uncertain future in its traditional form. But by the end of the First World
War, two of these issues had been resolved to most people's satisfaction
(the Irish problem remained) and the rather un-British climate of extremism
died out.
The significant changes that have taken place in this century are dealt
with elsewhere in this book. Just one thing should be noted here. It was
from the beginning of this century that the urban working class (the
majority of the population) finally began to make its voice heard. In
Parliament, the Labour party gradually replaced the Liberals (the
'descendants' of the Whigs) as the main opposition to the Conservatives
(the 'descendants' of the Tories). In addition, trade unions managed to
organize themselves. In 1926, they were powerful enough to hold a General
Strike, and from the 1930s until the 1980s the Trades Union Congress (see
chapter 14) was probably the single most powerful political force outside
the institutions of government and Parliament.
From about 1600, explorers, adventurers, settlers and soldiers went out
from Britain to found settlements and colonies overseas. They took the
English language with them. At the height of their power, during the 19th
century, the British could claim that the sun never set on their Empire.
Today almost all the countries of the old Empire have become independent.
However, most of them are now members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and
English continues to be an important language for them.
After the Second World War the United States became what Britain had been
in the 19th century: politically and economically one of the most powerful
nations in the world. As its power spread, so the English language spread.
Five hundred years ago they didn't speak English in North America. The
American Indians had their own languages. So did the Inuit (often called
'Eskimos') and Aleuts in Canada. So did the Aborigines in Australia, and
the Maoris in New Zealand.
The English arrived and set up their colonies. And then other people came
from all over the world, bringing many different languages and cultures.
The USA has the biggest mixture of all: it is often called a 'melting pot'
of cultures. In 1619 a small ship arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, with
twenty slaves from Africa. For over two hundred years, the Americans
imported, bought and sold African slaves. Today there are over 29 million
black Americans living in the USA.
In 1848 the population of the United States was still very small. Then two
important things happened: they discovered gold in California and a new
law, the Homestead Act, gave free land to farmers. Suddenly millions of
immigrants came to America, 'The Land of Opportunity'.
At first they were English, Irish, German and Scandinavian. Then Italians,
Jews, Chinese, Japanese, Russians and Poles came. Most immigrants came
because economic conditions at home were bad. But there were also other
problems in Europe. About three million Jews came to the USA between 1880
and 1910 because of religious persecution in Russia and other countries.
Today the USA is still much richer than most of its neighbors. Its most
recent new citizens are many Spanish-speaking people from Puerto Rico,
Mexico and South America.
The population of Britain is only about 58 million. But throughout the
world English is spoken by over 700 million people.
About 350 million people speak English as their first language in 12
countries such as Britain, the USA. Canada Australia. New Zealand. South
Africa.
About 300 million use English as a second or official language in over 60
countries, for example, in India. They usually use it when doing business,
or when completing official documents and forms.
It is estimated that at least 100 million people throughout the world use
English fluently as a foreign language.
There are over 3.000 languages in the world. So why has English become so
widely spoken?
Today the English language is almost the same all over the world. You can
tell a person's nationality from their accent - Australian, Scottish,
Canadian and so on. But the words are more or less international.
It's strange that the differences in Britain itself are greater than those
between Britain and other English-speaking countries. For a Londoner, it's
easy to understand an American, but quite difficult to understand the
dialect of Newcastle in the North of England!
But not many people speak dialects in Britain these days. A hundred years
ago (before radio and television) all ordinary working people did. In Emily
Bronte's book Wuthering Heights the old man Joseph speaks Yorkshire
dialect:
“Take these in tuh t'maister, lad. Un' bide theare. Aw's gang up tuh my awn
rahm.” (Take these in to the master, boy. And stay there. I'm going up to
my own room.)
Don't worry. