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TOPIC 69: SOCIETY AND CULTURE. STEREOTYPES AND EMBLEMS OF ENGLISH-SPEAKING…
TOPIC 69: SOCIETY AND CULTURE. STEREOTYPES AND EMBLEMS OF ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES. THE SONG IN ENGLISH AS A VEHICLE FOR CULTURAL INFLUENCE.
1. INTRODUCTION
- Topic 66 deals with the society and culture of English speaking countries and focuses on their stereotypes and emblems.
- Students will become aware of the importance of knowing the culture and society of the foreign language they are learning as it it culturally conditioned. They will also be conscious that the more they know about the culture, the more easily they will learn the target language as it it plunging into the culture that they are going to be able to understand many aspects that they may not be familiar with.
- The topic is divided into 7 parts.
2. THE UNITED KINGDOM
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- It must not be confused with Great Britain.
- The UK is a centralised, unitary state. Its main component (England) is one thousand years old.
- As a political entity, Britain is 300 years old.
- The UK is a constitutional monarchy. The king is the Head of the State and the Church - the Church of England rules the official religion of the country.
- The UK is a land of great diversity mostly in the human sphere.
- There are four territorial divisions. They all carry a special sense of identity.
SCOTLAND:
- The earliest known ancestors are the Picts and the Celts.
- The Gaelic language is still spoken in remote areas.
- It has a very strong nationalist feeling.
- Two groups of Scots: the Scottish highlanders and the Scottish lowlanders.
- The national day is Saint Andrew's Day (30th November).
- The national flower is the thisle and another emblem is the Scottish bluebell.
- The national anthem is "Flower of Scotland".
NORTHERN IRELAND:
- Many ups and downs between Protestants and Catholics that lead to violence and riots. Today, the situation is peaceful but these differences are still present in the society.
- The national day is Saint Patrick's Day (17th March).
- The national flower is the shamrock.
ENGLAND:
- The population is more than 83% of the UK.
- Its origin is related to the Anglo-Saxon tribes that invaded "Britannia" in the 5th century.
- Later, their power became stronger and England came to conquer Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
- They created a pervasive and vast empire.
- The national day is Saint George's Day (23rd April).
- The national flower is the rose.
WALES:
- Although they united England in 1535 they are still conscious of their separate Celtic heritage.
- The Welsh language has the same status as the English language.
- The national day is Saint David's Day (1st March).
- The national flower is a daffodil.
- Two passions: rugby and choral singing.
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6. CONCLUSION
- It is important that students acquire a good cultural knowledge and get a clear picture of the identity of the English speaking community. That way they will learn a new language through academic skills and also cultural background and they will whereby be able to improve their English knowledge and command. Also foster their social and personal and digital skills. - Teachers = willing to adjust, evolve, learn and adapt to the current needs of the society in order to provide our students with the necessary tools to succeed in a constantly changing and evolving world.
7. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Arthur Marwick, The Pelican History of Britain- British society since 1945, 1988
Clare Lavery, Focus on Britain today, Macmillan Publishers, 1993
David McDowall, Britain in Close-up, Longman, 1994
Richard Musman, Background to the USA, Macmillan Press, London, 1982