Would you say you were American or X?

[Phoenix]

If you were originally from X country but have lived in the USA for a long time, say thirty years or so?

We came back from a dinner party tonight and in our usual fashion, everyone was asking where everyone else was coming from? I said I was Vietnamese British which I usually do. But this woman who holds a US passport and who lived in the US said she was Taiwanese. So I asked her how long she lived in the US and she said 28 years. I told her I thought it was really interesting to *me* because in the UK, I was always British; and especially after having lived in the UK for some 17 years (and also since my family lives there), I will always tell anyone who asks that I am British but I will also add that I have Vietnamese roots/ was born in Vietnam.

Just curious what some of you who weren't born in the US would say if asked?

 

[MissMina]

Interesting question.
I think it depends on which culture you identify with most.
I have a friend who is ethnic Korean raised in Japan.
He considers himself Japanese.

My grandparents were from Bohemia and lived in a Bohemian
community in the USA and that is what they called themselves.
.

 

[Miss Sparkly]

I think it really depends. My coworkers boyfriend is from Bulgaria however he has lived in the USA for 20 years. He still has a thick accent and so when people ask "where he''s from" he states that he is Bulgarian. The more appropriate question might be where is your accent from, or what nationality are you. My cousin married a Canadian and nobody ever questions where he is from. If you were to ask him he''d say that he''s both Canadian and American.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 2/15/2010 9:46:47 AM
Author: MissMina
Interesting question.
I think it depends on which culture you identify with most.
I have a friend who is ethnic Korean raised in Japan.
He considers himself Japanese.

My grandparents were from Bohemia and lived in a Bohemian
community in the USA and that is what they called themselves.
.

I think you're spot on there.

The few Taiwanese people I've met seem very patriotic - towards Taiwan, that is. They will always say they're Taiwanese, above everything else.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 2/15/2010 9:51:31 AM
Author: Sparkly Blonde
I think it really depends. My coworkers boyfriend is from Bulgaria however he has lived in the USA for 20 years. He still has a thick accent and so when people ask 'where he's from' he states that he is Bulgarian. The more appropriate question might be where is your accent from, or what nationality are you. My cousin married a Canadian and nobody ever questions where he is from. If you were to ask him he'd say that he's both Canadian and American.

Hmmm...interesting. I find it very interesting for someone who's been in the US to adamantly claim that they are anything BUT American. Not saying that's right or wrong, just very interesting to me, 'cos up til now, I've never really given this much thought.

Actually this woman asked me first where I was from. Then, I asked her in return where she was from, not her nationality. She herself votunteered that her nationality is American (which to me means she's pledged allegiance to the US), but she was adamant she was NOT American. I was a bit surprised that she didn't say that she was Taiwanese American, just like you can say you're African-American, or Chinese-American and so on.

I'm not trying to stir up any political or racial debate here. I just find the whole thing fascinating!

 

[Clio]

Steve will usually say that he''s Vietnamese, but that''s because 1) saying "Vietnamese-American" is so clunky, and 2) such conversations almost always take place among other Americans, so the American part is understood. He definitely considers himself an American, and the US is home.

If someone asks where he''s from, the answer is always "Massachusetts." He was 3 when they left Vietnam and settled there.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 2/15/2010 10:39:59 AM
Author: Clio
Steve will usually say that he's Vietnamese, but that's because 1) saying 'Vietnamese-American' is so clunky, and 2) such conversations almost always take place among other Americans, so the American part is understood. He definitely considers himself an American, and the US is home.

If someone asks where he's from, the answer is always 'Massachusetts.' He was 3 when they left Vietnam and settled there.

Your answer seemed to fit with what most of my friends born in other countries would answer. I think the American part is assumed, if you're in America, so it's common for someone to say that they are Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc. If someone asks what nationality you are, they really want to know where you were born, where your accent is from, etc.

I haven't really met these same people outside of the country, so I'm not sure what they would answer if they weren't in America at the time. In that case, maybe they would answer American, because it wouldn't immediately be obvious that they had lived in the US most of their lives (while it might be fairly obvious due to appearance and accent that they were originally born in a country other than America).

 

[Clio]

Date: 2/15/2010 10:47:55 AM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 2/15/2010 10:39:59 AM

Author: Clio

Steve will usually say that he''s Vietnamese, but that''s because 1) saying ''Vietnamese-American'' is so clunky, and 2) such conversations almost always take place among other Americans, so the American part is understood. He definitely considers himself an American, and the US is home.


If someone asks where he''s from, the answer is always ''Massachusetts.'' He was 3 when they left Vietnam and settled there.

Your answer seemed to fit with what most of my friends born in other countries would answer. I think the American part is assumed, if you''re in America, so it''s common for someone to say that they are Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc. If someone asks what nationality you are, they really want to know where you were born, where your accent is from, etc.


I haven''t really met these same people outside of the country, so I''m not sure what they would answer if they weren''t in America at the time. In that case, maybe they would answer American, because it wouldn''t immediately be obvious that they had lived in the US most of their lives (while it might be fairly obvious due to appearance and accent that they were originally born in a country other than America).

