dakota44

So you have to have been born in Italy to have Italian heritage and therefore Italian/American? Not quite.

Thydney

Have to agree yanks are born in yanky land, Italians in Italy, Greeks in Greece and Gods chosen people are from England.

Lorna at Vicenza

Not to have some Italian heritage no, but if your last real Italian ancestor arrived in America in 1910 and every subsequent sprog married an American - can you really still say today that you're Italian?

If it were me, I'd say that there is some Italian in my ancestoral line but I don't think I'd call myself Italian ....... hypothetically speaking.

I just live here. There's no Italian blood in my own ancestoral line.

SultanOfSwing

That's what they do here. They hang on to every last scrap of European or Old World heritage they can. So Vinny DelVecchio, born in Brooklyn in 1986 is an Italian, in the same way as if you have drank a pint of Guinness, own a U2 record and get into pointless fights with your knuckleheaded mates on March 17th, you're 'Irish'.

Takes a bit of getting used to

Thydney

OH FFS IT'S 'OIRISH'

SultanOfSwing

Yes, you're right. Sorry!

Lorna at Vicenza

Especially when some of them are called Chuck or Buddy. I meet blokes with those kind of Italian names on the streets everyday - not!

SultanOfSwing

I met a 'Sicilian' once called Gary.

Thydney

OMG it's 'So it is'

Lorna at Vicenza

Such a typical Sicilian name didn't you know

SultanOfSwing

Oh aye, sure you can't swing a dead cat round your head in Palermo without hitting at least twelve Garys.

Should that be Garies?

Who knows.

Lorna at Vicenza

Lorna at Vicenza

Getting back to the Geordie accent ...

I let my kids watch Saturday's episode of Britain's Got Talent.

When Simon Cowell came on, Ant or Dec said to him,

"before we go on with the show Simon, we need to know if you can understand us or not. Can you understand our accent?"

He pretended ignorance of what they were going on about but smiled as the audience hooted.

dakota44

The term Italian/American merely suggests someone is American with Italian descent. Most ethnicities in the U.S. hang on to their heritage to some degree with the Irish/American, German/American etc. They will say they are American first, but of a certain heritage. That is what happens when the vast majority of the population is derived from other countries. Most of us cannot trace our American roots back to tepees and lodge houses.

N1cky

I used to go out with an Italian boy when I was at school, he was called Duncan His gorg italian looks made up for it though.

Heard that on the radio yesterday, quite amusing. I like Ant and Dec though, I'm sure no-one else on here will