WIEDZA O WIELKIEJ BRYTANII – EGZAMIN 2014

1. Recognizing flags.

England Scotland Wales Northern

Ireland

2. Symbolic terms.

- John Bull - national personification of the United Kingdom in general, and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works.

- Britons - (Celtic people), ancient inhabitants of Great Britain, south of the Firth of Forth.

- Erin - poets and nineteenth-century Irish nationalists used “Erin” in English as a romantic name for Ireland.

- Caledonia - the Latin name given by the Romans to the land in today's Scotland north of their province of Britannia, beyond the frontier of their empire.

- Cambria - the classical name for Wales, being the Latinised form of the Welsh name “Cymru”.

- Hibernia - is the Classical Latin name for the island of Ireland.

3. Languages spoken in the U.K. (+language groups they belong to).

• English (West Germanic)

• Scots (West Germanic)

• Welsh (Celtic)

• Scottish Gaelic (Celtic)

• Cornish (Celtic)

• Irish (Celtic)

• Immigrant languages

4. Great Britain (definition).

- is an island in the Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe. It comprises England, Scotland, and Wales. It is the ninth-largest island in the world and the largest island in Europe. Population is about 63 million people (in 2012.)

5. Union Jack (definition).

- the Union Flag, or Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is so called because it combines the crosses of the three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland.

The flag consists of three heraldic crosses: The cross of St George, patron saint of England, The cross saltire of St Andrew, patron saint of Scotland and The cross of St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland.

6. 5 examples of the districts of London.

City of London, Westminster, West End, East End, Hackney

7. MAP: regions, cities, rivers, mountains , national parks, seas, islands, bays (firths),

7 chosen counties. (separate maps of Scotland, Wales)

8. Importance of London.

- it’s 7 times the size of any other city in the UK. It’s a home to e. 20% of UK’s population. Centre of: banking, business, national newspapers, transport network and national TV network.

9. ‘The square mile’ (definition).

- called also as "the City of London", its area occupies about 1 square mile. The City owns civic rights, sovereignty and is a major business and financial centre (e.g Bank of London and London Stock Exchange). The administrative area contains also commercial and trade activities. The City is inhabited by around 7000 people but every day focuses more than 300 000 workers.

10. Cockney (def.).

- the term has geographical, social, and linguistic associations. Traditionally, it refers to people born within a certain area of London, namely in the East. It is often used to refer to working-class Londoners in the East End. Linguistically, it refers not only to the accent and form of English spoken by this group, but also to occasional rhyming slang.

11.Moorlands (def. and examples)

- is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas or shrublands characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. Nowadays generally mean uncultivated hill land (such as Dartmoor in South West England), but the Old English mōr also refers to low-lying wetlands (such as Sedgemoor, also SW England). Other examples: Bleaklow - Dark Peak, Bodmin Moor - Cornwall, Forest of Bowland - Lancashire, Staffordshire Moorlands.

12. The Fens (def.)

(also Fenland, Fenlands) - is a geographical and historical region located in eastern England, covering the southern part of Lincolnshire, northern Cambridgeshire and western Norfolk. The Fens area with around 4000 km² and partially depressed, in the past was covered with peat bogs. Currently, a considerable part of it is dried and used for agricultural purposes. A fen is the local name for an individual area of marshland or former marshland and also designates the type of marsh.

13. The Black Country.

- is an area of the West Midlands conurbation in England, north and west of Birmingham and south and east of Wolverhampton. During the Industrial Revolution, it became one of the most industrialised parts of Britain with coal mines, coking, iron foundries and steel mills producing a high level of air pollution

14. Recognizing photos

• (kilka w załączniku)

15. Scouse (definition)

- is an accent and dialect of English found primarily in the Metropolitan county of Merseyside, and closely associated with the city of Liverpool. The accent is known to be as far reaching as Flint shire in Wales, Runcorn in Cheshire and Skelmersdale in Lancashire.

16.Mancunian (definition)

- is a dialect, and the name given to the people of Manchester, England, and its environs. It's part of the Northern English dialects but has enough features and characteristics to be considered a dialect of its own.

