Expert: Joseph Logue - 8/2/2005

Question
Hi Joseph!

I'd like to ask you what the difference is between a Briton and an Englishman. Which are the Brits and which are Englishmen?

thanks!

Answer
Hello Luke,

As lame as it sounds, the difference between Briton and English(wo)man seems to me to be more stylistic than anything else.  (As an American, I'm aware that I might be stepping on some toes here.)  

Briton, related as it is to Britain/Brittania/Breton, etc., has a more classical feel to it.  From the Oxford English Dictionary:  

"1. A native of Britain:    a. In History and Ethnology: One of the race who occupied the southern part of the island at the Roman invasion, the ‘ancient Britons'.    b. A Welshman.    c. Since the union of England and Scotland: A native of Great Britain, or of the British Empire; much used in the 18th c.; now chiefly in poetic, rhetorical, or melodramatic use, and in phrases dating to the ‘Rule Britannia' period, as ‘to work like a Briton', ‘as tough as a Briton', etc. North Briton: a Scotchman."

Notice definitions A and C.  They are the best indicators of how and when to use the term.  Since the attacks in London on July 7, the use of "Briton" seems to be much more current than those definitions would suggest, however.  

In contrast, the OED defines "Englishman" thus:  

"1. a. A man who is English by descent, birth, or naturalization. The historical senses of course follow those of ENGLISH a.; in mod. use, unless otherwise determined by context (as in Englishman by descent, naturalized Englishman), the word means one born in England or of English parents."

So it appears, as I noted earlier, to be a sytlistic usage dependent upon what one wishes to convey.  I would illustrate the differences based on personal experience.  A friend of mine, born in America, married an Englishman and has become a citizen of the UK.  She has taken to her new country thoroughly, and considers herself to be an Englishwoman.  In contrast, another friend, whose family has been in England since time immemorial, calls himself a Briton.  

I hope that helps you out, Luke.  Kind of a long answer, but that's the English language for you -- full of nuance and shades of meaning.

Best wishes,

Joseph Logue