Notes on ancestry

the English in the New World

European migrants to the lands that have since become the USA, Canada⁴, Australia and New Zealand, were predominantly British initially. And the bulk of those were English. Since the early years of course, waves of immigrants have arrived from all corners of the earth, particulary in the last century. For various reasons¹, the descendants of English migrants, from the second or third generation on, have tended to focus on the things that separate them from their forbears and the country they left behind. The fact that their ancestry lies ultimately beyond the seas is often overlooked and may only emerge occasionally, e,g. at census time or when drawing up a family tree. In other words, these New World citizens of English descent identify strongly with their nationality - as Australians for example, but not with their ancestry. On the other hand, those with different backgrounds - Italian or Greek or Vietnamese for example, are more likely to recognise both their nationality and their ancestry, and see themselves as Italian-Australian or Greek-Australian or Vietnamese-Australian.

For those of English descent, nationality and ancestry generally become fused. The result is a single identity which is generally referred to as "nationality". This fused "nationality" identity is based on nationality for English descendants, but on ancestry for all others. So when Australians of English descent draw a distinction between themselves and those of different ancestries, that distinction is often not along the lines: 'English and Italian', 'English and Greek', 'English and Vietnamese' etc but rather - 'Australian and Italian', 'Australian and Greek', 'Australian and Vietnamese'. A difference in ancestry is recognised but it's expressed as a difference in nationality. Again, I assume the same observation could be made in the USA, Canada⁴, and New Zealand.

At this point, you might be wondering - "Why does that matter? Some people focus on their nationality rather than their ancestry. Or they forget about their ancestry. Or they confuse the two. So what?" It matters because there is a tendency for people of English descent to see themselves as the norm within their societies, as 'real Americans' or 'real Australians'.* And that can't be good for social cohesion. Journalists and academics are happy, where a distinction needs to be made, to use the terms 'Anglo-American' or 'Anglo-Australian' (or just 'Anglo'). But you'll rarely hear those terms 'on the street'. In everyday speech, our compatriots are divided into those who have some sort of 'background'² - Italians, Greeks, Chinese, Poles, Koreans etc, and those who have none, who are just Americans or Australians. But the irony is that behind this apparent lack of ancestry is an ancestry indeed - English (often, but also Scottish, Irish or Welsh). Names like 'Baker' and 'Henderson' and 'Smith' and 'Johnson' are the ones thought of as typically 'American' or 'Australian' names, but of course these were English names originally. And the people considered to be typically 'American' or 'Australian', more often than not, have English ancestors. That fact that ultimately there is an 'Englishness' to all this, is often overlooked.³

This view isn't universal of course. Some people of English descent do make the distinction. They recognise their English ancestry as an important aspect of their identity, in addition to their nationality. That in turn leads to the realisation that all their compatriots share a common nationality, despite their varied ancestries. From that perspective, the place of English descent is no longer at the centre, from which all other ancestries deviate, but rather along a continuum or spectrum of ancestries, all of which have equal value. In other words, there is no longer anything special or 'typically American' or 'typically Australian' about English ancestry. It's just one in the mix. That seems to me to be the outlook we should be aiming for.

Early Middle English and ancestral identity

The question then arises - how could we encourage those of English descent to recognise their ancestry, and to distinguish it from their nationality? What would help them to see themselves as part of the spectrum, alongside their compatriots of Thai or Italian ancestry (to name just two)? One way might be to include children of English descent in school multi-cultural presentations. But there's an immediate problem. Language is one of the most obvious markers of ancestry. And in English-speaking countries of course, for all ancestries bar English, the ancestral language is different from the commonly used (national) tongue. A performance in English at a multi-cultural presentation, would be out of kilter. But that would be the only option for children of English descent, wouldn't it?

Not quite. if we look a little further afield, just thirty two generations back in fact, we find an English that is so different to today's, that it strikes the modern speaker as a foreign language. Early Middle English then, can be that 'badge' of English descent that earns the speaker (or singer) a spot on the stage alongside those representing other ancestries. That's where englesaxe and Audrey and the attercop come in. This site teaches Early Middle English, with a very gradual 'no tears' approach. That's its fundamental purpose. But I also hope that this might spark some interest in a few Anglo-Americans, -Canadians and -Australians i.a. for their ancestry, perhaps remove some of the confusion between nationality and ancestry, and just maybe - do a little something for social cohesion.

English descent in Britain

In Britain, the situation is somewhat different. England is the ancestral home of all those people of English descent throughout the world, and the place where the sense of a shared identity as the Angelcynn evolved, over 1200 years ago. Nevertheless there is certainly common ground between those of English descent in the 'Mother Country' and their cousins in the New World. The language of their immediate ancestors - Modern English, is no longer the badge of a particular ancestral identity. It is the mother tongue of people from many backgrounds and the national language of modern multi-cultural Britain. It is also spoken world-wide as a means of international communication. As outlined above, those of English descent need to go back eight hundred years to find a form of their ancestral language which would warrant a gig at a showcase of languages (other than Modern English) such as a multi-cultural musical and/or literary evening.

Discover your roots

Ancestral identity is an aspect of Audrey's journey in Audrey and the attercop. If you trace your ancestry to medieval England, and are looking to connect to the world of your ancestors, Audrey and the attercop might be a good place to start.

Discover the roots of Modern Eglish

Are you interested in the history of English? If you are, why not learn an earlier form of the language - Early Middle English, via Audrey and the attercop »