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1 de abril de 2012
NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA PAZ- PROFESORADO DE INGLÉS
CATEDRA DE CULTURA INGLESA
ROSA LUZ HELESIC
COUNTRY AND PEOPLE
Geographically speaking: Lying off the north-west coast of Europe, there are two large islands and several smaller ones. Collectively, they are known as the British Isles. The largest island is called Great Britain, and the other large one is called Ireland.
Politically Speaking :In the British Isles there are two states. One of these governs most of the island of Ireland. This state is usually called The Republic of Ireland. It is also called Eire, its Irish language name. Informally is referred to as ‘Ireland’ or ‘the Republic’. The other sat has an authority over the rest of the British Isles (the whole of the Great Britain, the northeastern area of Ireland and most of the smaller islands). Its official name is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland although it is known by a shorter name. At the European Song Contest, at the United Nations and in the European Parliament, for instance, it is referred to as ‘the United Kingdom’. In everyday speech it is often shortened to ‘the UK’. In other contexts it is referred to as ‘Great Britain’. That is the name you hear when a gold medal winner steps on to the rostrum at the Olympic Games. The stickers on cars (‘GB’) are another example of the use of this name. In writing and speaking this is not specially formal or informal, the name ‘Britain’ is used. The normal adjective, when talking about something to do with the UK, is ‘British’.
National teams from the British Isles in selected sports
ENGLAND WALES SCOTLAND NORTHERN IRELAND IRISH REPUBLIC
Olympics United Kingdom Irish Republic
Cricket England Scotland Ireland
Rugby Union England Wales Scotland Ireland
Football England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland Irish Republic
There are two small parts of the British Isles which have special political arrangements. These Crown Dependencies are the Chanel Islands and the Isle of Man. Each has complete internal self government, including its own Parliament and its own law system. Both are ruled by a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the British government.
Some Historical and poetic names
Albion is a word used in some poetical or rhetorical contexts to refer to England. It was the original Roman name for Britain. It comes from the Latin word ‘albus’, meaning ‘white’. The white chalk cliffs around Dover on the south west coasts are the first part of England o be seen when crossing the sea from the European mainland.
Brittannia is the name that the Roman gave to the southern British province, which covered, approximately, the area of the present day England. It is also the name given to the female embodiment of Britain, always shown wearing a helmet and holding a trident (the symbol of power over the sea), hence the patriotic song which begins ‘Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves’. The figure of Britannia has been on the reverse side of many British coins for more then 300 years.
The four Nations
People often refer to Britain by another name. They call it ‘England’. But that is not strictly correct, and it can make people angry. England is only one of the four nations of the British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Their political unification was a gradual process that took several hundred years. It was completed in 1800 when the Irish Parliament was joined with the Parliament of England, Scotland and Wales in Westminster, so that the British Isles became a single state, the United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland. However, in 1922, most of Ireland became a separate state. At one time, the four nations were distinct from each other in almost every aspect of life. In the first place they were different racially. He people in Ireland, Wales and highland Scotland belonged to the Celtic race. Those in England and lowland Scotland were mainly of Germanic origin. His difference was reflected in the language they spoke. People in Celtic areas spoke Celtic languages: Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. People in the Germanic areas spoke Germanic dialects (included the one which has developed into modern English).
Today these differences have become blurred. But they have not completely disappeared. Although there is only one government for the whole Britain, and people have the same passport regardless of where in Britain they live, some aspects of the of government are organized separately (and sometimes differently) in the four parts of the UK. Moreover, Welsh, Scottish and Irish people feel their identity very strongly.
Other signs of national identity
Names: The prefix ‘Mac’ or ‘Mc’ in surnames, such as McCall, McCarthy, McDonald, is always either Irish or Scottish. The prefix ‘O’ (as in O’Brien, O’Hara) is distinctively Irish. A very large number of surnames (i.e. Davis, Evans, Jones, Lloyd, Morgan, Price, Rees, Williams) suggest Welsh origin, although many of these names can be found throughout England. The most common surname in both England and Scottish is actually ‘Smith’.
First names can also be indicative. The Scottish form of ‘John’ is Ian and its Irish form is Sean, although all three names are common throughout Britain. There are also nicknames for Scottish, Irish and Welsh men. For example, and English, Welsh or Irish person can address a Scottish friend as ‘Jock’, whatever his first name is. Irishmen are called ‘Paddy’ or ‘Mick’ and Welshmen are known as ‘Dai’ or ‘Taffy’. If a person is not a friend the nickname can sound rather insulting.
