Great Britain

.Міністерство освіти і науки, молоді та спорту України

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 " Great Britain: the Country and Its People "

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Ціник М. І.

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Official name. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the U. K.). Since 1922, this is the official desig­nation of the British Kingdom, including England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and a number of smaller islands.

Britain can be referred to in several diffe­rent ways: Britain, Great Britain, the British Isles.

Not long ago Britain was the home country of a huge colonial empire. Almost 500 million people were virtually slaves of the British Empire, whose downfall was brought about by the national liberation movement. And although 10 million people are still harnessed to her colonial yoke, the days of colonialism are numbered. The Commonwealth of Nations, the political and economic as­sociation comprising some of Britain's former colonies, is also disintegrating. Having be­come a junior partner of the United States, Britain is losing more and more ground as a leading power in the capitalist world.

Flag. Known as the Union Jack, the flag has the red cross of St George of England, the white cross of St Andrew of Scotland, and the red cross of St Patrick of Ireland, all on the blue background.

Anthem. "God  Save the Queen/King".

Currency. Pound. Following the decimali­zation of the currency, effective February 15, 1971, the pound consists of 100 pence.

Location. The British Isles lie off the north­west coast of the continent of Europe. They include Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), Ireland (Northern Ireland and the independent Irish Republic), and some 5,500 smaller islands. The biggest island is Great Britain. It is just under 600 miles in a straight line from the south coast to the extreme north, and rather over 300 miles across in the widest part. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest, north and southwest, and is separated from the Euro­pean continent by the North Sea and the Eng­lish Channel. On the west the Irish Sea se­parates Great Britain from Ireland.

The island of Great Britain can be roughly divided into two main regions — Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. In the former lies southern and eastern England, while the latter comprises Scotland, most of Wales, the broad central upland known as the Pennines, and the Lake District. The Pennine Chain extends southward from the Cheviot Hills in­to the Midlands, a plains region with low rolling hills and valleys. England is separa­ted from Scotland by the Cheviot Hills, run­ning from east to west. Scotland has three natural topographic divisions: the Southern Uplands, the Central Lowlands, and the Northern Highlands which contain Ben Ne­vis, the highest point in the British Isles. Wales is generally mountainous; Northern Ireland contains many plateaus and hills.

Chief Rivers. The Thames, the Severn, the Clyde, the Trent, the Mersey.

Climate. Britain has a temperate climate due to the influence of the Gulf-stream. The prevailing winds are south-westerly, although during the winter months easterly winds may blow and bring a cold, dry conti­nental type of weather. The British Isles as a whole are not the best place to sunbathe. The sun is visible on the average for only about one-third of all daylight hours. The remainder of the time it is hidden by clouds and mists.

The weather is subject to frequent changes, and it is the favourite topic of conversation in Britain.

Regions. The United Kingdom can be di­vided into four large historical areas: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ire­land.

The word "region" is used to refer to any of large areas of the country: England, Scot­land, Wales, Northern Ireland, the South (southern England), the Midlands (central England), the North (northern England), etc.

The chief regional administrative units are called "counties" in England and Wales, "regions" in Scotland, and "districts" in Northern Ireland.

If people are asked: "Where do you live?" they will reply, for example: "I live in Bir­mingham" (if they live in that city), "I live in Devonshire" (if they live in that county), "I live in the Lake District" (if they live in that area), or they might say: "I live in the Mid­lands", "I live in the West country", "I live in the North".

Languages. English is the official and predominant language; Gaelic is spoken in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, while Welsh is the first language in most of the western counties of Wales and at least formally enjoys equal status with English as the official language of the area. There is a growing movement in Wales and Scotland for a revival of the culture and native lan­guages.

There is one standard literary English that is characterized by the Received Pronunciation, but there are also several regio­nal and social dialects.

The buzzing "s" of the inhabitants of So­merset, for example, (where the cider [‘zaidar] apples grow) and the peculiar pro­nunciation of the Cockney accent where "mother" sounds like ['muve] and "bath" like [ba:f] are well known. Not so well known are the harder sounds of the industrialized Midlands and North where vowels, especial­ly the "a", are made much shorter ("glass" becomes [glaes], for instance) than those generally heard on the BBC. The authentic "Liverpool Sound" was made world famous, of course, by the Beatles who, unlike many pop celebrities, managed to retain their origi­nal accent. In southern Lancashire, to which Liverpool belongs, "eat" sounds as [eit], "tea" as [tei], "weave" as [weiv], etc.

Population. The population of the United Kingdom is 56.2 mln people. The British population is predominantly urban and sub­urban. About half the people live in a belt across England with southern Lancashire and western Yorkshire at one end and London at the other, having the industrialized Mid­lands at its centre. Other areas with large population are the Central Lowlands of Scot­land, south-eastern Wales, the Bristol area and much of the English Channel coast.

