Great British Culture

Summary of Lecture

1. Geography of the UK2. History of the UK3. Traditional Culture4. Modern Culture5. Great British achievements6. Weather7. Tourism

8. Food and Drink9. Famous Brits10. Sports11. Conclusion

GeographyScotland England

Wales Northern Ireland

Geography of Scotland•To the North of England•Has approximately 790 islands off its coast, including the Shetland isles and the Orkney islands•Is comprised of the Highlands and the Lowlands, separated by the Highland Boundary Fault

Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland

Glasgow

Aberdeen

Geography of Northern Ireland

• Shares a border with the Republic of Ireland – Ireland was split into two in 1921• Is parted from the rest of Britain by the North Channel

Giant’s Causeway was created by volcanic activity and is comprised of solidified lava

Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles. It measures 151 square miles.

Belfast is the capital city

Geography of Wales• Shares a border with England to the East• Is generally mountainous• Includes offshore islands, the largest of which is Anglesey

Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, located in a mountain chain known as Eryri.

Brecon Beacons National Park is a mountainous region of South Wales

Cardiff is the capital of Wales

Geography of England• Is bordered by Scotland to the North and Wales to the West• Has a number of small islands, the largest of which is the Isle of Wight• Is divided from France by the English Channel• Is generally lower and flatter than the rest of the UK

The Cotswolds are a series of rural English villages that are a stark contrast the large cities

The Lake District is the largest and most visited National Park in the UK

Manchester

Liverpool

Birmingham

London is the capital city of both England and the UK as a whole

History of Great Britain

Each of the four British countries are considered separate and all have their own history

History of Scotland

• People began to settle in Scotland around 9,500 years ago

• The Scottish people, then known as Caledonians, resisted the Romans fiercely

• The Romans erected Hadrian’s Wall in order to try to control the Caledonian tribes

• By the 13th century Scotland had assumed approximately its modern borders, due to it assuming ownership of Galloway and Caithness.

• Many areas of Scotland became English-speaking during this period, however most retained the Gaelic language

• Scotland was relatively at peace between the 12th to the 14th centuries

• The Wars of Scottish independence, where Scotland resisted English rule, were waged from 1296 to 1328

• The leaders of the Scottish resistance for this period were Andrew Moray and William Wallace

• On the 22nd of July 1706, representatives from Scotland and England agreed to the Treaty of Union.

• The twin Acts of Union were passed on 1st of May 1707, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain was formed

History of Northern Ireland

• The history of Northern Ireland begins in 1920, as that was when it was split from the Republic of Ireland by the Government of Ireland act of 1920

• Before the split, it was known as Ulster

• The IRA, Irish Republican Army, were very opposed to the partition of Ireland and many died in political violence from 1920 to 1922

• There was much tension between Catholics and Protestants, and in 1935 nine people were killed after a Protestant parade marched through a Catholic area of Belfast

• The Troubles were a period of violence between the Unionist/Protestant and the Nationalist/Catholic communities of Northern Ireland

• They continued from the late 1960s for several decades and are considered to have officially ended with the Good Friday agreement of 1998

History of Wales

• Wales has been inhabited for at least 29,000 years

• Humans settled into farming life in Wales in about 6,000 years before present

• Roman conquest of Wales began in AD 48 and took 30 years to complete

• Roman rule lasted over 300 years

• Post-Roman Wales was divided into a number of principalities and was not united until 1057

• Llewellyn the Great became the first Prince of Wales in 1216

• Llewellyn Ap Gryffudd – The grandson of Llewellyn the Great – Lost against the English in 1282 and the rule of Welsh princes ended

• In 1536 the Act of Union was passed, and Wales legally became part of England – and later Great Britain

History of England

• England’s first permanent settlements date to around 6000 years ago

• England was invaded by the Romans in AD 43 and was assimilated into the Roman empire as Britannia province – Many Latinate words from this period still survive in the English language

• The empire did not withdraw from Britain until around the year 410

• In the 9th century the Vikings conquered parts of England

• This invasion had a major impact on the English language, as many new words and grammatical structures transferred from Norse to Anglo-Saxon

• The Vikings were eventually pushed back by king Alfred the Great to a part of England that became known as Danelaw

• In 1066 England was conquered by the Normans, and remained under Norman rule for over 300 years

• The Norman rule had a massive effect on the English language, and many French words made their way into English vocabulary

• English from the period after the Norman invasion is referred to as Early Modern English

• The English civil war was fought between 1642 and 1651

• It was fought between supporters of Parliament and supporters of King Charles I

• These two factions were known as Roundheads and Cavaliers

• These wars eventually gave rise to the Bill of Rights in 1689, which established that the King and Parliament would rule together but Parliament would have the real power

Traditional Culture

• Each of the four countries of the UK have their own separate traditional culture

