3ºESO Bilingual ACTIVITY 1
Britain, that island
Is Britain really very different from other places?
It could only be Britain.... But beyond the images, is Britain really very different?
Justoffthe north coast of continental Europe, there is an island called Britain. Today, this island is closely connected to the rest of Europe; there are direct trains to Paris and Brussels, and thousands of people, cars and lorries cross theChannel and the North Sea every day between British and continental ports.
Britain is very much a part of Europe; however, most of the people in Britain (today, at least) do not want any more European "integration". "We're different, aren't we?" says Eddie, from London. "We do things differently. We don't want to become like other countries."
Millions of people think the same as Eddie. For example, alarge majoritydo not want Britain to join the Euro. They imagine that Britain's "identity" will be lost, if we say goodbye to our pounds and our pennies. They forget that things are also very different from one European country to another. It's quite a strange situation really; but it is a situation that can easily be explained.
"Insularity" is a deep and historic part of British culture and society. Great Britain'sbordershave been fixed by nature for thousands of years. If you walk in a straight line for long enough in any direction, you will know when you have reached theedgeof Great Britain; you will find yourself in salty water!
If you want to go to another country from Great Britain, you have to take a ship, a plane, a train or a car; you can't just drive or walk across the border. Great Britain is physically separated from every other country; and this is themainreason why British people imagine that other countries are so "different".
Of course, lots of things about Britain are different. We drive on the left, we like our pubs, we have sports like cricket, we have our own popular TV programmes, we use pounds and pennies and miles, we drink tea with milk in it, we don't carry identity cards, and our policemen don't carry guns. So yes, Britain is different, in these respects, from France or Germany or Spain, or Japan, or even the USA.
Nevertheless Britain's "difference" is disappearing fast! Fifty years ago, British people drove British cars; today the cars in Britain are British, French, German, Italian, Japanese and more. Today we buy petrol in litres (not gallons) and fruit in kilos (not pounds). Fifty years ago, our favourite foods were fish 'n' chips and "bangers and mash". Among today's young people, the most popular foods and drinks are Italian pasta and pizza, Indian curry, American hamburgers and colas, Chinesetake-aways, Continental beers and Mexican tacos.
As far as culture is concerned, young Britons love their Britpop bands; but they also like American and Australian TV series, American films, and Japanese and British video games.... In fact, they like more or less the same things as young people all over Europe and North America!
The real problem is perhaps not that wearevery different. It's just that lots of people (in and out of Britain)imaginethat Britain is different..... because "Continentals" speak other languages, and old ideas take a very long time to die.
WORD GUIDE
bangers and mash: sausages and mashed potatoes -border:frontier -Channel: the English Channel, the sea between England and France -edge: end, side -insularity: being an island, imagining that one is different -integration: coming together, unity -main: principal- off: distant from -take-aways: ready-cooked meals, to take home.
http://linguapress.com/intermediate/britain-different.htm
WORKSHEET
A. Exercise
Using information from the article, copy and complete these sentences in your own words. Note the following expressions which may be helpful in your answers (you should include others):
different from - the same as - more ... than - less ... than – instead of - whereas
1. The seas separating Britain from Europe are ………………………………………………………………………….
2. Eddie thinks that ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. When they go shopping, British people use ……………………………………………………………………………
4. Great Britain’s borders have not ……………………………………………………………………………………………
5. People can’t leave Great Britain by ………………………………………………………………………………………..
6. Identity cards …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7. Fish ‘n’ chips were ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
8. Young Britons are not …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
B. Mini Brainstorm
The text you have just read mentions some things that are different about Britain. With a partner, make a list of other differences. You will then be asked to tell the class your ideas.
The United Kingdom / Spain and Other Countries1.
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C. Do the quiz (this should be very easy)
What didn’t you know? Ask your classmates. If they don’t know, find the answer(s) for the next class and tell your teacher.
