english culture

Sources: Mrs Kevers’ notes - 1 -

http://www.lexilogos.com/grande_bretagne_carte.htm


http://www.lexilogos.com/ecosse_carte.htm

http://www.lexilogos.com/galles_carte.htm

http://www.lexilogos.com/irlande_carte.htm

1. BRITISH ATTITUDES

A) K ey words around Britain:

Darjeeling, Ceylon, Jasmine tea Woodbridge china Liberty material toll tax, charge Cheddar cheese Sussex, Surrey rich parts of London Bloody Sunday gambling games to earn money the Protestants against the Catholics Union Jack the flag of Britain Whigs used to be a political party The Globe Shakespeare’s theatre Ale beer Falklands islands Bobbies policemen Orwell British writer Sinn Fein Nationalist Irish Movement The Barbican Centre Concert Hall

B) Eccentric Britain:

British people: different mentality no constitution the Euro = not accepted no identity card in the wallet drive on the left different metric measurement policemen = no guns need privacy very superstitious

C) Weight and measures:

1 mile (ml) = 1,61 km 1 pound (lb) = 453,6 g1 stone (st) = 6,35 kg 1 foot (ft) = 30,48 cm1 yard (yd) = 91,44 cm 1 pint (pt) = 0,57 l1 gallon (gal) = 4,54 l 1 inch (in) = 2,54 cm1 ounce (fl oz) = 28,35 g 32° F (Fahrenheit) = 0° C50 mph (mile per hour) ≈ 80 km/h 68° F (Fahrenheit) = 20° C

D) Multi-coloured Britain: Britain: more than 300 ethnic groups (30 % belong to ethnic minority) = tolerant to different cultures (Islamic schools, the Muslim scarf …) always been a multicultural state! (3 ½ historically separate countries + colonies)!! Ethnic minority population soon > local population!!







2. ENGLISH FOOD

Apple crumble = cookie made of apples, flour, sugar and butterChristmas pudding = cake made of apples, flour, butter, eggs, stout, rum, grapes, almonds, …Custard = sweet creamCornish pasty = pastry with eggs, rump steak, onions, turnip, potatoCrumpet = pastry with meat, cheese and vegetablesPloughman’s lunch = bread, salad, cheeseGravy = liquid of the meat cookedTrifle = fruit cakeScone = bunShepherd’s pie = mashed potatoes with minced meat and tomato sauce (cooked in the oven)Worcester sauce = spicy sauce made of soya and vinegarApple pie always served with custard

Bed and Breakfast: (B&B) smaller and cheaper than a hotel friendly atmosphere

English breakfast = cereals and milk, orange juice scrambled eggs and bacon with tomatoes, mushrooms, pork sausages toast with marmalade, tea, coffee

They begin to care about what they eat: more organic food less fat quality is preferred than quantity no time! (commuting).

I could eat a horse! = I am very hungry.To be alike as two peas in a pod = To be similar.The proof of the pudding is in the eating ≈ You have to try in order to justify.Have your cake and eat it ≈ You want too much.A piece of cake = Very easy.To sell like hot cakes ≈ Quickly sold because of the quality.To spill the beans = To reveal.It’s not my cup of tea ≈ It’s not what I like.For all the tea of china ≈ Not at all!A traffic jam = A holdup (a mess in the street).As cool as a cucumber = To be calm.A hot potato = An interesting subject.To be the apple of someone’s eye ≈ Very very important.







Food for thought ≈ A subject to think about.It’s no use crying over spilt milk ≈ It’s done and we can’t do anything else.

3. FACTS AND FIGURES

A) Geography :

The British Isles: Great Britain Anglesey Ireland Isles of Scilly Shetland Islands Isles of Wight Orkney Islands Channel Islands: (Jersey,

Guernsey, Hebrides Alderney and Sark). Isle of man …

Great Britain: England (capital: London) Wales (capital: Cardiff) Scotland (capital: Edinburgh)

The United Kingdom (Political country): Great Britain Northern Ireland

Ulster: Northern Ireland (part of the UK), capital: Belfast.Eire: Southern Ireland (independent), capital: Dublin.







- Bath: town famous for its Roman baths- Brighton: seaside resort on the Channel- Canterbury: town famous for its cathedral, its Archbishop – head of the Anglican Church- Dover: town famous for its white cliffs- Glasgow: Scotland’s largest city- Isle of Man: Island between Ireland and Great Britain- Isle of Wight: Island described as “England’s garden”- Liverpool: home of the Beatles- Oxford and Cambridge (Oxbridge): homes of Britain’s most famous universities- Manchester: home of the Red Devils football team- Nottingham: home of Robin Hood- Stratford-upon-Avon: home of Shakespeare- York: medieval city with a Viking museum

B) Population :

England: 49.5 Million Wales: 2.9 Million 59.2 MillionScotland: 5.1 millionNorthern Ireland: 1.7 million

England highest population densityScotland lowest population density

London: 8 million.

