French as a nationality or ethnicity?

[Dylan]

I understand that France is a nation and therefore considered a nationality, but is it an ethnicity too?
France in my opinion is far too diverse for French to be an ethnicity with Normans, Bretons, Catalans, Basques, etc.
I find that French people look very different depending on the region and I know that historically, regionalism played a great role in French cultures and dialects.
Similarly on DNA tests, people seem to score very low French, even when they are full french. I am half French, but I only scored ~5% whereas I scored 20% Iberian and 15% North Sea, all deriving from ancestry from different regions of France.
It seems to me that French should not be considered an ethnicity given the variation in Germanic, Celtic, Iberian, and even Italic origins of the people depending on the region.

[Tooting Carmen]

Regionalism is much less important in France than in Spain or Italy, where regional languages and cultures are still a lot stronger. But to answer your question, it can be either a ntionality or an ethnicity depending on the context.

[sql]

Frenchmen are mainly the same as Germans, Dutch, Belgians, and Swiss in terms of genetics

[Iltirbas]

French is an ethnicity first and foremost, one of the oldest European ethnic groups, in fact. Norman and Breton are mere flavours within said "Frenchness" whereas Basques are but a tiny minority restricted to one department and the Catalans in Perpignan and thereabouts have been largely assimilated into the standard French society and culture.

[Dylan]

Frenchmen are mainly the same as Germans, Dutch, Belgians, and Swiss in terms of genetics

What about Southern French people?

[European Knight]

I understand that France is a nation and therefore considered a nationality, but is it an ethnicity too?
France in my opinion is far too diverse for French to be an ethnicity with Normans, Bretons, Catalans, Basques, etc.
I find that French people look very different depending on the region and I know that historically, regionalism played a great role in French cultures and dialects.
Similarly on DNA tests, people seem to score very low French, even when they are full french. I am half French, but I only scored ~5% whereas I scored 20% Iberian and 15% North Sea, all deriving from ancestry from different regions of France.
It seems to me that French should not be considered an ethnicity given the variation in Germanic, Celtic, Iberian, and even Italic origins of the people depending on the region.

you know with this kind of speech you go no where in France the whole French people i know personaly don't give a damn where is their ethnicity coming from our time will come that is more sure and important

[Dylan]

http://www.eupedia.com/images/content/france_races.jpg

What do people think of this?

[Dylan]

you know with this kind of speech you go no where in France the whole French people i know personaly don't give a damn where is their ethnicity coming from our time will come that is more sure and important

Of course they don't give a damn. But I'm of French ancestry and I do.

[aksakallicocuk]

http://www.eupedia.com/images/content/france_races.jpg

What do people think of this?

This is nearly same with all countries. Nearly every country countains different races.

[Dylan]

This is nearly same with all countries. Nearly every country countains different races.

Yes, but with France, it is ignored much more so than in other comparable countries.