[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Nationality

[Jerry Frank]

My answer is not as funny as Ed's but . . .

Your nationality is the country where you are born or where you have become 
a naturalized citizen.

Your ethnicity is your cultural background.  My ethnicity is 100% German 
(even though all ancestors lived in Russia).  My son's ethnicity is 50% 
German, 37.5% English, 12.5% French (or there abouts).

No ethnicity however can be said to be pure.  My German ethnicity is not 
the same as someone who's ancestors migrated here directly from 
Germany.  My ethnicity was influenced in language and practice by Poles, 
Ukrainians, Russians, and maybe even Jews.   So while my ancestors count 
perogies as part of their cultural food, that would not be said of someone 
who migrated directly from Germany.  They used some words and expressions 
that would not be used by people migrating directly from Germany.  And even 
among the Germans in Volhynia, for example, there were varying German 
traits between Schwabians, Kashubians, Pomeranians, and others.

In spite of those variations, I consider myself 100% ethnic German.



At 03:30 PM 28/07/2004, Lorne H. Miller Sr. wrote:
>Was wondering how does a person answer the question, What is your
>nationality???
>  sure we are all Canadian's but we had to come from somehere, so do we say
>Canadian with a bit of German in the background or what???
>
>Gail Miller Drayton Valley, Ab. Canada




Jerry Frank - Calgary, Alberta
FranklySpeaking at shaw.ca