C) Formation of the UK :

15th Cy: Henry Tudor (Welsh prince) King Henry VII1536: Henry VIII England & Wales = 1 parliament1603: James VI of Scotland James I of England 1707: England & Wales & Scotland = 1 parliament







19011922: Ireland (Northern & Southern) Britain1922: Independent Republic of Ireland (Eire). Northern Ireland Britain D) The Union Jack: (political union)

Made up of three crosses. (not Wales already Britain when made).

The cross of St George (Saint Patron of England).

The cross of St Andrew (Saint Patron of Scotland).

The cross of St Patrick (Saint Patron of Ireland).

E) Differences between the Scottish, the Welsh, the English and the Northern Irish:

2000 years ago: Celts (from Europe) British Isles 43 AD: Romans British Isles (gave their names: Britannia,

Hadrian’s Wall…) Romans pushed Celts Ireland, Scotland and Wales

Celtic language (Gaelic Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic).

5th Cy: Angles & Saxons Britain “Angle-land” (England)

Angles (from: Germany & Denmark) Saxons (from: Germany & The Netherlands).

9th Cy: Vikings (from: Denmark, Sweden & Norway) North of England

“Dane-land” / “Dane-law”


James I






York (Viking name) 1066: William the Conqueror (from: Normandy) Hastings

F) Historical charts:

1154 1399

Plantagenets Henry II, Edward I, … From France

1399 1485

Houses of York and Lancaster

War of the two Roses

1485 1603 Tudors

Henry VII, Henry VIII, Mary I (Bloody Mary), Elisabeth I, …

From Wales

1603 1649

The Stuarts James I, Charles I From Scotland1649 1660

REPUBLIC OF CROMWELL

Civil War

1660 1714

The Stuarts Charles II, James II

1714 1901 The Hanovrians

George I, II, III, IV GEORGIAN PERIOD (18th Cy)Victoria (1837-1901) VICTORIAN PERIOD (19th Cy)

From Germany

1901 1910

House of Saxe – Cobourg

EDWARDIAN PERIOD

1910 … House of Windsors Elisabeth II

Changed their name (German name) Victoria Grandmother of Elisabeth II







4. THE BRITISH EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM In England and Wales (little different in Scotland and Northern Ireland).

(get money from the Government to pay for food, accommodation,…)! have to pay back when work

GCE A-LEVEL 2 or 3 subjects

GCSE

State school

“eleven plus” examination (determinate which school to go).

Infant school (5 7 years) Junior school (7 11 years)

State schools: free (lots of children) Independent schools (public schools): you have to pay (tuition fees).

uniforms Preparatory school (513): {infant school (58) + junior school (813)} Public school Boarding schools

19th Cy: Compulsory education, not everybody (rich)! 20th Cy: everybody = obligatory between the ages of 5 and 15.

National curriculum: group of subjects taught in schools. care subjects: English, Mathematics, Sciences foundation subjects: Technology, Geography, History, Art, Music, Phys. Education


1822 - Universities - Colleges

- Institutes of Higher Education

1618- Sixth form colleges

- School sixth Forms - Colleges of further Education

End of Compulsory Education (16)

1116Secondary School

- Comprehensives schools (general education)- Grammar schools (more academic)- City Technology colleges (secondary technical schools)

511Start of Compulsory

Education (5) Primary School

05 Nursery school(State school)






Exams: 7, 11, 14 years: - Standard Assessment Tests (SATs)16 years: - GCSE - General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs)

work-related subjects 18 years: - GCE A-level {advanced}(5 subjects chosen) succeed to go to university

Universities: - Not many go - 3 or 4 years

- 2 types: undergraduate: Bachelor’s Degree (21 years) postgraduate: Master’s Degree (23 years)

- London, Oxford, Cambridge… 5. THE BRITISH POLITICAL SYSTEM

Head of state = Elisabeth II (WINDSOR) no real power. Must obey a constitution (Magna Carta –

1215)

CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY no written constitution

people = power through their representatives:

Executive power executes the law Government – ministers – policy led by the country

Prime Minister = HEAD Foreign affairs minister, Home affairs minister, Chancellor of Exchequer

Judiciary Branch judges solicitors


Parliament MAKES LAWS Legislative power (Houses of Parliament) WESTMINSTER (London)

