# Writing style: British demonym conventions "new Yorker" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [November 20, 2025, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018 "2025-11-20T17:25:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![InfraBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infrablue/32/6366_2.png) [@InfraBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InfraBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/1 "2025-11-20T17:25:43Z")
In the BBC article, “[Trump to meet incoming New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgmgddyjl0o),” Madeline Halpert wrote “. . . Trump - a born-and-raised new Yorker. . .” Is it British convention to write the word “new” in miniscule in demonyms containing that word as in the example above, or was it merely a typographical error? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/2 "2025-11-20T18:01:09Z")
I would guess it’s a simple typo, but I’ll wait for a UK doper to chime in. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/3 "2025-11-20T19:22:08Z")
Must be a typo; that article has another instance of “New Yorkers” in it, with proper capitalisation (OK, that’s a verbatim quote, but I suppose it was taken from a spoken statement). The name of the city is “New York” after all. OTOH, if someone has just recently moved to the Northern English city of York.. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/4 "2025-11-20T21:28:03Z")
I regularly see typos on the BBC news web site, so that doesn’t surprise me. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2025, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/5 "2025-11-21T05:10:08Z")
As a resident of New South Wales, I don’t recall any British reference to new South Welshperson anytime, ever. My guess based on that is a typo, and its a form that would not stand out for a spellchecker or grammar-proofer. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2025, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/6 "2025-11-21T05:12:57Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > South Welshperson Not being snarky or facetious. Is that actually the demonym of someone from New South Wales? A New South Welshperson? ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2025, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/7 "2025-11-21T05:13:34Z")
Or possibly the BBC copied verbatim from the Grauniard. Fortunately Trump didn’t spot it, otherwise he’d add a billion jillion to his lawsuit against them for additional brain anguish and putting the office of President into contempt. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2025, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/8 "2025-11-21T05:18:05Z")
> Not being snarky or facetious. Is that actually the demonym of someone from New South Wales? A New South Welshperson? Yes it is, but its clunky and not one that is often used, even when it was New South Welshmen. None of the sport team names - Waratahs (official), Cockroaches (unofficial) - has really taken off as a more general alternative either. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2025, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/9 "2025-11-21T20:14:11Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > OTOH, if someone has just recently moved to the Northern English city of York.. They would be a new Yorkie. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2025, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/10 "2025-11-21T20:54:24Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > Or possibly the BBC copied verbatim from the Grauniard. \*Grauniad (Apologies if that was deliberate!!) ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2025, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/11 "2025-11-22T11:08:12Z")
When I followed the link today (22nd), the error was corrected. ---
**Author:** ![InfraBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infrablue/32/6366_2.png) [@InfraBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InfraBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2025, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/12 "2025-11-22T17:04:16Z")
Heh, Halpert may have come across this thread prompting her to correct the typo. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2025, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/13 "2025-11-22T20:56:19Z")
The Straight Dope: Fighting ignorance since 1973 (it’s taking longer than we thought!) ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2025, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-style-british-demonym-conventions-new-yorker/1025018/14 "2025-11-23T00:57:37Z")
Native New Yorker in the UK: I have had a “Mid-Atlantic” accent since I was 16. When in St. Petersburg, my Russian really sucked. Russian wife who taught English at St.P Uni, I know words (mostly nouns), yet putting sentences together not easy, and it’s been so long I’ve no clue or reason to learn more. In the UK I was called a “Yank” on some infra-com channel, (at my first job in Yorkshire) and protested using that word, and the response was “I thought they liked that word,”. Mainly because I am a Mets fan, I never call people “Brits” or “Scots” even though they are likely less offensive (certainly if I’m phrasing it). Born in New York, here because I’m also Irish and call me a “Mick” and them’s fighting;words. Never happened to me. In general, people in the UK love New York. Like most of the world, they consider Manhattan and just the boroughs and surrounding areas to be “New York”. When I was in Melbourne, Australia, and people would ask where we’re from my co-worker would say “Queens” and be asked stuff like “is that near New York City”. I would just say “New York City” and let them imagine I lived in “The Plaza” (pre-Trump) or the Empire State Building for all I cared. I told my colleague, “Just say New York City” “New Yorker” still means somewhere near New York City. Once you go north out of commutable distance, they speak differently and unfortunately, vote GOP for no good reason,