British Culture Unit 1

CONTRASTES LINGÜÍSTICOS Y CULTURAS DE LA LENGUA B: INGLÉS
UNIT 1: GEOGRAPHICAL AND SOCIOCULTURAL DIVERSITY IN CONTEMORARY BRITAIN
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
GEOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING: the BRITISH ISLES (British and Irish Isles / Anglo-Celtic Isles).
 GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION:
- 0º LONGITUDE: Greenwich (Greenwich Mean Time).
- 50º NORTH LATITUDE: Southwest England.
- 60º NORTH LATITUDE: Shetland Islands.
POLITICALLY SPEAKING: 2 NATION STATES:
 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

 Republic of Ireland/Eire.
SMALLER ISLANDS OF THE UK:
 Isle of Wight, Scillies, Anglesey, Hebrides, Orkneys, Shetlands.
SPECIAL STATUS OF THE CROWN DEPENDENCIES:
 Isle of Man, the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey).
THE FOUR NATIONS OF THE BRITISH ISLES
HISTORICAL PROCESS OF POLITICAL UNIFICATION OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, WALES AND IRELAND.
BETWEEN 1801 AND 1922, the BRITISH ISLES FORMED A SINGLE STATE: the UNITED KINGDOM OF
GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.
POLITICAL SYSTEM: CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY/PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY.
UNITARY POLITICAL SYSTEM DESPITE ASYMMETRIC DEVOLUTION:
 DEVOLUTION: TRANSFER OF DIFFERENT DEGREES OF POLITICAL POWER FROM THE UK

(Westminster) PARLIAMENT TO 3 OF THE CONSTITUENT COUNTRIES/NATIONS (but not
England), following REFERENDUMS IN 1997-8.
 SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT (1999): DEVOLVED POWERS INCLUDE TAX-VARYING POWER FOR
BASIC RATE OF INCOME TAX (up to 3 % difference from the rest of the UK).
 WELSH ASSEMBLY (1999): LAW MAKING POWERS ENHANCED IN 2006 AND 2011.
 NORTHERN IRISH ASSEMBLY (2000): SUSPENDED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS INCLUDING
2002-7.
COMPLEXITIES OF NATIONAL IDENTITY:
 National differences are NOW LESS DISTINCT THAN IN THE PAST, due to VARIOUS FACTORS
INCLUDING INDUSTRIALIZATION AND MODERN COMMUNICATIONS.
 ETHNICITY AND LANGUAGE: Germanic and Celtic heritages.
 NATIONAL CHARACTER AND STEREOTYPES.
 ‘NON-NATIVE’ ETHNIC COMMUNITIES.
THE CELTIC HERITAGE:
 CELTIC LANGUAGES have SURVIVED IN GREAT BRITAIN, IRELAND AND FRANCE.

