ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: ancestry

Pter — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:30:55 GMT

nona the brit
ooh - don't ever ask Europeans too much detail about money either - how much they earn etc!

Oh, I think this is common for all culture!

Re: ancestry

nona the brit — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:51:24 GMT

Maybe. Each culture has its own 'taboo' topics.

ooh - don't ever ask Europeans too much detail about money either - how much they earn etc!

Re: ancestry

Pter — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:15:35 GMT

Thank you very much, nona. What you said has enlightened me. Learning about this is very important for someone like me with a different cultural background. Perhaps, it is the histories that make such differences.

Re: ancestry

nona the brit — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:41:46 GMT

I'd also find it a bit odd to ask this in a business situation. If you were in a friendly informal conversation it might be a bit different. However - generally speaking we only ask about people's background if they have an accent that is obviously 'foreign'. Then you can say something like 'so where are you from originally?'. If they have the local accent then it would be a bit insensitive to start questioning their heritage. After all, in Europe (especially in the UK) we are so mixed up that you could easily have someone with a 'foreign' surname who has no idea why - it could have been an ancestor hundreds of years ago. If someone has a 'foreign' name for both their First (given) name AND their surname then you can probably assume their parents come from that country, and it's not such a big deal to make an informal enquiry - but I still wouldn't raise it in business.

With regards to people who look mixed race, no, it is rather inpolite to ask unless you get into the sort of informal conversation where it is natural to talk about our backgrounds - but I wouldn't single someone out. I do know a few mixed race people and some of them I know about their background, and others I don't. Somehow sometimes it just comes up naturally - usually they start the subject off. For example, I found out that one mixed race girl had a Trinidadian father when she started talking about a trip back there to meet some of her family. We then had a good chat about her trip and her family. But I wouldn't have asked 'where are your parents from?' just out of the blue. To us it sort of suggests that you feel they don't fully belong here.

We also don't really approve of asking strangers personal questions on any topic, not just race.

Re: ancestry

Pter — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:45:31 GMT

Thanks GG. I didn't know ethnicity is such a sensitive issue for Americans and Europeans. I'll bear that in mind in future.

Re: ancestry

Grammar Geek — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:31:48 GMT

Some people are very proud to tell you that their grandparent immigrated from Poland, or their great-grandfather brought th family over from Italy, etc., but I would not bring it up.

If you wanted to, you could say something like "I think I would have difficulty pronouncing this name if I hadn't met you first" -- with a smile -- and if the person wants to, he can then say something like "Oh yes, those Polish names can be tricky" or "Yes, these Italian names cause difficulty at home too. But again, if this were a business meeting, I would not do that.

Re: ancestry

Pter — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:27:42 GMT

If Europeans or Americans travel to Asia, do you think they would be offended if an Asian ask them their origins? Asians may find it difficult to tell the nationality or ethnicity of Europeans/Americans just from the look. I think this may be true the other way round. Many Europeans/Americans can't tell if an Asian is Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc. Sometimes, we may want to know from which country our European/American friends come from. For example, I sometimes meet people from the US for business. When I got their name cards, some of them have names that quite obviously originated from certain countries say Eastern Europe, Italy or France. I sometimes may make a casual remark or ask him/her whether he/she is from the country that I guessed (although he/she is now in US). Would this be considered offensive? What is the more polite way of asking without offending our European/American friends?

Re: ancestry

nona the brit — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:52:06 GMT

I guess it varies from country to country.

I think the phrase 'mixed blood' would be found very offensive in the majority (if not all) of European countries.

Re: ancestry

Pter — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:07:02 GMT

In some Asian countries, people who are mix-blood are often considered pretty and sexy (this is supported by genetics). In this part of the world, the term is not associated with anything negative at all and we don't find it rude to ask someone's origin.

Re: ancestry

Grammar Geek — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:29:39 GMT

Well, no doubt that is true, but it seems quite prominent in our history. "What is that? An Irish name? Oh...." voice trailing off in disgust. "She's gone and married one of them Eye-talians." etc., etc

Re: ancestry

RayH — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:20:00 GMT

Grammar Geek
Americans have an unfortunate history of looking down at anyone who is "not like them"

Barbara,
I couldn't resist a comment here. I dare say Americans aren't the only people to have this characteristic. In fact, the entire history of the human race is filled with people who "look down on anyone" not like themselves. The unfortunate tendency continues right up to the present and, no doubt, will continue far into the future.

Re: ancestry

Grammar Geek — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:10:08 GMT

*IF* it must be spoken of at all, then yes, mixed race. I would NEVER use "mixed blood" to describe a human.

Re: ancestry

New2grammar — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:10:57 GMT

GG, just want to make sure I get you, are you saying that mixed-race is better term than mixed-blood?

Re: ancestry

Grammar Geek — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:01:51 GMT

I have to disagree with my sheep-loving friend.

"Mixed blood" sounds like "pure blood" would somehow be "better."

Mixed-race, and in the US, ask about this only if you have a need to know, not idle curiosity.

In the US, it's considered rude my many people to ask about things like that, perhaps because there is such a history of looking down on the Irish, the Italians, the Jews, the... well, in short, Americans have an unfortunate history of looking down at anyone who is "not like them" so to ask about it now is a bit rude.

Re: ancestry

KYsheeplover06 — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:40:52 GMT

I don't believe it's rude to use the term "mixed blood," though some might find it so... it just depends on who you're talking to. Also, I believe "What are your origins?" is a little confusing (Perhaps it's just me, though.) "Where does your family originate?" is a bit clearer way to ask the same question.

To answer, the majority of my family is from Northern Ireland. I've also got ancestors from England and France. Pretty much all of my ancestors lived in North America by 1700... My family's been here for quite a while.