English in the World
Countries in which English is the first language of the majority of the population are shown in dark blue; Countries where English is official but not a majority native language are shown in light blue)
Read this text and complete the instructions in bold
Because English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a "world language", thelingua francaof the modern era,and while it is not an official language in most countries, it is currently the language most often taught as aforeign language.It is, by international treaty, the official language for aeronautical and maritime communications. English is one of the official languages of theUnited Nationsand many other international organizations, including theInternational Olympic Committee. (What does “lingua franca” mean?)
English is studied most often in the European Union, and the perception of the usefulness of foreign languages among Europeans is 67 percent in favour of English ahead of 17 percent for German and 16 percent for French (as of 2012). Among some of the non-English-speaking EU countries, the following percentages of the adult population claimed to be able to converse in English in 2012: 90 percent in the Netherlands, 89 percent in Malta, 86 percent in Sweden and Denmark, 73 percent in Cyprus and Austria, 70 percent in Finland, and over 50 percent in Greece, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Germany. In 2012, excluding native speakers, 38 percent of Europeans consider that they can speak English. (Make an oral summary of this information)
Books, magazines, and newspapers written in English are available in many countries around the world, and English is the most commonly used language in the sciences with“Science Citation Index”reporting as early as 1997 that 95% of its articles were written in English, even though only half of them came from authors in English-speaking countries. In publishing, English literature predominates considerably with 28 percent of all books published in the world and 30 percent of web content in 2011 (from 50 percent in 2000). (What do you think the trend will be in the future?)
This increasing use of the English language globally has had a large impact on many other languages, leading tolanguage shiftand evenlanguage death,and to claims of linguistic imperialism. English itself has become more open tolanguage shiftas multipleregional varietiesfeed back into the language as a whole. (What does “language shift” mean?)
(Wikipedia)
Watch this British Council video about English as a global language and do the exercises:
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/uk-now/video-uk/english-great
Before you read the following text, read the instructions immediately after it.
To understand the widespread influence that English has in today’s world, let us take a look at the evolution of the language, its cosmopolitan character, and its outreach.
A Gift of the Anglo-Saxons
The evolution of the English language can be traced back to the mid-fifth century AD. With the wane of Roman dominance, the Britons of England were left vulnerable to the attacks of various tribes from across the North Sea. The arrival of the Anglo-Saxon tribes in England brought with it a language that was heavily influenced by the dialects native to West Germanic tribes – English. The language became popular with the native Britons. While Latin had failed to make a mark during the Roman invasion of England, the Christian missionaries of the late sixth century AD were successful in introducing Latin words into the growing English vocabulary.
The French Connection
With the arrival of the Northmen, the Vikings from Denmark, in about 800 AD, over 2,000 Old Norse words were adopted by the Anglo-Saxons of England. William the Conqueror and the Norman invaders came in 1066. Norman French was spoken as the language of the elite, while the common man still used English to communicate. The growing English language absorbed over 10,000 words from French. With the end of the Hundred Year War, English once again became the dominant language in the region.
Shakespearean English
William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) is credited with the invention of over 2,000 new English words and phrases such as addiction, auspicious, circumstantial, courtship, dishearten, fashionable, jaded, mimic, sacrificial, and tongue-tied. Linguists believe that while all of these words and phrases may not have been Shakespeare’s own inventions, they were popularized by the bard in his plays, thus playing an important role in their dissemination. The mass appeal of Shakespearean plays ensured that these words were brought into the common man’s language very quickly.
The Biblical and the Scientific
In about 1604, the Puritans of the Church of England had started to complain about the complexities of translation resulting in a poor understanding of the Great Bible and the Bishop’s Bible. The King James Version of the Bible was written between 1604 and 1611. Forty-seven clergymen and scholars translated the Bible and introduced a number of new phrases and words. The growing popularity of the King James Bible with the Church and the masses resulted in the absorption of phrases such as ‘Labor of love’, ‘going the extra mile’, ‘God Forbid’, ‘the powers that be’, and ‘feet of clay’.
With religion influencing English, scientists were not to be left far behind. The English language was struggling to keep pace with the rapidly growing number of discoveries and inventions of the late seventeenth century. Latin was inadequately equipped to handle the needs of the average physicist’s and the physiologist’s lexicons. Words such as Acid, Gravity, Pendulum, Telescope, Tonsils, and Cardiac were quickly developed and absorbed by the English language.