 LATIN CELTAE FROM GREEK KELTOI (‘strangers’).
 GAEL (from Old Celtic Goidel). LATIN TERM GALLI RESERVED TO REFER TO PEOPLE FROM
GAUL.
OLD CELTIC:
 Q-CELTIC (GOIDELIC): Irish Gaelic (120,000 fluent speakers), Scottish Gaelic (70,000), Manx
(last speaker died in 1974, but recently revived).
 P-CELTIC (BRITTONIC): Welsh (700,000), Cornish (died out in 19th century, but recently revived
by Mebyon Kernow, with 2,000 fluent speakers), Breton.
 EXAMPLES OF SOUND SHIFT IN IRISH AND WELSH: mac – map (son); ceann – pen (head); clann
– plentyn/plant (children).
THE UNION JACK: the UNION JACK is the NATIONAL FLAG OF THE UK. It is a COMBINATION OF THE
CROSS OF ST. GEORGE, THE CROSS OF ST. ANDREW AND THE CROSS OF ST. PATRICK.
 Identifying symbols of the four nations.
BASIC GEOGRAPHY
LAND POPULATION:
 The UK POPULATION GREW BY OVER 7 % BETWEEN 2001 AND 2011, twice the rate of the
previous decade. AND BY AROUND 6 % BETWEEN 2011 AND 2021-22.
 COMPARE WITH FIGURES FOR SPAIN: Area: 504,750 sq.km; Population: 48,446,594;
Population Density: 96/sq.km (Source: INE, 1/10/2023).
PHYSICAL RELIEF:
 HIGHLAND BRITAIN (highest peaks: Ben Nevis 1344m/Snowdon 1085m) MAINLY IN THE
NORTH AND WEST.
 LOWLAND BRITAIN (max. 300m) mainly in the SOUTH AND EAST: high proportion of
GRASSLAND, FERTILE SOILS AND GOOD ARABLE FARMING CONDITIONS.
CLIMATE:
 According to a traditional saying, ‘BRITAIN DOES NOT HAVE A CLIMATE, IL ONLY HAS
WEATHER’.
 BAD REPUTATION DUE TO CHANGEABILITY.
 HEAVIEST ANNUAL RAINFALLS IN THE WEST AND NORTH due largely to LOW PRESSURE
AREAS that travel eastwards across the Atlantic Ocean.
 Temperatures RARELY REACH 30º IN THE SUMMER OR FALL BELLOW -10º IN THE WINTER.
 AVERAGE DAILY SUNSHINE in SUMMER/WINTER RANGES FROM 5 HOURS/1 HOUR IN
NORTHERN SCOTLAND TO 8 HOURS/2 HOURS ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
LONDON
GRATER LONDON covers 1580 SQ. KM. and has a population of 8,2 MILLION (2014 estimate, compared
to 10 million in 1950).
IMPORTANCE: seat of POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS (government, parliament, monarchy), BUSINESS and

BANKING CENTRE, MAJOR LEGAL INSTITUTIONS, HUB FOR TRANSPORT NETWORK, MEDIA GROUPS.
ORIGINS: CITY OF LONDON, CITY OF WESTMINSTER.
THE WEST END AND THE EAST END.
COSMOPOLITAN CITY: CULTURAL AND RACIAL VARIETY.
One of the world’s most popular TOURIST DESTINATIONS.
SOUTHERN ENGLAND
THE SOUTH EAST:
 DENSELY POPULATED AREA AROUND LONDON: Home Counties/commuter belt.

 DYNAMIC ECONOMIC REGION: trade, services and high-tech manufacturing; relatively high
employment rate in recent decades.
 KENT, THE DOWNS, THE SOUTH-EAST COAST.
THE SOUTH WEST:
 THE WEST COUNTRY: Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.

 POPULAR IMAGE OF RURAL BEAUTY; emphasis on LIVESTOCK AND DAIRY FARMING.
 WARMEST WEATHER IN THE UK; traditionally a POPULAR DOMESTIC HOLIDAY DESTINATION.
 PORTS OF BRISTOL, PORTSMOUTH, SOUTHAMPTON.
EAST ANGLIA:
 EXTENSIVE AREAS OF FLAT LAND: emphasis on ARABLE FARMING; NORWICH AND

CAMBRIDGE.
THE MIDLANDS
THE WEST MIDLANDS: NEGATIVE ASSOCIATION due to INDUSTRIAL AREAS OF BIRMINGHAM,
COVENTRY AND THE BLACK COUNTRY (iron and steel production and heavy engineering).
BEAUTY SPOTS: COTSWOLD HILLS, MALVERN HILLS, LEAMINGTON SPA, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON.
STAFFORDSHIRE AND THE POTTERIES.
NORTHERN ENGLAND
IMPORTANT CITIES AND METROPOLITAN AREAS that GREW IN STATURE LARGELY AS A

RESULT OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION:
 MANCHESTER (cotton goods).

