Tips for American Visitors to The Uk: Don’t Use The Word "England" for The Whole of The Uk

The clue, really, is in the name: UK, or United Kingdom. The UK is made up of several once-independent countries that joined together in the past in Union (some voluntarily, some not). England may be the dominant partner in that union, with the vast majority of the population, but that does not mean its name can be used for the whole combined country.

The UK is made up of the kingdoms of England and Scotland, and the countries of Wales and Northern Ireland. All have their proud histories and traditions, and mixing them up is a sure way to earn you the cold shoulder.

Bruce’s totally and completely serious (honestly!) map of the UK

An analogy might help. Calling Scotland (for example) part of England is not that different from calling Oregon part of California. In both cases the southern of the pair has a population of nearly ten times its northern neighbour, but that does not mean that one is subordinate to the other – they are both equal members of a larger Union. Mixing up the terminology for the places is bad enough, but make that error in naming their inhabitants and … oh dear. Calling a Scot English is a cardinal sin. A Scotsman is Scottish and also British, but in no way English (and calling him so would be taken as an insult), just as an Oregonian is also American but in no way a Californian.

Clear as mud? Jolly good. So let’s muddle it up a bit more.

England, Scotland and Wales together are called Great Britain (or GB), a name that also applies to the island they share. Northern Ireland is part of the UK, but technically not part of Great Britain because it sits on the Island of Ireland, the second largest of the group called the British Isles (along with its southern neighbour, the Republic of Ireland, which is a completely separate country and not part of the UK).

However no-one really cares about the technical distinction between GB and the UK, so you can get that one wrong without too many repercussions.

I think the main reason for the misunderstanding that leads foreigners to call the entire UK England is that the capital of the UK – London – happens to be in England, and it is also where the main parliament is, and where the Queen (head of state for the UK and all its component parts) spends most of her time. London wears two hats, really – as the capital of the UK and as the capital of England. You Americans had the sense to make the capital of your Union an independent district not part of any of the states, avoiding the situation where the state it was in would start to think itself better than the rest. However the UK evolved in a far messier way and we are stuck with what we have.

The simplest rules:

• ·         Say UK (or more colloquially Britain) for the whole lot together
• ·         Only say England when you really, really mean just England itself (the southern two-thirds of the main island, excluding Wales)
• ·         Never, ever say “Scotland, (in) England” or “Wales, (in) England”

Now if the proponents of Scottish independence get their way, it’ll all change again. But that is another story…