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Anglo-Saxon

The Anglo-Saxons were the Germanic-speaking tribes that invaded Britain after the collapse of the Roman Empire. (see Anglo-Saxons)

Today the term "Anglo-Saxon" is used to refer to the English ethnic group, as opposed to "Scottish", "Irish", "Welsh" and "Cornish" (which was otherwise known as British).

For over a hundred years, "Anglo-Saxon" has been used as pertaining to the Anglophone cosmopolitan societies of predominantly Western character, (North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the British Isles) describing their intellectual traditions and national characters, as opposed to "Gallic", "Teutonic", "Hispanic".

"Anglo-Saxon" can also mean the Germanic component of the English language, as opposed to the many loanwords the language has obtained, especially from Romance languages. (see also Old English language)

"He's an Anglo-Saxon messenger, and those are Anglo-Saxon attitudes." Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

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