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John Bull is a fictional character who is supposed to personify Englishness and certain English virtues. (He can be compared to Uncle Sam in the USA.) He features in hundreds of nineteenth century cartoons. His appearance is typical of an eighteenth century country gentleman, evoking an idyllic rural past (see chapter c).
► Other signs of national identity
The following are also associated by British people with one or more of the four nations.
Names
The prefix 'Mac' or 'Mc' in surnames (such as McCall, MacCarthy, MacDonald) is always either Scottish or Irish. The prefix 'O' (as in O'Brien, O'Hara) is distinctly Irish. A very large number of surnames (for example, Davis, Evans, Jones, Lloyd, Morgan, Price, Rees, Williams) suggest Welsh origin (although many of these are found throughout England). The most common surname in both England and Scotland is actually 'Smith'.
First names can also be indicative. The Scottish form of'John' is 'Ian' and its Irish form is 'Sean' (although all three names are common throughout Britain). There are also nicknames for Scottish, Irish and Welsh men. For example, an English, Welsh or Irish person might refer to and address a Scottish friend as 'Jock', whatever his first name is. Irishmen are called 'Paddy' or 'Mick' and Welshmen are known as 'Dai' or 'Taffy'. If the person is not a friend the nickname can sound rather insulting.
Clothes
The kilt, a skirt with a tartan pattern worn by men, is a very well-known symbol of Scottishness (though it is hardly ever worn in everyday life).
Musical instruments
The harp is an emblem of both Wales and Ireland. The bagpipes are regarded as distinctively Scottish (though a smaller type is also used in traditional Irish music).
Characteristics
There are certain stereotypes of national character which are well-known in Britain. For instance, the Irish are supposed to be great talkers, the Scots have a reputation for being careful with money, and the Welsh are renowned for their singing ability. These characteristics are, of course, only caricatures and are not reliable descriptions of individual people from these countries. Nevertheless, they indicate some slight differences in the value attached to certain kinds of behaviour in the countries concerned.
Briton is a word used in official contexts and in formal writing to describe a citizen of the United Kingdom. 'Ancient Britons' is the name given to the race of people who lived in England before and during the Roman occupation (ad 43-41 o). These are the ancestors of the present-day Welsh people.
Caledonia, Cambria and Hibernia
were the Roman names for Scotland, Wales and Ireland respectively. The words are commonly used today in scholarly classifications (for example, the type of English used in Ireland is sometimes called 'Hiberno-English') and for the names of organizations (for example, the airline 'British Caledonian').
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Erin is a poetic name for Ireland. 'The Emerald Isle' is another way of referring to Ireland, evoking the lush greenery of its countryside.
National loyalties
When you are talking to people from Britain, it is safest to use 'Britain' when talking about where they live and 'British' as the adjective to describe their nationality. This way you will be less likely to offend anyone. It is, of course, not wrong to talk about 'people in England' if that is what you mean - people who live within the geographical boundaries of England. After all, most British people live there ([> Populations in 199s). But it should always be remembered that England does not make up the whole of the UK.
There has been a long history of migration from Scotland, Wales and Ireland to England. As a result there are millions of people who live in England but who would never describe themselves as English. They may have lived in England all their lives, but as far as they are concerned they are Scottish or Welsh or Irish - even if, in the last case, they are citizens of Britain and not of Eire. These people support the country of their parents or grandparents rather than England in sporting contests. They would also, given the chance, play for that country rather than England. If, for example, you had heard the members of the Republic of Ireland World Cup football team talking in 1994, you would have heard several different kinds of English accent and some Scottish accents, but only a few Irish accents. Most
of the players did not live in Ireland and were not brought up in Ireland. Nevertheless, most of them would never have considered playing for any country other than Ireland!
The same holds true for the further millions of British citizens whose family origins lie outside the British Isles altogether. People of Caribbean or south Asian descent, for instance, do not mind being described as 'British' (many are proud of it), but many of them would not like to be called 'English'. And whenever the West Indian or Indian cricket team plays against England, it is certainly not England that they support!
There is, in fact, a complicated division of loyalties among many people in Britain, and especially in England. A black person whose family are from the Caribbean will passionately support the West Indies when they play cricket against England. But the same person is quite happy to support England just as passionately in a sport such as football, which the West Indies do not play. A person whose family are from Ireland but who has always lived in England would want Ireland to beat England at football but would want England to beat (for example) Italy just as much. This crossover of loyalties can work the other way as well. English people do not regard the Scottish, the Welsh or the Irish as 'foreigners' (or, at least, not as the same kind of foreigners as other foreigners!). An English commentator of a sporting event in which a Scottish, Irish or Welsh team is playing against a team from outside the British Isles tends to identify with that team as if it were English.