Traditional Culture of Scotland

• The traditional language of Scotland is Scots Gaelic

• An example of written Scots Gaelic:

Tha gaol agam ort

Some of the most famous artefacts of Scottish traditional culture are the kilt and the bagpipes

• Scottish people celebrate the last day of the old year and the first day of the new year as Hogmanay

• The earliest surviving Scottish text is the epic poem Brus written by John Barbour in the 14th century

• It was written in early Scots, a dialect of English

Traditional Culture of Northern Ireland

• The traditional language of Ireland is Gaelic• An example of written Gaelic:

Gráím thú

The most famous Irish holiday is St Patrick’s Day, which is celebrated in many countries

Traditional Culture of Wales

• The traditional language of Wales is Welsh• An example of written Welsh:

Rwy’n dy garu di

The Eisteddfod is a popular event in Wales where people compete in competitions of dancing, singing, poetry, writing, and many more.

• The earliest written Welsh text is the epic poem Y Gododdin, which was written in the 6th century

• It is from this poem that the legend of King Arthur originally came

• Another famous Welsh text isY Mabinogi, which was a series of Welsh myths and legends

These are traditional Welsh outfits, which are mostly worn by schoolchildren on St David’s Day

Traditional Culture of England

• Old English was called Anglo-Saxon• One of the most famous Anglo-Saxon texts is

the epic poem Beowulf

Morris Dancing is a traditional English dance

Modern Culture

• The BBC is the most popular TV channel in the UK and produces many television programmes

• Britain is famed for its literature• One of the most popular recent British book

series were the Harry Potter novels

• Many popular video games are made in the UK, including Grand Theft Auto and Tomb Raider

• Britain also produces many movies

• Drinking is a large part of modern British culture

• The government has been taking steps, such as raising the tax on alcohol, to cut down on binge drinking

British Achievements

• Britain was once the richest and most powerful country in the world

• Due to the influence of the British empire, English is now one of the most international languages and is spoken in many countries

• Britain created many inventions, including the Television, RADAR, the steam engine, and the postage stamp

Notable British Inventions

The British Empire

• The British empire was established between the 16th and 18th centuries

• At its height, the British empire ruled a fifth of the world’s population and a quarter of the earth’s land mass

Weather in Britain

• Britain has a maritime temperate climate, and gets a lot of rain

• British people will often start conversations by commenting on the weather, whether it’s been good or bad

• British people can be sensitive about their weather, and unless you yourself are British it is generally best to avoid saying anything negative about it

• The temperature varies within different parts of Britain

• The more northern, the colder it is, and so Scotland gets the coldest weather

• Wales gets the most rain as it is very mountainous, and Swansea is the rainiest place in the UK

Traditional British food

• The most iconic British dish is probably fish and chips

• Most British people buy their fish and chips from shops known commonly as ‘chippys’

A traditional Scottish food is the Haggis. It is a savoury pudding containing sheep's heart, liver and lungs; minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal's stomach.

Welshcakes are cakes sold all over Wales. They are flat cakes cooked on a grill pan containing spices and dried fruit, topped with sugar.

Irish Stew is a traditional Irish dish made from mutton or lamb, carrots, potatoes and parsley

Modern British cuisine is heavily influenced by the food of other countries due to the influence of the empire, and curry is one of the most popular British foods

Tourism in Britain

• London has many tourist attractions, including the London Eye and Buckingham Palace

• Places of rural beauty, such as the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands or the Brecon Beacons are also popular tourist destinations

Famous British people

Britain has many famous actors and actresses, including: Daniel Craig, Daniel Radcliffe, Robert Pattinson, Dame Judi Dench, Orlando Bloom and Emma Watson

Britain also has many famous authors, including: Shakespeare, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K.Rowling, Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll

Britain has many famous musicians and bands, including: Oasis, Elton John, Arctic Monkeys, The Cure, Pink Floyd, Queen, and, of course, The Beatles

Britain also has many famous sports personalities, including: David Beckham, Andy Murray, Lewis Hamilton, and Sir Chris Hoy

Sports in Britain

• Sports invented in Britain include: badminton, rugby, cricket, snooker, darts, football, table tennis, and bowls

Conclusion

• Great British Culture has influenced the world immensely, from Hong Kong to the United States, the spread of empire meant the spread of the English language.

• Britain consists of four separate countries which are now united and share a common culture, as well as their own unique identities.

• Britain is known for being rainy. British people don’t care about the rain. They go out without umbrellas in many cases.

Conclusion 2

• The capital cities of the UK and England is London, whereas Cardiff is the capital of Wales, Edinburgh- Scotland and Belfast- Northern Ireland.

• Britain has a long history, owned the largest empire in world history, and spread the English language.

• Britain has contributed many inventions to the world.