Clothes: The kilt, a skirt with a tartan pattern worn by men, is a very well-known symbol of Scottishness.
Musical Instruments: The harp is an emblem of both Wales and Ireland. The bagpipes are regarded as distinctively Scottish (though a smaller type is also used in traditional Irish music)
Characteristics: There are certain stereotypes of national character which are well- known in Britain. For instance, the Irish are supposed to be great talkers, the Scots have a reputation for being careful with money, and the Welsh are renowned for their singing ability. These characteristics are, of course, only caricatures and are not reliable descriptions of individual people from these countries. Nevertheless, they indicate some slight differences in the value attached to certain kinds of behavior in the countries concerned. John Bull is a fictional character who is supposed to personify Englishness and certain English virtues (he can be compared to Uncle San in the USA). He features hundreds of nineteenth century cartoons. His appearance is typical of an eighteen century country gentleman, evoking an idyllic rural past. Briton is a word used in official contexts and in formal writing to describe a citizen of the UK. Ancient Britons is the name given to the race of people who lived in England before and during the Roma occupation. These are the ancestors of the present-day Welsh people. Caledonia, Cambria and Hibernia were the Roman names for Scotland, Wales and Ireland respectively. The words are commonly used today in scholarly classifications (for example the type of English used in Ireland is sometimes called ‘Hiberno-English’ and for the names of organizations like the airline ‘British Caledonian’. Erin is a poetic name for Ireland. The ‘Emerald Isle’ is another way of referring to Ireland, evoking the lush greenery of its countryside.
The Dominance of England
There is, perhaps, an excuse for people who use the word ‘England’ when they may mean ‘Britain’. It cannot be denied that the dominant culture of Britain today is specifically English. The system of politics that is used in all four nations is of English origin, and English is the language of all four nations. Many aspects of everyday life are organized according to English custom and practice. But the political unification of Britain was not achieved by mutual agreement. On the contrary, it happened because England was able to exert her economic and military power over the three other nations. Today English domination can be detected in the way in which various aspects of British public life are described. For example, the supply of money in Britain is controlled by the Bank of England (there is not such thing as the Bank of Britain). The present queen of the country is known as ‘Elizabeth the Second’ even though Scotland and Northern Ireland never had an Elizabeth the First. The term ‘Anglo’ is also commonly used. The Angles were a Germanic tribe who settled in England in the 5th century. The word England is derived from their name. Newspapers and television news talk about the ‘Anglo-American relations’ to refer to relations between the governments between Britain and the USA.
National Loyalties: When you are talking to people from Britain, it is safest to use ‘Britain’ when talking about where they live and ‘British’ to describe their nationality. This way you will be less likely to offend anyone. It is, of course, not wrong to talk about ‘people in England’ if that is what you mean (i.e. within the boundaries of England).
There has been a long history of migration from Scotland, Wales and Ireland to England. As a result there are millions of people who live in England but who would never describe themselves as English. They may have lived in England all their lives, but as far as they are concerned they are Scottish, Welsh or Irish- even if the last case, they are citizens of Britain and not from Eire. These people support the country of their parents or grandparents rather than England in sporting contests. They would also, given the chance, play for that country rather than England. If you had heard the members of the Republic of Ireland World Cup football team talking in 1994, you would have heard several different kinds of English accent and some Scottish accents, but only a few Irish accents. Most of the players did not live in Ireland and were not brought p in Ireland. Nevertheless, most of them would never have considered playing for any country other than Ireland!
The same holds true for the further millions of British citizens whose family origins lie outside the British Isles altogether. People of the Caribbean or south Asian descent, for instance, do not mind being described as ‘British’ (many would be proud of it), but many of them would not like to be called ‘English’.
ACTIVITIES
1. Think of the most well-known symbols and token of nationalities in your country. Are they the same type of real-life objects that are used in Britain?
2. In 1970, the BBC showed a series of programs about the British Empire. Before the series started, they advertised it. The advertisement mentioned ‘England’s History’. Within a few hours, the BBC received thousands of angry calls of protest, and it was forced to make an apology. Who do you think the angry callers were? Why did the BBC apologize?