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A wonderful example of double identity was heard on the BBC during the Eurovision Song Contest in 1992. The commentator for the BBC was Terry Wogan. Mr Wogan is an Irishman who had become Britain's most popular television talk-show host during the 1980s. Towards the end of the programme, with the voting for the songs nearly complete, it became clear that the contest (in which European countries compete to present the best new popular song) was going to be won by either Ireland or the United Kingdom. Within a five-minute period, Mr Wogan could be heard using the pronouns 'we' and 'us' several times; sometimes he meant the UK and sometimes he meant Ireland!
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Great Britain and the USA: Life of Youth
Our youth is mostly similar to the youth abroad in many aspects of life. Numerous youth organizations have been formed since the Second World War, uniting young people
from all classes and sections of the population. In the USA exists a Young Republican Federation, Young Christian Association, some religious organizations for Jewish youth.
Youth organization Green peace deals with the most urgent ecological problems of today's world. It protests against nuclear weapon test, sea and soil pollution, etc.
Sport clubs are characteristic youth organizations in the US and UK. They unite people, who are interested in baseball, football, basketball, golf, etc. You can attend any club: from
theater clubs to bird-watching clubs. Bird-watching clubs are very popular, especially in Great Britain.
And at the age of 14 children have regular part-time job to earn some pocket money. Some young people work in their church organizations. They help elderly people or work in hospital.
There are even some groups, where young people help released prisoners to start their life anew. Youth and youth movement over decades have become important factors in the life of both countries.
Questions:
1. What do you know about the youth movement abroad?
2. What is the aim of sport clubs?
3. What youth organizations of the USA do you know?
4. How do interest clubs work?
5. What is the main task of youth organization Green
peace?
Vocabulary:
to unite — объединять
urgent — насущный
nuclear weapon — ядерное оружие
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to deal with — заниматься чем-либо
pollution — загрязнение
| Hobbies in UK and the USA Hobbies are & great British and American tradition. A hobby is a special interest or activity that you do in your time off. A "hobby" is usually something that a person does alone. But American (and British) families sometimes like to do things together too. Some American families have quite a lot of money to spend on their recreation. They can all enjoy their holiday home or their boat somewhere in the country away from it. Americans love to get out of town into the wild and many go for holidays or long weekends into the thirtyfive fabulous national parks. Some people have animals as hobbies. They keep rabbits or go fishing. They train dogs to do tricks or keep pigeons to race and carry messages. Some are crazy about plants. Others are mad about their car or their motorbike. They spend their Saturdays and Sundays washing them and painting them. But Americans do not only spend their free time having fun. Children and teenagers are great collectors. Millions take part-time courses in writing, painting and music and at the weekends the museums, art galleries and concert halls are full. Everyone in these countries is very interested in culture. Questions: 1. What is hobby? 2. Do American families spend their free time together? 3. Some people have animals as hobbies, haven't they? 4. What do the teenagers do? 5. Is everyone in these countries very interested in culture? Vocabulary: recreation — развлечение wild — глушь pigeon — голубь |
| Fashion in the USA and Britain Many British people don't think about clothes very much. In Britain, as well as in the USA, men in offices usually wear suits and ties and women wear dresses or skirts (not trousers). Doctors, lawyers and business people wear quite formal clothes. And in some hotels and restaurants men have to wear ties and women wear smart dresses. Jeans and open shirts are sometimes not allowed. It is difficult to say exactly what people wear in Britain and the States because everyone is different. It you are not sure what to wear watch what other people do and then do the same. Or ask the advice of a friend or your host. You'll fell relaxed if you don't look too different from everyone else. British people just like to be comfortable. When they go out to enjoy themselves, they can wear almost everything. At theaters, cinemas and concerts you can put on what you oke — from elegant suits and dresses to jeans and sweaters. In many ways, Americans are more relaxed than British people, but they are more careful with their clothes. At home or on holiday most Americans wear informal or sporty clothes. But when they go out in the evening, they like to look elegant. In good hotels and restaurants men have to wear jackets and ties and women wear pretty clothes and smart hairstyles. But these days most people in Britain and the USA do not wear very formal clothes. But sometimes it is important to wear the right thing. Questions: 1. British people don't think about clothes very much, do they? 2. What do British people wear to restaurant? 3. What clothes do Americans wear on holidays? 4. Do people in these countries often wear formal clothes? 5. What is the difference between British and American fashion? Vocabulary: formal — официальный trousers - брюки smart — изящный to allow — разрешать hairstyle — прическа |