How would Draco Malfoy refer to himself?

I started to Google around to see what I could find, but I'd rather hear what real live people have to say. :-) Thanks in advance to anyone who responds. :-)

Comments

[urbanoceanix.livejournal.com]

Personally I refer to myself as British.
I am English, but refering to it that specifically seems over-specific. Plus, in person, it is obvious that I am not Irish, Welsh or Scottish (the accents are distinctive).
I have no idea about HP so I can't help with what Draco would think.
Also, I think that the others are more likely to define themselves as not English (i.e. say Irish, Welsh or Scottish) but that's just my impression.

[urbanoceanix.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday by the way.
Have a fab day.

[foxmonkey.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday by the way. Have a fab day.

Thank you! It's a beautiful sunny day, so I may just have to go out and buy myself something fun. :-)

[foxmonkey.livejournal.com]

I am English, but refering to it that specifically seems over-specific.

Thank you, that's kind of what I had in mind, whether someone English would identify with the empire at large, or where they were born, if that makes sense. :-D I know the difference between the two, geographically speaking (Irish, Welsh, Scottish), but wondered what the youth of today would think. ;-)

Is one considered more posh than the other? More old-fashioned?

I hope all of this makes sense. It's hard to explain what I want without sounding like a completely clueless idiot. :-) Thanks!

[urbanoceanix.livejournal.com]

what the youth of today would think. ;-)
heh, I don't think I count (31)!

More posh? More old-fashioned? I don't know. I think there's more of an urban/rural divide in general than a region thing. And within England there's a north/south thing. Definately the south of england is considered more posh and the north more working class - maybe old fashioned in the community sense. Northerners consider themselves more friendly, down to earth. This is all very general, there are more stereotypes by city.

[between-names.livejournal.com]

You should check out hp_britglish. I couldn't find an answer to your question with a quick perusal of the memories, but the folks there are generally quick to answer any question posed :)

[foxmonkey.livejournal.com]

You should check out hp_britglish. I couldn't find an answer to your question with a quick perusal of the memories, but the folks there are generally quick to answer any question posed :)

Thanks, babe! I've bookmarked the site. Have you ever posted anything there? Did you feel like a goober when you did?

[between-names.livejournal.com]

I haven't posted there because I haven't actually written anything in HP that I needed help with, but I read it for quite some time because I'm interested in cultural/language differences, etc. I got the feeling there were "no dumb questions," except those that'd been asked a million times. Take a good perusal through the memories first and if you can't find a reference, ask away!

[kaelie.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday, Monkey girl. :)

[foxmonkey.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday, Monkey girl. :)

Hey woman! Thank you. :-)

Man, you've been the busy bee since school started! Other than being insanely busy, do you like it? Love it? Glad you did it or are you questioning your sanity at this point? ;-)

[kaelie.livejournal.com]

Dude, I hope this day is full of fine leather goods, all for you. :)

I was kind of loving school until about three weeks ago, when the stress of the papers I need to finish in the next eight days started to wind me up. It's *hard*, really really hard, and not helped by my insane work schedule and the vacation Mr. K and I are going on next week, but on the whole I think I'm enjoying school. Or I would, if I wasn't so bloody freaked out right now.

Next semester, though, I'm only taking one class as I hear the one I need to take is insanely time-consuming. Plus, no vacations in the middle of the semester! I should be golden then. Gah!

[nopseud]

I'd call myself British, although I suppose I might say English if I thought the person in question was asking for something a bit more specific. (Although, really, I'm a Yorkshirewoman, which trumps both of those :-)

[foxmonkey.livejournal.com]

I'm a Yorkshirewoman, which trumps both of those :-)

Thanks, woman! So, then, is one term more posh than the other? More old-fashioned? Rather, are there people who'd consider one term more posh or snooty than the other? Do you read Harry Potter? I'm trying to get a handle on how the Malfoys might refer to themselves. Thanks if you can help. :-)

[nopseud]

I expect I'm too late to do any good here, but...

I wouldn't really say that either one is more posh or old-fashion, really. English is more specific. 'I'm British' covers the Welsh, Scots and other bits around the edges (but not the Northern Irish), and so it tends to annoy someone from Scotland or Wales to be called English.

I assume the Malfoys come from somewhere in England proper, so they might use either. OTOH, I only read the first two or three HP books, so I'm probably not the best person to ask.

[ibythetide.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday lady!

[foxmonkey.livejournal.com]

appy birthday lady!

Thanks, babe! :-)