The Spread of Colonialism – And English
The spread of the English language to the far reaches of the globe commenced with the imperial conquests of the British. From the late sixteenth century until the early twentieth century, the British Empire followed a policy of aggressive colonial expansion, exploration, and maritime trade. The official language, English, spread across continents and in turn was enriched by the absorption of words from the native languages of these lands. Caribbean languages, languages from the Indian subcontinent, the African tribal tongues, and the aboriginal languages of Australia contributed to the English language. When the British Empire was at its greatest extent, it covered over 13 million square miles and was home to over 460 million people. While the natives adopted English, English began to evolve into new forms in different parts of the world. Meanwhile, back in England a number of efforts were made to study and organize the language. Dictionaries and thesauruses took shape even as the need to add more words was recognized with each edition.
American English
The British first arrived in America in the early seventeenth century. Their interactions with the Native Americans gave them a whole new set of words to learn. From the moment English language landed in America, it was no longer just the language of Britain. A number of European immigrants including Italians, Dutch, and Germans landed in America, and English again grew to absorb other European languages. The Gold Rush and the staggering immigration brought many cultural influences from all parts of the world. Capitalism and the growth of industries and enterprise brought its own vocabulary. American English soon diverged from the English spoken in Britain. “Lifts” became “elevators;” “autumn” became “fall;” and “flat’ became “apartment.” Currently, over two-thirds of the entire global population of native English speakers lives in the United States. English is the official language of twenty-eight of the fifty states.
The Web of Words
Modern English as we know it has outgrown its Germanic roots. Words from over 350 languages find a place in every-day English vocabulary. The advent of the Internet has been the most singular event in the past six decades to have influenced the evolution of the English language. While commonly used English words such as web, surf, bookmark, chat, virus, and mouse, have taken on very different connotations, the advent of the World Wide Web brought on a host of new words including email, blog, website, webcam, messenger, geek, and nerd, were added to the lexicon. An increasingly high number Internet slang words including the ubiquitous LOL, infographic, lappy, unfollow, and NSFW, have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
According to a study by W3Techs, about 56% of the websites on the Internet have English content. German comes second with 6.6% followed by Japanese and Russian with 4.9% and 4.8% respectively. According to Internet World Stats, a popular website providing internet usage data, over 32.7% of the world population uses the Internet, and the growth over the past decade has been a whopping 528%. About 26.8% of all Internet users communicate in English, according to World Internet Stats. About 24.2% of users prefer Chinese, 7.8% communicate in Spanish, and 4.7% in Japanese. The spread of the English language with the Internet has been pronounced in the Middle East, in Asia, and in Africa.
English Speaking Countries of the World
“Ethnologue”, an online catalogue of world languages, suggests that there are over 341 million native speakers of English in the world – the second largest language after Chinese. In addition to this, there are an estimated 167 million people in the world who speak English as a second language. English is the official language of over 56 countries of the world.
Antigua and Barbuda / Kiribati / Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesBahamas / Lesotho / Samoa
Barbados / Liberia / Seychelles
Belize / Malawi / Sierra Leone
Botswana / Malta / Singapore
Cameroon / Marshall Islands / Solomon Islands
Canada / Mauritius / South Africa
Dominica / Federated States of Micronesia / South Sudan
Eritrea / Namibia / Sudan
Ethiopia / Nauru / Swaziland
Fiji / New Zealand / Tanzania
Gambia / Nigeria / Tonga
Ghana / Pakistan / Trinidad and Tobago
Grenada / Palau / Tuvalu
Guyana / Papua New Guinea / Uganda
India / Philippines / Vanuatu
Ireland / Rwanda / Zambia
Jamaica / Saint Kitts and Nevis / Zimbabwe
Kenya / Saint Lucia
Besides these nations, English is the common language of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. A number of countries like India and Pakistan use English extensively for official communication and education, despite being non-natives. Hong Kong alone has over 7 million English speakers. A number of countries like Bangladesh use English as a major language, though it is not the official language of the country.