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BRITISH CULTURE: Country and People

Britain consists of four nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - that were unified over centuries. England's culture came to dominate as it had greater military and economic power. While some aspects are organized separately for each nation, England's dominance means Britain is often confused with just England, angering people in the other nations. This ambiguity in using "England" versus "Britain" persists in language and institutions, risking division by not acknowledging the other nations' strong identities and making them seem lesser than England.

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106 views2 pages

BRITISH CULTURE: Country and People

Britain consists of four nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - that were unified over centuries. England's culture came to dominate as it had greater military and economic power. While some aspects are organized separately for each nation, England's dominance means Britain is often confused with just England, angering people in the other nations. This ambiguity in using "England" versus "Britain" persists in language and institutions, risking division by not acknowledging the other nations' strong identities and making them seem lesser than England.

Uploaded by

Abel
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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I.E.S.

AGUILARES PROFESOR JAVIER RODRIGUEZ


ESTUDIOS SOCIO-CULTURALES Y LITERARIOS I MARZO 2020

BRITISH CULTURE: Country and people

Britain consists of four separate nations that were slowly unified over a period of several hundred
years. Those nations were once very different in character with the culture of Ireland, Wales and
Scotland being mainly Celtic and the culture of England being mainly Germanic. As time passed the
English culture came to dominate the islands because of England’s military and economic power, so
that many aspects of life in Britain are now organized in agreement with English tradition and
practice. Although some aspects are still organized separately or differently for the other nations,
with Scotland having its own legal system for example, the dominance of England has come to the
point where today people confuse it with Britain, often to the anger of the people of the other three
nations.

The ambiguity between the use of the terms England and Britain has entered the language in a
number of areas. For example, the Bank of England is the institution that controls money in the
British Isles, and the term Anglo has come to mean both “relating to England and the English” and
“relating to Britain and the British.” There is also the tendency to not mention England when
something is related to England and to specifically mention Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
when the same thing is related to those nations. This has the effect of making the other nations
appear to be different or lesser than England in some way.

The dominance of the term England in the language may therefore have some negative consequences
for Britain as a whole. Welsh, Scottish and Irish people have very strong identities and would never
describe themselves as English so that the use of the term England instead of Britain contributes to a
feeling of division between the nations. These divisions are most obvious in sporting activities. An
English football fan may support Scotland when Scotland plays against a foreign team but a Scottish
football fan normally supports Scotland and anyone playing against England.
Text based upon chapter 1 of Britain for learners of English by James O’Driscoll Oxford University Press

1. Answer the questions in your own words.

a) What is the difference between England and Britain?


__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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_________________________________________________________________.

b) Why might the dominance of England be bad for Britain?


__________________________________________________________________
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2. Choose the correct answer.

Why is England the dominant nation in the British Isles?

a) Because it had the strongest economy in the past.


b) Because it is the biggest nation.
c) Because all four nations speak English.

Why do people confuse England and Britain?

a) Because England is the most important country.


b) Because the confusion forms part of the language.
c) Because the culture of Britain is mainly Celtic culture.

The use of the term England instead of Britain...

a) brings the four nations together.


b) is normal.
c) is irritating for the other nations.

Find a synonym in the text for the following words or phrases.

a) to talk about
b) at one time
c) habit
d) undesirable

3. Match the phrases 16 with af.


a) Eire
1) The part of Ireland that is included in the UK.
b) Britain
2) Another name for The Republic of Ireland.
3) A country whose capital is Cardiff. c) Northern Ireland
4) Another name for The United Kingdom. d) England
5) The country where whisky comes from. e) Scotland
6) A country whose patron saint is St. George. f) Wales

4. What adjectives are used to describe the people coming from these places?

a) England
b) Scotland
c) Wales
d) Eire
e) Northern Ireland
f) The United Kingdom

5. Talking points:

Is there always a dominant nation in a country?


Which is more important for you: your culture or your country? Why?
Do you think some people in your country feel excluded? Which people?

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