Anglophilia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An Anglophile is a person who is fond of English culture and England in general.[1] Its antonym is Anglophobe.[2]
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word comes from French, and ultimately from Latin Anglus "English" + Ancient Greek φίλος - philos, "friend"). It gives the first use as occurring in 1867, where the journal Revue des deux mondes is described as a "thoroughly Anglophile journal".[3]
In some cases, anglophilia represents an individual's preference for English culture over their own; the belief that English culture is superior; or an appreciation of English history. Alongside anglophiles who are attracted to 'traditional' English culture (e.g. Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Dr. Johnson), there are also anglophiles who like pop and rock music from England, British cars, and its contemporary culture in general.
American anglophiles may use British English spellings instead of the usual American spellings, such as 'colour' of 'color', 'grey' rather than 'gray', 'centre' rather than 'center', and 'realise' rather than 'realize'. A noted American anglophile was Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
The term is not usually associated with citizens of Commonwealth nations (the former British Empire) because these countries share many aspects of culture and history with the UK. Occasionally, it is used to describe the adherence to the culture of the wider Anglosphere such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
[edit] References
- ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.2000.
- ^ Dictionary.com: anglophile
- ^ "Anglophilia", n. " The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. OED Online. Oxford University Press. 4 Apr. 2000 <http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50008518>.
[edit] Bibliography
- Ian Buruma, Anglomania: a European Love Affair (Random House, 1999 in the US), or Voltaire's Coconuts, or Anglomania in Europe (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999 in the UK).
- Time magazine review of Anglomania
[edit] See also
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