17. Geordie (definition)

– is a regional nickname for a person from the region of North East England, along the river Tyne. These people believe that they are from New Castle, but in fact they are from outlining areas such as Gateshead. They believe that they are top of the social scale. Stereotypes: friendly people devoted to football, coalminers.

18. North-south divide – selected aspects

(ciężko tu o jakąś krótką definicje – napisze to co mam w książce i w notatkach, to sobie wybierzecie co Wam bardziej odpowiada i łatwiej się zapamięta)

1) (książka) – there are many aspects of life in Britain which illustrate the so-called ‘north-south divide’. This is a well-known fact of British life, although there is no actual geographical boundary. Basically, the south has almost always been more prosperous than the north, with lower rates of unemployment and more expensive houses. This is especially true of the south-eastern area surrounding London. This area is often referred to as the ‘Home Counties’. The word ‘home’ in this context highlights the importance attached to London and its domination of public life.

2) (nawro slajd) – gap between the north and south in life expectancy, political inclinations and economics trends were growing to extent that they were almost separable countries. One of the main causes of this was – immigration of young professionals from the north to work in London, whereas it’s much less common for young professionals from the south to move to a northern city.

3) North-South divide

• has existed in national psychology since the Industrial Revolution

• the economically prosperous metropolises of the South

• and the provincial industrial cities of the North

Indicators of north- south divide

• health conditions worse in the north, though spending on health care is higher

• house prices – higher in the south, particularly the south-east

• earnings higher in the south and east

• government expenditure is higher relative to tax revenues in the north, but higher in key areas such as infrastructure investment in the South

• political influence

• phonetics: South - ˈʌ (kʌntri) – North - ʊ

Lots of prejudice, stereotypes – film, cartoons:

SOUTH: richer a lot, media dominated by affairs of London and South-East, people seem as unfriendly, hypocritical; expensive prices, miserable people

NORTH- northern pride (sport, beers), thoughtful, honest, warm-hearted people, male northerners viewed as ignorant, uncultured, keen on sport and beer; more friendly

19. Firth (definition)

- this term is used in Lowland Scotland language to denote various coastal waters in Scotland and England. In the mainland Scotland it’s used to describe a large sea bay or even a strait. In the Northern Isles it more usually refers to a smaller inlet . It’s linguistically cognate to fjord

20. The Highlands (definition)

- is a historic region of Scotland, which became culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period. The area is very sparsely populated, with many small villages, towns and mountain ranges, dominating the region, and includes the highest mountain -Ben Nevis. The highland communities have a really strong sense of their culture and many of them still speak the Gaelic language.

21. Tartan (definition) - is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland.

22. Status of Welsh language - The Welsh language has official status in Wales. Official status has a legal effect, and means that the Welsh language should not be treated less favourably than the English language in Wales.

23. Snowdonia (definition) - is a region in north Wales and a national park. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales.

24. Name 3 of 7 wonders of Wales:

- Pistyll Rhaeadr

- St Giles' Church

- Overton yew trees

- St Winefride's Well

- Llangollen Bridge

- Gresford bells

- Snowdon Mountain

25. Eisteddfodd (definition)

- is a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance. The

tradition of such a meeting of Welsh artists dates back to at least the 12th

century, when a festival of poetry and music was held by Rhys ap Gruffydd of

Deheubarth at his court in Cardigan in 1176 but, with the decline of the bardic

tradition, it fell into abeyance.

26. Traditional English breakfast (definition)

- consists of eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, baked beans and mushrooms. Even though not many people will eat this for breakfast today, it is always served in hotels and guest houses around Britain.

27. ‘Inverted snobbery” (definition)

- people who scorns the conventions or attitudes of his own class or social group by attempting to identify with people of a supposedly lower class.

28. Aspects of British conservatism.

Conformity, tradition, social norm, family values, nationalism, social order, patriotism, social hierarchy, statutory law, private property, protectionism.

29. British love of nature – examples.

- Lack of negative associations with village

- Countryside- peace & quiet, healthy, good health, no crime

- Thatched cottages around a 'village green' with a pond with ducks on it.