CATEDRA DE CULTURA INGLESA
ROSA LUZ HELESIC
COUNTRY AND PEOPLE
Geographically speaking: Lying off the north-west coast of Europe, there are two large islands and several smaller ones. Collectively, they are known as the British Isles. The largest island is called Great Britain, and the other large one is called Ireland.
Politically Speaking :In the British Isles there are two states. One of these governs most of the island of Ireland. This state is usually called The Republic of Ireland. It is also called Eire, its Irish language name. Informally is referred to as ‘Ireland’ or ‘the Republic’. The other sat has an authority over the rest of the British Isles (the whole of the Great Britain, the northeastern area of Ireland and most of the smaller islands). Its official name is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland although it is known by a shorter name. At the European Song Contest, at the United Nations and in the European Parliament, for instance, it is referred to as ‘the United Kingdom’. In everyday speech it is often shortened to ‘the UK’. In other contexts it is referred to as ‘Great Britain’. That is the name you hear when a gold medal winner steps on to the rostrum at the Olympic Games. The stickers on cars (‘GB’) are another example of the use of this name. In writing and speaking this is not specially formal or informal, the name ‘Britain’ is used. The normal adjective, when talking about something to do with the UK, is ‘British’.
National teams from the British Isles in selected sports
ENGLAND WALES SCOTLAND NORTHERN IRELAND IRISH REPUBLIC
Olympics United Kingdom Irish Republic
Cricket England Scotland Ireland
Rugby Union England Wales Scotland Ireland
Football England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland Irish Republic
There are two small parts of the British Isles which have special political arrangements. These Crown Dependencies are the Chanel Islands and the Isle of Man. Each has complete internal self government, including its own Parliament and its own law system. Both are ruled by a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the British government.
Some Historical and poetic names
Albion is a word used in some poetical or rhetorical contexts to refer to England. It was the original Roman name for Britain. It comes from the Latin word ‘albus’, meaning ‘white’. The white chalk cliffs around Dover on the south west coasts are the first part of England o be seen when crossing the sea from the European mainland.
Brittannia is the name that the Roman gave to the southern British province, which covered, approximately, the area of the present day England. It is also the name given to the female embodiment of Britain, always shown wearing a helmet and holding a trident (the symbol of power over the sea), hence the patriotic song which begins ‘Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves’. The figure of Britannia has been on the reverse side of many British coins for more then 300 years.
The four Nations
People often refer to Britain by another name. They call it ‘England’. But that is not strictly correct, and it can make people angry. England is only one of the four nations of the British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Their political unification was a gradual process that took several hundred years. It was completed in 1800 when the Irish Parliament was joined with the Parliament of England, Scotland and Wales in Westminster, so that the British Isles became a single state, the United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland. However, in 1922, most of Ireland became a separate state. At one time, the four nations were distinct from each other in almost every aspect of life. In the first place they were different racially. He people in Ireland, Wales and highland Scotland belonged to the Celtic race. Those in England and lowland Scotland were mainly of Germanic origin. His difference was reflected in the language they spoke. People in Celtic areas spoke Celtic languages: Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. People in the Germanic areas spoke Germanic dialects (included the one which has developed into modern English).
Today these differences have become blurred. But they have not completely disappeared. Although there is only one government for the whole Britain, and people have the same passport regardless of where in Britain they live, some aspects of the of government are organized separately (and sometimes differently) in the four parts of the UK. Moreover, Welsh, Scottish and Irish people feel their identity very strongly.
Other signs of national identity
Names: The prefix ‘Mac’ or ‘Mc’ in surnames, such as McCall, McCarthy, McDonald, is always either Irish or Scottish. The prefix ‘O’ (as in O’Brien, O’Hara) is distinctively Irish. A very large number of surnames (i.e. Davis, Evans, Jones, Lloyd, Morgan, Price, Rees, Williams) suggest Welsh origin, although many of these names can be found throughout England. The most common surname in both England and Scottish is actually ‘Smith’.
First names can also be indicative. The Scottish form of ‘John’ is Ian and its Irish form is Sean, although all three names are common throughout Britain. There are also nicknames for Scottish, Irish and Welsh men. For example, and English, Welsh or Irish person can address a Scottish friend as ‘Jock’, whatever his first name is. Irishmen are called ‘Paddy’ or ‘Mick’ and Welshmen are known as ‘Dai’ or ‘Taffy’. If a person is not a friend the nickname can sound rather insulting.