Greater London, the South and the South-East are the most densely populated areas of Britain. On the other hand, most of the mountainous parts of Britain, including much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the Pennine Chain in northern England, are very sparsely populated.

Four out of every five people live in towns. The density of the population is 591 inhabi­tants per square mile. There are about 106 females to every 100 males.

Ethnic composition. The contemporary Brit­on is descended mainly from the varied racial stocks that settled in the British Isles before the end of the 11th century. The earliest known people in Britain were of Ibe­rian origin. After about 700 B. C. the Celts invaded. They developed the use of iron, the Druid religion, and a system of tribes. Julius Caesar visited Britain in 55 and 54 B. C, and the Roman conquest of Britain began in 43 A. D., under Claudius. By 80 A. D. the Romans had conquered Britain as far north as the Scottish Lowlands. Britain was Ro­manized, and was given the name Britannia. Christianity was first introduced from Ireland in the 4th century. The Romans left early in the 5th century; during the 5th and 6th cen­turies the Angles and Saxons invaded, driv­ing the Celts into Wales and Cornwall. The kingdoms of Kent, Sussex, Essex, Wes-sex, East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria took shape. Christianity was brought back by missionaries -from Rome in 598. The Danes invaded in the 8th to 10th centuries and set­tled in the Danelaw. In 1066 came the Norman Conquest. Under the Normans, the last of a long succession of invaders, pre-Celtic, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Norse influences were blended into the Briton of today (the English, Scots, Welsh, and Irish).

Migration. There is traditionally an outflow of people from Britain to other parts of the world. Emigration in post World War II years, featuring the so-called "brain drain" of skilled professional personnel mainly to the United States, has produced negative economic and social effects.

As to the immigration, it radically changed the ethnic and social picture of Great Britain. In the 1950s large numbers began to enter Britain from Commonwealth countries, parti­cularly the West Indies, India and Pakistan (including what is now Bangladesh). In the period 1966—1976 some 2.9 million entered Britain from overseas.

The British are accustomed to seeing people of other colours and races. For many years there have been Chinese quarters in Liverpool and London — whole streets where the houses are occupied by people of Chinese descent. In Cardiff, a busy seaport in Wales, for many years foreign seamen of many races have been living in the streets near the docks. Many of them have left the sea, have married and settled down. Some of them still go to sea. There are schools in Cardiff where half the pupils have dark faces — black, brown, yellow. They are all British subjects and know no language but English. Some time ago in the papers there was a picture of the playground of one of these schools. You could hardly believe it was a school in England, it looked more like a picture from central Africa.

In the postwar years Britain, like the whole of Europe, lived through hard times. To restore the war-ravaged economy manpower was needed. While other West European countries invited "guest workers" from, say, Turkey, London hit on a different solution. The geographical map at the time still had vast areas in green, the colour of the British Empire. It was an inexhaustible source of manpower. The question was how to bring all this labour to the British Isles without incur­ring too much expense. In 1948, with a stroke of the pen, the inhabitants of the British pos­sessions and dependencies were proclaimed to be "citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies".

As soon as the law was passed, London launched a virtual recruitment campaign in the colonies in the Caribbean, on the Indian subcontinent, and in Africa. People were pro­mised good wages and housing. The "press gangs" made much of British prosperity, but not a word was said that this prosperity was a direct consequence of the impove­rishment of the colonies and the high wages by which people were lured to the "mother country" were nothing but their own legiti­mate wealth which had been appropriated by the colonialists. If this was a "strategic"lie, there was also a "tactical" lie. People were being offered jobs unpopular among Britons (for example, garbage collecting).

Most immigrants, however, were willing to settle for this kind of deal, for the gap between the living standards in Britain and its colonies, resulting from centuries of colo­nial plunder, was so great that even the wages of a dustman or a dishwasher looked attractive.

As a result of heavy Commonwealth im­migration since World War II, the population includes some 2.3 million Pakistanis, Indians and West Indians, many of them living in unsanitary, dilapidated dwellings in the congested parts of industrial cities such as London, Birmingham and Bradford.

The authorities began to have second thoughts and tried to readjust their policies concerning immigrants. With each new immigration act the legislations grew ever vaguer and more complicated. How was a poor immigrant to know what his rights were if even British lawyers complained that the laws were contradictory and their language obscure? Yet it is precisely this that has given London a free hand in manipulating the destinies of millions of coloured Britons.

In 1962, a new law on immigration from ,the Commonwealth countries was passed under which immigration officials had the right to refuse entry to any citizen of a Com­monwealth country. However, the law of 1948 could not be dismissed. Many would-be immigrants to Britain carried documents confirming their British citizenship.