- The countryside represents stability

- The right and privilege to be able to ''go into the country.

- The existence of large, national parks.

30. The Ramblers’ Accociation (definition).

- it is the largest walkers' rights organization in Great Britain and aims to represent the interests of walkers (or ramblers). It is a charity registered in England and Wales and in Scotland with around 123,000 members.

31. The National Trust (definition).

- it is a conservation organization in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust does not operate in Scotland, where there is an independent National Trust for Scotland. The trust was founded in 1895 and given statutory powers, starting with the National Trust Act 1907..

32. British attitude to work.

? Attitudes to unemployment and to welfare payments have softened, a major survey of the public mood suggests. The annual British Social Attitudes Report - which questioned more than 3,000 people for more than an hour - found 51% said benefits were too high in 2012, down from 62% in 2011.

The survey also showed a fall in support for Scottish independence, from 30% in 2006 to 23% in 2012.

About 60% said the Scottish Parliament should be running taxes and welfare.

High earnings more vital than job satisfaction,

late start of the working day (8-9a.m.)

work continues till 5 pm working overtime,

don't seem to look working,

holidays, short periods. ?

33. The ‘Footsie’ (definition).

- the Footsie consists of 100 blue chip stocks that trade on the London Stock Exchange. The index is maintained by the FTSE Group, which is jointly owned by the Financial Times and the London Stock Exchange. The FTSE gets its name from the acronym of its two parent companies. The index is weighted by market capitalization, so larger companies make up a larger share of the index.

34. London as centre of Word finances – reasons.

• London generates approximately 20 per cent of the UK's GDP; while the economy of the London metropolitan area—the largest in Europe—generates approximately 30 per cent of the UK's GDP • London is one of the pre-eminent financial centres of the world as the most important location for international finance.

• Over 85% (3.2 million) of the employed population of greater London works in the services industries. The City of London estimates that 70,000 jobs in finance will be cut within a year.

• The City of London is home to the Bank of England, London Stock Exchange, and Lloyd's of London insurance market.

• London has five major business districts: the City, Westminster, Canary Wharf, Camden & Islington and Lambeth & Southwark.

35. ‘High street banks’ – definition (2 examples)

- a term originating in the U.K. to refer to large retail banks which have many branch locations. The term "high street" is meant to indicate that these banks are major, widespread institutions, such as those that would be found in the main commercial sector of a town or city. High street is roughly synonymous to the American term "Main Street."

2 Examples: Barclays PLC, Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (RBS)

36. Recognizing coins and banknotes. (which part of the UK)

England

Scotland

Northern Ireland

Wales

37. Less typical sports (3 examples)

-gardening

-darts

-indoor bowling

-crocquet

-dog and cat shows

38. Cricket (definition)

-middle class interest in Wales , Scotland, and Northern Ireland

-in England played at top level

-definitely NOT a national English sport

-11 players in a team

-length of matches 5-6 hours (national teams), 2-4 days (top club teams)

39. ‘The Ashes’ (definition)

- a trophy competed for when England and Australia play a series of matches.

40. Rugby (definition)

- is one of the leading professional and recreational team sports in England. There are two versions of rugby - rugby union and rugby league. Rules:

-egg-shaped ball – to be carried over the opponents teams line

-not interference with players who do not carry the ball

-no body armour

-length of matches: 80 minutes

-number of players : 15 (union), 13 (league)

41. The Triple Crown (definition)

- is often used to describe the act of winning or completing the three most important or difficult or prestigious events, tournaments or prizes in a given field. Originating in England in the mid-19th century in the sport of horse racing, it has spread to other competitive endeavors.

42. Animal sports (3 examples)

Racing - is the most popular form of animal-related sport, particularly horse racing.

Fighting - in most countries the act of two or more animals fighting each other, such as cockfighting, and dog fighting.

Hunting - began as a crucial component of hunter-gatherer societies, being an important source of food.

43. ‘Bookmakers’ (definition)

- is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.