Clothes: The kilt, a skirt with a tartan pattern worn by men, is a very well-known symbol of Scottishness.
Musical Instruments: The harp is an emblem of both Wales and Ireland. The bagpipes are regarded as distinctively Scottish (though a smaller type is also used in traditional Irish music)
Characteristics: There are certain stereotypes of national character which are well- known in Britain. For instance, the Irish are supposed to be great talkers, the Scots have a reputation for being careful with money, and the Welsh are renowned for their singing ability. These characteristics are, of course, only caricatures and are not reliable descriptions of individual people from these countries. Nevertheless, they indicate some slight differences in the value attached to certain kinds of behavior in the countries concerned. John Bull is a fictional character who is supposed to personify Englishness and certain English virtues (he can be compared to Uncle San in the USA). He features hundreds of nineteenth century cartoons. His appearance is typical of an eighteen century country gentleman, evoking an idyllic rural past. Briton is a word used in official contexts and in formal writing to describe a citizen of the UK. Ancient Britons is the name given to the race of people who lived in England before and during the Roma occupation. These are the ancestors of the present-day Welsh people. Caledonia, Cambria and Hibernia were the Roman names for Scotland, Wales and Ireland respectively. The words are commonly used today in scholarly classifications (for example the type of English used in Ireland is sometimes called ‘Hiberno-English’ and for the names of organizations like the airline ‘British Caledonian’. Erin is a poetic name for Ireland. The ‘Emerald Isle’ is another way of referring to Ireland, evoking the lush greenery of its countryside.
The Dominance of England
There is, perhaps, an excuse for people who use the word ‘England’ when they may mean ‘Britain’. It cannot be denied that the dominant culture of Britain today is specifically English. The system of politics that is used in all four nations is of English origin, and English is the language of all four nations. Many aspects of everyday life are organized according to English custom and practice. But the political unification of Britain was not achieved by mutual agreement. On the contrary, it happened because England was able to exert her economic and military power over the three other nations. Today English domination can be detected in the way in which various aspects of British public life are described. For example, the supply of money in Britain is controlled by the Bank of England (there is not such thing as the Bank of Britain). The present queen of the country is known as ‘Elizabeth the Second’ even though Scotland and Northern Ireland never had an Elizabeth the First. The term ‘Anglo’ is also commonly used. The Angles were a Germanic tribe who settled in England in the 5th century. The word England is derived from their name. Newspapers and television news talk about the ‘Anglo-American relations’ to refer to relations between the governments between Britain and the USA.
National Loyalties: When you are talking to people from Britain, it is safest to use ‘Britain’ when talking about where they live and ‘British’ to describe their nationality. This way you will be less likely to offend anyone. It is, of course, not wrong to talk about ‘people in England’ if that is what you mean (i.e. within the boundaries of England).
There has been a long history of migration from Scotland, Wales and Ireland to England. As a result there are millions of people who live in England but who would never describe themselves as English. They may have lived in England all their lives, but as far as they are concerned they are Scottish, Welsh or Irish- even if the last case, they are citizens of Britain and not from Eire. These people support the country of their parents or grandparents rather than England in sporting contests. They would also, given the chance, play for that country rather than England. If you had heard the members of the Republic of Ireland World Cup football team talking in 1994, you would have heard several different kinds of English accent and some Scottish accents, but only a few Irish accents. Most of the players did not live in Ireland and were not brought p in Ireland. Nevertheless, most of them would never have considered playing for any country other than Ireland!
The same holds true for the further millions of British citizens whose family origins lie outside the British Isles altogether. People of the Caribbean or south Asian descent, for instance, do not mind being described as ‘British’ (many would be proud of it), but many of them would not like to be called ‘English’.
ACTIVITIES
1. Think of the most well-known symbols and token of nationalities in your country. Are they the same type of real-life objects that are used in Britain?
2. In 1970, the BBC showed a series of programs about the British Empire. Before the series started, they advertised it. The advertisement mentioned ‘England’s History’. Within a few hours, the BBC received thousands of angry calls of protest, and it was forced to make an apology. Who do you think the angry callers were? Why did the BBC apologize?
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