Can a German or Dutch or South African be a White British?

[Mortimer]

In British Census there are differentiated Whites in White British and White Other and I read that the most foreign born who identified as White British were Germans and South Africans but Poles tend to identify as White Other. So what do you think?

[Bobby Martnen]

I think White British means ethnic Britons only. I would probably be "White Irish" on the British census.

[Neon Knight]

If a white person has grown up in Britain I imagine they will identify as White British. That's how it goes.

[Joso]

Some South African are British descedants, so yes, some of they can pass a white British

[Dandelion]

Flemish and Dutch people historically did have a lot of contact with Brits through trade for centuries, so I guess so. The oldest Dutch sentence attributed to the Dutch language was even found in Britain (a scribble by Flemish monk working in the abbey of Rochester, Kent).

[Peterski]

I think White British means ethnic Britons only.

Who are ethnic Britons?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8bqQ-C1PSE

Do Anglo-Saxons count?

[Peterski]

Flemish and Dutch people historically did have a lot of contact with Brits through trade for centuries, so I guess so. The oldest Dutch sentence attributed to the Dutch language was even found in Britain (a scribble by Flemish monk working in the abbey of Rochester, Kent).

How did they distinguish the first Dutch sentence from the last German sentence (when did Dutch evolve / split from German)?

[Dandelion]

How did they distinguish the first Dutch sentence from the last German sentence (when did Dutch evolve / split from German)?

It didn't go like that. High German and Dutch evolved separately. Dutch didn't just break off from German as its daughter language. Dutch evolved from Old Low Franconian, basically. It's hard to say when we can speak about Old Dutch and when about Old Franconian, rather.

The sentence in question is

"Hebban olla uogala nestas hagunnan hinase hic enda thu uuat unbidan uue nu."
and was attributed by a Latin translation as well "Abent omnes uolucres nidos inceptos nisi ego et tu quid expectamus nu(nc)"

I have notice that you know your Latin, but the English translation is basically: "Have all birds begun nests, except me and you - what are we waiting for?"

[Peterski]

But wasn't Dutch originally just one of dialects of Low German? Low German was the language of North and North-Central Germans.

High German is a language influenced by Celtic, as it was originally only spoken in South Germany, which used to be Celtic.

Low German is much more "Germanic" than High German - but modern Standard German evolved from High German...

Some people also distinguish Middle German (originally spoken in Central Germany, between Low German and High German).

[Dandelion]

But wasn't Dutch originally just one of dialects of Low German? Low German was the language of North and North-Central Germans.

Depends on how you see it. Low Germanis mainly Saxon, whereas Dutch is mainly Franconian. Different Germanic tribe and slightly different language. ;) In the North Eastern provinces of the Netherlands they also speak Low Saxon, though. Our genderless reflexive pronoun (zich) in Standard Dutch is also a Saxon introduction. We used to differentiate between male and female in our reflexives and still do in dialect (zijneigen/ haareigen/huneigen; used to be hem/haar/hen in older language prior to standardisation).

[Bobby Martnen]

How did they distinguish the first Dutch sentence from the last German sentence (when did Dutch evolve / split from German)?

It was German in Europe, but it became Pennsylvania Dutch when it came to America.

[Teutone]

We dont want to be.

[Marinus]

In normal cirsumstances NO.

There's an argument that if that German/Dutch/SA person was born in Britain from foregin parents and naturalised then maybe, they wouldn't be ethnically British but would be British citizens, and white.

Another argument is if they were born in, say Germany, from British parents, then they are ethnically British but foreign born. Britain allows citizenship by jus sanguinis, or atleast used to, in this case YES.

[Acubens]

''White'' South Africans are Negroid and Capoid admixed.