Bookmakers in the United Kingdom focus betting on professional sports, especially horse racing and association football; however, a wider range of bets, including on political elections, awards ceremonies such as The Oscars, and novelty bets can also be placed.

44. ?Two elements? of the revival of Welsh

(1904–1905) – it was the largest Christian revival in Wales during the 20th century. While by no means the best known of revivals, it was one of the most dramatic in terms of its effect on the population, and triggered revivals in several other countries.

45. Difference between Scots and Scottish Gaelic (3-4 elements)

SCOTS:

SCOTTISH GAELIC:

- is the Germanic language - Scots and English are different, but alike. -variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster (Ireland) - From the thirteenth century Early Scots spread further into Scotland - From having been an independent language used by people on all social levels Scots had descended to the status of being considered a dialect of English, a dialect used by ignorant peasants, fishing folk and laborers, not by genteel people - There is no radio or TV broadcasting in Scots, it is, generally speaking, not taught in school, and it is not at all used as an educational medium.

- is a Celtic language - Gaelic belongs to another family of languages and is completely different from English -native to Scotland (most of the Highlands, the Hebrides and Galloway) -A thousand years ago the majority of the Scottish population spoke Gaelic. - Gaelic is part of the romantic Scottish myth, and most Scots believe it is Scotland's aboriginal language. Gaelic thus enjoys a high cultural status - Many schools now teach what was once a proscribed language and TV and radio broadcast in Gaelic

46. Foras na Gaeilge (definition)

- a cross-border body known as Foras na Gaeilge was established to promote the language in both Northern Ireland and the Republic (slajd)

Foras na Gaeilge is a public body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland. The body also serves an advisory role in matters pertaining to the Irish language in both the public and private sectors in the Republic of Ireland (where Irish is the first official language) and Northern Ireland (where Irish is a regional language). It also creates terminology to add to the Irish language.

47. Three examples of the media in British minority languages.

1) BBC Radio Ulster – began broadcasting a nightly half hour programme called Blas (‘taste’) in Irish in the early 1980s

2) BBC Northern Ireland - broadcast its first television programme in Irish in the early 1990’s SRL

3) TG4 – (many areas of Northern Ireland) the Irish-language television channel, which is broadcasting primarily from the Connemara Gaeltacht in the Republic

48. Four examples of immigrant languages (with significant number of users, apart from

Polish)

1.Punjabi (600,000)

2.Sylheti (550,000)

3.Bengali (150,000) (If combined with Sylheti, becomes 700,000, surpasses Punjabi to be number 1)

4.Urdu (400,000)

5.Cantonese (250,000)

6.Malayalam (200,737)

7.Greek (200,000)

8.Italian (200,000)

9.Southwestern Caribbean Creole (170,000)

10.Tamil (160,000)

11.Gujarati (140,000)

12.Kashmiri (115,000)

49. RP (definition, 2 examples of model speakers)

RP - is the standard accent of Standard English in the United Kingdom, with a relationship to regional accents similar to the relationship in other European languages between their standard varieties and their regional forms.

Examples: David Cameron,Boris Johnson

(-wikipedia)

50. British style of democracy (3 aspects)

British political system -stable unchanged for the last 200 years, High respect for Principle of the law.

No freedom of information act.

A constitutional monarchy.

(-zeszyt)

51. ‘The constitution’ of Britain (definition)

The constitution - colective name for rule regulation,principle. Some of those rules exit as written laws.

(-zeszyt)

The Constitution of the United Kingdom is the set of laws and principles under which the United Kingdom is governed.

Unlike many other nations, the UK has no single constitutional document. This is sometimes expressed by stating that it has an uncodified or "unwritten" constitution.
(-wikipedia)

52. Names of three major political parties with brief descriptions

Conservative and Unionist Party - Earlier known as Tories, stand for hierarchical authority, minimal interference in state of economy, reduce income tax

Liberal Democrats - Strongly in favour of the EU, emphasis on the enviorment, emphasis on community ethics, for grater powers to local governments

Labour Party - Left or center outlook, stands for equality, governmant involvement in economy, voted by working class and middle class intelligentsia

(-zeszyt)