Erudtion? -- Cheers, Bob
> -----Original Message----- > From: John Forbes [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: 05 December 2005 21:37 > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Language - Britian, England, or United Kingdom? > > Coming late to this, but as Bob W's normal erudtion seems to > have taken a > holiday: > > British Isles (n) - a small archipelago off the North West > coast of Europe. > > Great Britain (GB) (n) - an island, the largest (hence the > word "great") of the British Isles. It contains the nations > of England, Scotland and Wales. The term has no other > correct meaning (Winston Churchill, please note). > > Ireland (n) - second largest island of the British Isles. It > contains the country of Eire (the independent Republic of > Ireland) and the pseudo-nation of Northern Ireland. The > separation (in 1917) occurred largely as a result of > religious differences. The working classes are keen to > observe the differences (there are separate national soccer > teams and terrorist organisations), whilst the middle classes > aren't (at rugby, one team represents all Ireland). > > UK (n) - a country, in full the United Kingdom of Great > Britain and Northern Ireland. > > English (adj) - pertaining to the nation of England and its > people. Their nationality, however, is British, not English. > > English (n) - the language of England, and main language of > the British Isles. Dialects are found world-wide. > > British (adj) - a term which until the independence of Eire > related to the whole of the British Isles. Now it relates > only to the UK. > > Britain (n) - a synonym for the UK. Some people who should > know better (including The Economist and W Churchill) > erroneously use Great Britain when they mean Britain. > > Irish (adj) - pertaining to Ireland (the island), OR to Eire > (esp. as regards nationality). > > Northern Irish (adj) - pertaining to Northern Ireland (but > the nationality of the people is British, and their language English). > > Irish AKA Gaelic or Erse (n) - original language of Ireland, > still spoken in remote parts. > > Scots Gaelic (n) - variant of Irish, spoken in highland > Scotland before English, still spoken in remote parts like > Lewis and Harris (whence Harris Tweed). > > Lowland Scots (n) - a Scottish variant of English, known > world-wide through the vernacular poetry (eg: Auld Lang Syne) > of Robert Burns, possibly the world's most quoted poet. Now > defunct (Burns and the language, but the poetry lives on). > > Welsh (adj) - of Wales and its people. Their nationality is British. > > Welsh (n) - the original language of Wales, one of the few > minority languages to be increasing in popularity (mainly so > that English holiday-makers in Wales can't understand what is > being said about them). > > The terms "UK" and "British" are normally all you require to > denote the country that is ruled nominally by Queen Elizabeth > II (head of the British branch of an old German family), and > actually by Tony Blair. "England" > and "English" should generally be avoided, unless you know > what you are doing. > > Simple, really. > > John > > > > > On Sat, 26 Nov 2005 19:37:13 -0000, Bob W > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Wales does not feature in the name 'United Kingdom of Great Britain > > and Northern Ireland' because, as I mentioned in an earlier > email, it > > was annexed into England several hundred years before the union of > > England and Scotland. By a Welshman, as it happens. > > > > -- > > Cheers, > > Bob > > > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Bob Shell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> Sent: 26 November 2005 19:13 > >> To: [email protected] > >> Subject: Re: Language - Britian, England, or United Kingdom? > >> > >> > >> On Nov 26, 2005, at 2:05 PM, Kostas Kavoussanakis wrote: > >> > >> >> UK is the United Kingdom, which is the name of the > >> political entity > >> >> consisting of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, > so you must > >> >> turn the > >> > > >> > Wales? > >> > >> > >> Yes, as in "Prince of...." Kids here invariably get it > wrong and say > >> Prince of Whales. Now there is a title to be aspired to! > >> > >> Bob > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/ > > > >