House of Commons

657 MPs – elected not enough seats! (Royal family not allowed inside)

House of Lords- Hereditary peers (Aristocrats, bishops, queen, …) - “Exceptional” people (not Lords)

speaker table

- member of gvt- opposition members (« shadow cabinet »)- front benchers (important)- back benchers






lawyers barristers

Local government: counties (local town, cities, villages…)

Choice of the MPs: elections Country counties candidates, parties:

Liberal Democratic Party Labour Party: trade unions, working-class people, intellectual (upper classes)

Conservative Party: upper classes, middle classes (money)! must be 25 to elect / to be elected ballot: 1st win pass the post (highest number of votes wins the

county) each county = 1 MP / + 1 MP of Great London Prime Minister = head of party highest number of MPs in Parliament

6. RELIGION IN BRITAIN

Official churches in UK:

The ANGLICAN CHURCH (church of England = 1.7 million members) Protestant Churches Luther against abuses of

The PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Catholic church (church of Scotland = 1.1 million members)

Church of England – independent of Roman Catholic church - 16th Cy (Henry VIII)

King: Pope = head of Church chooses members of Clergy supreme governor of the Church of England !! Archbishops and Bishops = Prime Minister

Church led by Archbishop of CANTERBURY

Presbyterian Church – based on strict form of Protestantism taught by Calvin

brought by Knox + Other independent protestant churches: Methodist church Baptist church: Wales (baptism = adult)

Salvation ArmyQuakers

BIBLE = centre (important)!

+ Other groups: Catholic ChurchMuslims







SikhsHindusBuddhistsJews

Islam = 2sd religion in Britain.

7. THE IRISH ISSUENorthern Ireland = British ruled area

= Protestants North = rejoin South (freedom)Southern Ireland = own government (for 30 years)

= Catholics

Catholics + Protestants = fight! (North = Ireland? Britain?) 3,600 dead + 30,000 injured.

1169: Arrival Anglo-Normans, British = colonise the island (rebellions)1558: British expansion (Elizabeth I)1649: Cromwell (massacre of Catholics)1691: William III (Protestant) won against James II (Catholic) = Protestant supremacy Catholics = suffer (no right to education) 1800: Act of Union (England and Ireland = 1) abolition of Dublin parliament United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland1870s: the Home Rule movement founded establishment of a separate Irish Parliament20th Cy: political debate, opposition from island’s Protestants1916: Irish nationalists = Irish republic (failed)







1918: Sinn Fein (Nationalist Irish movement) won parliament in Dublin!1920: Irish Republican Army (IRA) fought Britain (for independence) = 2 parts (North&South). 2 parliaments: Belfast {in favour of Britain} (6 counties) & Dublin (26 counties)1968: demonstration against discrimination (rights of votes), unemployment, … (violence for months) – beginning of troubles1972: British paratroopers fought Catholic demonstrators (14 dead) = “Bloody Sunday” Britain imposed rule on North ( in favour of rejoining the rest of Ireland)1974: power-sharing between British and Irish (no success – Protestants’ strike)1985: Anglo-Irish Agreement (Irish = role on Catholics)1990s: Protestants killings + Britain new assembly for North + new relations (North/South)1992: broke down ( )1993: the Downing Street Declaration (Sinn Fein and democratic loyalist parties = no violence)1998: Good Friday Agreement (new rule)

Protestant and Catholic representatives = power (North) but! Still violence2001: IRA = destroy the weapons/British government = reduce the number of troops in North.

8. THE MEDIA A) The Press : 80 % = newspaper every daySunday papers exist

Sunday newspapers:- Tabloids: The Daily Mirror (left-centre)

The Sun (right-centre)The Daily Mail (centre-right)The Daily Express (centre-right)

News of the World Sunday Mirror People Tabloids Sunday Express Sunday Sports







The Star (centre-right)

- Broadsheets: The Guardian (left) quality The Independent (centre) newspapersThe Daily telegraph (right)

The Times (centre-right)The Financial Times (centre

right)

Sunday Times Sunday Telegraph Broadsheets Observer Independent on Sunday

+ magazines (weeklies): The EconomistThe New StatesmanPrivate EyesRadio Times

B) The Radio :

BBC (British Broadcasting Cooperation) quality programmes Radio 1: Pop music Radio 2: Live music and chat shows Radio 3: Classical music Radio 4: Comedy shows, plays, consumer advice programmes (News

coverage) Radio 5: Sports, coverage, news.

C) The Television : BBCITN (Independent Television News)

4 channels: BBC 1 magazines, news summaries, quiz shows, soap operas, regional

news, ITV entertainment, variety shows, sports. BBC 2: no advertising, open university programmes, educational

programmes, Documentaries. Channel 4: advertising every 15 min., no Open University programmes.







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