When we''re outside the US, Steve generally starts with American, but will often explain that his family originally came from Vietnam.

 

[princesss]

If somebody asks my nationality, I give them my passport country (US). If somebody asks where I''m from, however, they get a very long winded answer. I may carry a US passport, but this is not my home and it''s not where I plan to live forever - home is Thailand and Singapore, and will be at least several more countries before I die.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 2/15/2010 10:39:59 AM
Author: Clio
Steve will usually say that he''s Vietnamese, but that''s because 1) saying ''Vietnamese-American'' is so clunky, and 2) such conversations almost always take place among other Americans, so the American part is understood. He definitely considers himself an American, and the US is home.

If someone asks where he''s from, the answer is always ''Massachusetts.'' He was 3 when they left Vietnam and settled there.

Good answer!

From now on, my answer is going to be "London"!

Seriously though, although I''m very proud of my Vietnamese roots, I''m quite British in my thinking and behaviour, or at least that''s what DH says.

Having said that, however, I remember one time when I was in a taxi in Singapore, and this taxi driver asked me where I was from. I responded: "the UK". Then, he said to me: "But you don''t look English"!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 2/15/2010 10:47:55 AM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 2/15/2010 10:39:59 AM
Author: Clio
Steve will usually say that he''s Vietnamese, but that''s because 1) saying ''Vietnamese-American'' is so clunky, and 2) such conversations almost always take place among other Americans, so the American part is understood. He definitely considers himself an American, and the US is home.

If someone asks where he''s from, the answer is always ''Massachusetts.'' He was 3 when they left Vietnam and settled there.

Your answer seemed to fit with what most of my friends born in other countries would answer. I think the American part is assumed, if you''re in America, so it''s common for someone to say that they are Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc. If someone asks what nationality you are, they really want to know where you were born, where your accent is from, etc.

I haven''t really met these same people outside of the country, so I''m not sure what they would answer if they weren''t in America at the time. In that case, maybe they would answer American, because it wouldn''t immediately be obvious that they had lived in the US most of their lives (while it might be fairly obvious due to appearance and accent that they were originally born in a country other than America).

Hmm... but what if they''re white and have no trace of an accent (other than American English) whatsoever?!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 2/15/2010 10:52:22 AM
Author: Clio


When we're outside the US, Steve generally starts with American, but will often explain that his family originally came from Vietnam.

This is my standard answer too.

 

[vespergirl]

My parents are immigrants from Croatia, and I am a first-generation American. It''s funny, though, because even though my mom is a naturalized citizen & still speaks with an accent, she only refers to herself as American, because she had a bad experience in the former Yugoslavia and her family had to escape, so she doesn''t relate to the culture at all.

My dad and I, on the other hand, are very fond of Croatia, and refer to ourselves as Croatian-Americans. Having immigrant parents, I never felt like a "normal" American, so I really do feel like I straddle both cultures. My brothers had a different feeling about our experience, however, and just refer to themselves as Americans.

 

[sunnyd]

I consider myself Canadian, though I''ve been living in the US for more of my life. My sister just got her citizenship, so I suppose she would say she''s American.

 

[Luckyeshe]

When people as me: "Where are you from?"
My typically response: "Do you mean, where was I born(nationality), or what US state I came from?"

Then the answer is: "I was born in the Philippines but we immigrated to New York when I was 9 and then moved to Florida when I was 12. I''ve been here for over half of my life and I always say I''m Floridian. But to be specific, I''m a Filipino-American Floridian."

Long I know, but it gets everything all in there so no confusions!

 

[Clairitek]

My father was born in England, raised in New Zealand, and immigrated to the US when he was 19. He didn''t get his citizenship until 2000 when he was 47. Even before he officially became a US citizen he considered himself American since he identified with this culture more than anything.

 

[gemgirl]

I''m a native New Yawker

, but most of my mother''s family calls themselves Italian Americans. I''m second generation Italian American.

 

[Karl_K]

not that I get asked but when I do I say: planet earth

woops just saw the not born in the US part so im out.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 2/15/2010 11:03:07 AM
Author: Phoenix

Date: 2/15/2010 10:47:55 AM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 2/15/2010 10:39:59 AM
Author: Clio
Steve will usually say that he''s Vietnamese, but that''s because 1) saying ''Vietnamese-American'' is so clunky, and 2) such conversations almost always take place among other Americans, so the American part is understood. He definitely considers himself an American, and the US is home.

If someone asks where he''s from, the answer is always ''Massachusetts.'' He was 3 when they left Vietnam and settled there.

Your answer seemed to fit with what most of my friends born in other countries would answer. I think the American part is assumed, if you''re in America, so it''s common for someone to say that they are Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc. If someone asks what nationality you are, they really want to know where you were born, where your accent is from, etc.

I haven''t really met these same people outside of the country, so I''m not sure what they would answer if they weren''t in America at the time. In that case, maybe they would answer American, because it wouldn''t immediately be obvious that they had lived in the US most of their lives (while it might be fairly obvious due to appearance and accent that they were originally born in a country other than America).