In 1967 the British Government introduced the Commonwealth Immigrants Act which gave it powers to restrict the entry of persons from the Commonwealth who lacked means of self-support or assured prospects of employment.

In 1968 London passed a new law whereby only those who had been born in the United Kingdom or whose father or grandfather had been born in the United Kingdom could freely enter the country.

The law of 1971 toughened the immigration restrictions still further. A quota of some two thousand immigrants a year was fixed. And these had to be people skilled in certain trades, who were only allowed to come when there were no unemployed Britons in that trade. In every case the exact place of work had to be specified.

Further restrictions of coloured immigrantswere imposed by the law of 1980. And under the law on British citizenship that came into force in 1983 all British subjects were di­vided into first-, second-, and third-class citizens, namely: "British citizens", "citizens of the British dependent territories", and "British overseas citizens". Only those who qualify for the first category have the right to settle freely in Britain. So, racism has become official policy in Britain. 

The coloureds are constantly under brutal pressure from the police, and no wonder the racist measures of the police led to race riots in many cities of Britain in 1980s. Overturned and burning cars, clashes with police, flying stones and petrol bombs, peo­ple injured and arrested have become a fa­miliar scene in Britain in 1980s (see the map "Where violence erupted").

NOTES

Great Britain ['greit'bntn]. The name used for England, Scotland, Wales and their islands. The name was first used in 1603 when James VI of Scotland became also James I of England.

Britain — or Great Britain — is England, Scotland and Wales, but it is often used to include Northern Ireland.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the name of the land the Queen reigns over. The U. K. is its shortened form.

The British Isles is the name given to Great Britain, the whole of Ireland, and the neighbouring smaller islands in the geography books.

British, English. The labels "British" and "English" are frequently applied to the people of the United Kingdom and their culture. To refer to the nation as a whole the adjective "British" is used preceded by the definite article (this is similar to "the rich", "the poor", etc.). The adjective "British" is also used to refer to the inhabitants of the British Isles at the time of the Roman conquest (syn. Britons). English is the language of the citizens of the United Kingdom.

Britisher (thought to be of American ori­gin). A useful word for a British subject if it is not desired to use "Englishman", since this, in its strict sense, excludes the Irish, Scots, and Welsh.

British English. The English language as spoken and written in Great Britain, especial­ly in southern England.

Britishism  = Briticism.  1. A word, idiom, or phrase characte­ristic of or restricted to British English, especially compared to American English. 2. Any custom, manner, characteristic, or quality peculiar to or associated with the British people.

Britannia. 1. In ancient geography (after the time of Caesar), the name of the island of Great Britain, and specifically of the southern part of the island. 2. A poetic name for Great Britain. 3. A female personification of Great Britain.

"Rule, Britannia". A jingoistic British song written in 1740: "Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves..."

Briton. 1. A native or inhabitant of Great Britain. 2. A member of the Celtic people of ancient Britain.

John Bull. A figure representing the English people, particularly in newspaper cartoons, etc. He is always drawn as a broadly built, red-faced farmer, some­times with his bull-dog. The name comes from "The History of John Bull" by John Arbuthnot (1712).

Albion. A poetic name for Britain; comes from the ancient name of Britain, specifically England. The Romans associated the term with albus ("white"), and identified it with the Dover chalk cliffs.

The Commonwealth. What once used to be the British Empire is now known as the Commonwealth. The term is used to describe the relations between Great Britain and her former colonies that have become politically independent but still have some links with Great Britain. These countries are "associated" under the British crown with the British Queen nominally proclaimed their head of State, and represen­ted there by governor- general. From 1931 to 1953 they used the phrase with the word "British": the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Commonwealth Day. The official holiday celebrated in the countries of the Common­wealth since 1958. The date coincides with the birthday of the English monarch.

"God Save the Queen/King". The British national anthem. The words and tune probab­ly date back to the 16th century, but the song took its present form during the 18th century. The tune has been used for patriotic songs in the USA ("My country, 'tis of thee") and Germany.

The English Channel. The stretch of water between England and France, connected with the Atlantic Ocean at its western end, and with the Straits of Dover and the North Sea at its eastern end. Together with the Straits of Dover it is 280 miles long and between 21 and 140 miles wide. The English Channel has played a very important part in English history. It was the scene of many battles, and among them the fight with the Spanish Armada. The idea of a channel tunnel, joining England and France by road, was first proposed in 1802. Since that time, many plans have been proposed and given up. In 1964 the British and French governments decided to start work on a rail tunnel that was to be completed during the 1970s; but the work was stopped in 1975.

Land's End. A rocky point in Cornwall, the south-western tip of England.