 LIVERPOOL (shipbuilding).
 LEEDS AND BRADFORD (woollen goods).
 SHEFFIELD (steel goods).
 NEWCASTLE (shipbuilding).
INDUSTRIAL DECLINE IN THE SECOND HALF OF 20TH century led to HIGH LEVELS OF UNEMPLOYMENT,
ECONOMIC MIGRATION and the so-called NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE.
LARGE AREAS OF OPEN COUNTRYSIDE frequently INTERLOCKED WITH INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPES (e.g.,
Peak District National Park).
The LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK AND THE ROMANTIC POETS.
SCOTLAND
SOUTHERN UPLANDS: SERIES OF HILL RANGES; importance of AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY.
CENTRAL LOWLANDS: 1/5 OF TOTAL LAND AREA but ¾ OF TOTAL POPULATION. MAJOR CITIES:
Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS: ½ OF TOTAL LAND AREA but SPARSE POPULATION (around 350,000);
importance of TOURISM, FISHING AND WHISKY PRODUCTION.
WALES
SOUTH WALES accounts for 2/3 OF THE TOTAL POPULATION: major cities of CARDIFF, SWANSEA AND
NEWPORT; the VALLEYS AND THE DECLINE OF COAL MINING AND THE STEEL INDUSTRY.
CENTRAL AND NORTH WALES IS LARGELY MOUNTAINOUS: SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK.
WELSH LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY OVER 20 % OF TOTAL POPULATION; success of annual EISTEDDFOD

FESTIVAL.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Also known as ULSTER: 6 COUNTIES.
A land of GLENS, LAKES AND RUGGED COASTLINE; the GIANT’S CAUSEWAY.
Emphasis on AGRICULTURE, but LINEN PRODUCTION AND SHIPBUILDING IN BELFAST.

British Culture Unit 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

British Culture Unit 1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

British Culture Unit 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

CONTRASTES LINGÜÍSTICOS Y CULTURAS DE LA LENGUA B: INGLÉS

UNIT 1: GEOGRAPHICAL AND SOCIOCULTURAL DIVERSITY IN CONTEMORARY BRITAIN

POLITICALLY SPEAKING: 2 NATION STATES:

 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

SMALLER ISLANDS OF THE UK:

 Isle of Wight, Scillies, Anglesey, Hebrides, Orkneys, Shetlands.

SPECIAL STATUS OF THE CROWN DEPENDENCIES:

 Isle of Man, the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey).

THE FOUR NATIONS OF THE BRITISH ISLES

HISTORICAL PROCESS OF POLITICAL UNIFICATION OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, WALES AND IRELAND.

POLITICAL SYSTEM: CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY/PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY.

UNITARY POLITICAL SYSTEM DESPITE ASYMMETRIC DEVOLUTION:

 DEVOLUTION: TRANSFER OF DIFFERENT DEGREES OF POLITICAL POWER FROM THE UK

COMPLEXITIES OF NATIONAL IDENTITY:

THE CELTIC HERITAGE:

 CELTIC LANGUAGES have SURVIVED IN GREAT BRITAIN, IRELAND AND FRANCE.

 Identifying symbols of the four nations.

IMPORTANCE: seat of POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS (government, parliament, monarchy), BUSINESS and

ORIGINS: CITY OF LONDON, CITY OF WESTMINSTER.

THE WEST END AND THE EAST END.

COSMOPOLITAN CITY: CULTURAL AND RACIAL VARIETY.

One of the world’s most popular TOURIST DESTINATIONS.

THE SOUTH EAST:

 DENSELY POPULATED AREA AROUND LONDON: Home Counties/commuter belt.

THE SOUTH WEST:

 THE WEST COUNTRY: Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.

 EXTENSIVE AREAS OF FLAT LAND: emphasis on ARABLE FARMING; NORWICH AND

BEAUTY SPOTS: COTSWOLD HILLS, MALVERN HILLS, LEAMINGTON SPA, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON.

STAFFORDSHIRE AND THE POTTERIES.

IMPORTANT CITIES AND METROPOLITAN AREAS that GREW IN STATURE LARGELY AS A

 MANCHESTER (cotton goods).

The LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK AND THE ROMANTIC POETS.

SOUTHERN UPLANDS: SERIES OF HILL RANGES; importance of AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY.

CENTRAL AND NORTH WALES IS LARGELY MOUNTAINOUS: SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK.

WELSH LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY OVER 20 % OF TOTAL POPULATION; success of annual EISTEDDFOD

Also known as ULSTER: 6 COUNTIES.

A land of GLENS, LAKES AND RUGGED COASTLINE; the GIANT’S CAUSEWAY.

Emphasis on AGRICULTURE, but LINEN PRODUCTION AND SHIPBUILDING IN BELFAST.

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.