Hmm... but what if they''re white and have no trace of an accent (other than American English) whatsoever?!

You''re right! In that case it wouldn''t be at all obvious that they originally came from a country other than America. At that point it''s totally up to the person in question and what they identify with more (or they can just share both American and whatever the other country is).

 

[MichelleCarmen]

My mom and grandparents were born outside the US. My mom had a greencard and always said she was Austrian (the entire time she lived in the US). My grandparents moved to Canada instead of the US and tell everyone they''re Canadian (and they are Canadian Citizens). They still maintain many Austrian customs and still speak German a lot of the time.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 2/15/2010 11:03:07 AM
Author: Phoenix

Date: 2/15/2010 10:47:55 AM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 2/15/2010 10:39:59 AM
Author: Clio
Steve will usually say that he''s Vietnamese, but that''s because 1) saying ''Vietnamese-American'' is so clunky, and 2) such conversations almost always take place among other Americans, so the American part is understood. He definitely considers himself an American, and the US is home.

If someone asks where he''s from, the answer is always ''Massachusetts.'' He was 3 when they left Vietnam and settled there.

Your answer seemed to fit with what most of my friends born in other countries would answer. I think the American part is assumed, if you''re in America, so it''s common for someone to say that they are Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc. If someone asks what nationality you are, they really want to know where you were born, where your accent is from, etc.

I haven''t really met these same people outside of the country, so I''m not sure what they would answer if they weren''t in America at the time. In that case, maybe they would answer American, because it wouldn''t immediately be obvious that they had lived in the US most of their lives (while it might be fairly obvious due to appearance and accent that they were originally born in a country other than America).

Hmm... but what if they''re white and have no trace of an accent (other than American English) whatsoever?!

This is an off-shoot question of the no trace of an accent thought. . .for those of you who''s parents were born outside the US, do THEY have an accent to you? My mom moved from Austria when she was 12 and lived in Canada for a few years before completely learning English, then I was born when she was 18 and from that time I NEVER heard an accent. Is this normal? Nobody ever said, "oh, you''re mom sounds German." They couldn''t even place where she was from. A friend of mine once told me *I* had an accent when I sounded excited!

 

[movie zombie]

my aussie husband has been here at least 15 years [and has lost most of his accent].........and while he can no longer vote in AU as he is no longer an AU resident per AU regulations, he is not a US citizen but he is a legal US resident. he always identifies himself as australian....and his passport is AU.

mz

 

[joelly]

This is a very interesting question. I consider myself both American and Indonesian. I am Indonesian because I was born in Indonesia and I lived there for the first 23 years of my life. I am American because I work, I live, and I pay taxes just like anyone else who was born here in the US.

 

[Amethyste]

Date: 2/15/2010 11:29:32 AM
Author: sunnyd
I consider myself Canadian, though I've been living in the US for more of my life. My sister just got her citizenship, so I suppose she would say she's American.

I usually say I am Dual Canadian/Us citizen . I am!

 

[TravelingGal]

I''m Korean American. Both are equally important to me. But as much as I am proud of my Korean roots, I would identify myself more as an American because my mindset is firmly more entrenched in the culture here.

Away from the U.S., if people ask, I always say I''m Korean, because I find what they are interesting in knowing is my ethnicity. TGuy will always think of himself as an Australian, I am sure.

 

[Arkteia]

Usually when people in US ask this question they are referring to my accent. So to satisfy their curiosity, I'd say I am "From Moscow" (or Russian). My husband, who has a thicker accent, would usually say, "Seattle" (or American).

It is funny that in Moscow I am often asked, "where are you from?", and they mean which foreign country I am leaving now. And then I say I am an American.

I think the defining point is not the answer you give to the question "who are you" or "where are you from". When someone asks you which country you support during the Olympic games...My husband recently said, "we have won...", and I asked him, "who do you mean by we?"

 

[qtiekiki]

I always say that I was born in Hong Kong when asked "where are you from?" in the US. In other countries, I say I am from America.

 

[oobiecoo]

There was a girl in my high school who was born in Nigeria(with Nigerian blood) and then moved to Italy when she was maybe 5 or so. She told everyone she was Italian and it DROVE. ME. CRAZY! To me, she was a Nigerian who moved to Italy, learned the language, then came to the US for school. Not Italian.

 

[elle_chris]

Interesting question and one I''m never sure how to answer. Since I was born in Russia but my family left when I was one, I grew up here and have no accent so people always assume I''m American. When they meet my parents they''re always shocked as they have a strong accent. I started saying "my family''s from Russia", but when traveling outside of the states, I just say American.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 2/15/2010 9:29:43 AM
Author:Phoenix
If you were originally from X country but have lived in the USA for a long time, say thirty years or so?

Just curious what some of you who weren''t born in the US would say if asked?

good Q Phoenix...
i was born in HK then became a U.S. citizen in 1977, i wouldn''t know how to answer the Q

am i Chinese or American ?