John o'Groat's. A spot on the coast of Scotland, usually considered the most northerly point of Britain. A Dutch­man called Johan de Groot built a house there in the 16th century. The expression "from Land's End to John o'Groat's" means "all over Great Britain".

Ben Nevis. The highest moun­tain (4,406 feet) in Great Britain. It is in the Grampians in the Highlands of Scotland. There is a meteorological observatory on its summit.

Snowdon. The highest mountain (3,560 feet) in England and Wales. It forms part of the Snowdonia mountain system, in Gwynedd, North Wales.

The Pennine Chain.  Also Pennines . Called the "backbone of England". Discontinuous series of low mountains and uplands in northern England,  extending south from the Cheviot Hills to Derbyshire, terminating in the Peak District. The highest summits (over 3,000 feet) are in Cumberland.

The Cheviot Hills. Mountain range in north-eastern England and south­eastern Scotland. The surface is mostly regular and covered with rich pasture for the Cheviot breed of sheep. These hills are celebrated in history.

The Thames. The principal river in Great Britain, in southern and south­eastern England. Broadening into a con­siderable estuary, it flows into the North Sea. For part of its course to its junction with the river Thames it is called also the Isis. The chief places on its banks are Oxford, Reading, Windsor, Eton, and London. It is navigable for ocean-going vessels to London Bridge. Length, about 228 miles, width at London Bridge, 900 feet, at the mouth, half a mile.

The Severn. A river in England and Wales. It rises in North Wales and flows through central England to the Bristol Channel west of Bristol. It is the second longest river in England (next to the Thames). Length, about 180 miles. It has a high bore (tidal wave).

The Trent. A river in central England. It joins the river Ouse [u:z] to form the river Humber. It is the third longest river in England. Length, about 170 miles.

The Clyde. A river in Scotland; it flows into the Firth of Clyde. Length, about 106 miles. It is an important commer­cial waterway; on its banks are Glasgow, Clydebank and Greenock. Clydebank is Brit­ain's most important shipbuilding centre. The "Queen Mary" and the "Queen Eliza­beth" were built in the shipyards here. In the 1970s Clydebank was the scene of high unemployment and bitter class struggle.

The Mersey. A river in western England. It is formed by the confluence of the rivers Tame and Goyt near Stockport, and flows by an estuary 16 miles long into the Irish Sea at New Brighton. There is much shipbuilding and industry along its banks. Length, about 70 miles.

County. Originally the lands of a count or an earl. Now one of the chief administrative divisions in England and Wales. In 1974.some counties were grouped together and renamed. For example, the county of Avon appeared on the map for the first time and the county of Rutland disappeared. Now there are 7 metropolitan counties, including Greater London, and 47 non-metropolitan counties in England and Wales.

Metropolitan  county. A county that includes a big city (metro­polis).

Region. 1. Any of large areas of the United Kingdom. 2. One of the chiefadministrative divisions in Scotland. Since 1975 the old Scottish counties have been reorganized into 9 regions and 3 island areas with some alternation of the old boundaries.

District. One of the chief ad­ministrative divisions in Northern Ireland where there are 26 districts.

Received Pronunciation. RP is its shortened form. A type of pronunciation which is usually accepted as standard pronunciation (standard southern pronunciation). It is clear, unhurried and easily understood by every British person whether he or she lives at Land's End or John o'Groat's, though many British people might consider such an accent as being "posh" and not typical of the country as a whole.

RP has no regional indications and is therefore often called "accentless" or "pure" pronunciation. Most BBC broadcasters and reporters used it, but in recent years, the trend has been towards regional accents.

It would be wrong, therefore, to imagine that every British person speaks like this, or that Scotsmen, Irishmen or Welshmen, for example, try to sound like BBC announ­cers when they are speaking English. That would be to overlook the various accents which are closely associated with a particular region, county or city.

Celts. The ancient peoples who came originally from Central Europe and spread through what is now France, Spain, and Britain. The Celts began to make their presence felt somewhere about 700 B. C. The Greeks called them the Keltoi, but their more general name used by the Romans, was the Galli. They were later conquered by the Ro­mans; only the west of Britain remained Celtic.

Celtic fringe. Parts of the United Kingdom inhabited by people of Celtic origin, i. e. Wales, Cornwall, Scotland, and Northern. Ireland.

Anglo-Saxons. The Germanic tribes who conquered Britain bet­ween the 5th and 6th centuries. The English-speaking peoples in general are sometimes called Anglo-Saxons (which is wrong), and the name is also given to the Old English language.

Danes. In English history the Scandinavian warriors who raided the coast of the British Isles in the 8th to 10th centu­ries. They invaded, plundered and sometimes settled in various areas of the country.

Danelaw.  That part of northern and eastern England where the Danish influence was paramount during the 9th and 10th centuries. The name comes from the code of laws established by the Danish invaders.