To be honest, the Glaswegian version of english qualifies as a separate language 
I was always taught, Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antartica, and Australasia at school, never did I see one big America.
Well the name of the language has very little to do with nationality, as it existed before any of them. You’re not writing in the American language either, are you?
That is exactly what the quote says. Did you just mean to confirm it?
As it happens, quite a few English people, including myself, dislike being called British. I’m an Englishman, just as a Scot would refer to himself as such, never (unless necessity demanded) as British.
But England isn’t a country, in the sense of “political entity that does, or could, have its own seat at the UN and create internal laws completely without outside interference”. Neither is Scotland. Or Wales. Or Northern Ireland. So do people who live in the UK generally dislike thinking of themselves as part of a country?
Prior to the Civil War, and certainly prior to the Constitution, Americans tended to think of themselves as citizens of their respective states first, and as American citizens secondarily. In fact, during the Civil War soldiers would go into battle under their state’s colors and in their state’s uniforms, even if their actions were coordinated by officers commissioned by the respective national Congresses. While I know that the mapping between England, say, and any American state is entirely and completely, if not 100%, wrong, the parallel is interesting.
Yes, sorry, needlessly redundant. Just putting in more of a voice of confirmation from us Europeans to squash this idea that we’ve a small idea of the world around us
We’ve been through this in the past - it all comes down to which definition of ‘country’ you choose to apply.
Scots and Welsh often dislike ‘British’ due to the dominance of England, which has often implicitly or explicitly suppressed their own cultures. And as aldiboronti suggests, many people in England as well as elsewhere recognise the UK as a political union, but not necessarily a national identity. While the parallel with American states is interesting, it doesn’t really apply, because there’s so many big differences.
There are Scottish regiments. The recruiting ads say ‘join the Scottish Infantry’ become a Scottish soldier.
They wear distinctive uniforms- kilts or trews and distinctive hats that no English, Welsh or Irish regiment wears. They are recruited from generally the same geographic area.
The chorus of the Proclaimers song Cap in Hand says:
We fight-when they ask us
We boast-then we cower
We beg
For a piece of
What’s already ours
So, the comparison with US Civil War ideas is not too far fetched.
In discussions I keep seeing English people referring to their nation as “English” upon which Scots are sure to jump in and correct them: “You mean to say British.”
Call them “G”.
What up G?
Most of the time, you’ll find that it’s Scots complaining about this, but rarely being able to give a concrete example. Another common gripe is TV sports reports referring to Scottish competitors and teams as ‘British’ only when they win - but again, rarely with an example to back up the gripe.
There is really no problem.
This is obvious from looking at the various sports teams in the UK and Ireland.
Olympics has Great Britain (which may or may not include NI athletes who may also compete for Ireland) and Ireland (the 26 counties but may also include people from the 6). Smaller islands (Channel Islands, Isle of Man) are part of the GB team. Note that GB technically does not include NI but never mind.
International Football (Soccer) has England, Wales, NI Ireland, and Scotland. Except for the Olmpics where there may just be Ireland and UK teams. Where NI Olympic players would go is a moot point.
Internal Football (Soccer) Leagues Scotland has many Scottish teams and one English (Berwick). England has many English teams and any Welsh teams that can get there by promotion (Cardiff Newport and Swansea spring to mind). There is a Welsh cup, but IIRC senior teams do not compete, but compete in the English cups.
Commonwealth games has England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark as different national teams. Ireland does not take part.
Rugby Union has Scottish, English and Welsh Teams and one Irish team that covers all 32 counties. Except when the British Lions tour when they include all four home nations (and are increasingly called the British and Irish Lions.)
Rugby League is almost competely concentrated in northern England and puts up a GB team that tours abroad (mainly to Aus). During the World Cup they manufacture teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland to bolster the numbers (and add on to other teams such as NZ Maoris and Lebanon (all ex pats and descendants living in Aus)).
Cricket. There are English, Scottish, and Irish Cricket teams. The English team is governed by the English and Welsh Cricket board and includes players from Scotland, Wales, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, and quite frequntly English as well.
See. Nice and simple. No problem. I don’t know what you are all bothered about. What’s so difficult. Simple. Easy. Question answered.
I was born in Scotland to an English father and a Welsh mother, I grew up in England and now I live in Wales. What would you call me? I’m British and proud of it.
Standard reply - very few winning Scottish Teams so this problem is a rarity. (Calcutta Cup every six years or so excluded :smack: )
There is a lot of emphasis on Andy Murray as being Scottish, our boy from Dunblane etc. at the moment on Scottish media. IIRC Tim Henman was seen as British by most Scots- so it works both ways. Lets face it we see Greg Rusedski as British despite the accent.
In England the Women’s Curling team was British in 2002 and Scottish in 2006!
In Scotland the Women’s Curling Team was Scottish in 2002 and British in 2006!
GorillaMan: I defined the definition of ‘country’ I was using. It might not be perfect, but it maps very closely to what the average American would think of a country as being.
I am aware of the distinction between nations, countries (or states), ethnicities, and nation-states, and how messy the dividing lines between any combination of them can become, and I do know just how horribly wrong it is to compare Wales to Montana or Scotland to Virginia or anything like that. (For one thing, and this is just one example, there is nobody ethnically Virginian.)
Pjen: I didn’t know about the Scottish Regiments.
The Times Atlas of the world gives three definitions of what type of countries England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland actually are. NI is described as a province, Wales receives another description and England and Scotland another one together. When I’m back over at my sister’s I’ll pull out that atlas and look that one up.
I suspect Wales is described therein as a principality.
Irish mother, Welsh father, born in a grim northern city…I’m Suffolk & proud
Derleth - I suppose my comment about definitions was an inadequate reply to your question “do people who live in the UK generally dislike thinking of themselves as part of a country?”.
A better answer would be that the messy distinctions between definitions is something that is ingrained in us, that we’re comfortable with, for example, Scotland being “an area of land distinguished from other areas by its culture, climate, inhabitants, political boundery, etc.” (Chambers), without seeing a conflict with the existence of the UK. Also, national identities are also used in parallel with regional, class-based and religious ones - in many situations, being working-class or being Catholic is of greater significance than being English or Welsh.
Original question: “What do you call someone from the UK?”
Answer: “Sir” (if male, that is)
I hope that’s cleared everything up satisfactorily. 
And if we haven’t yet recieved our knighthoods?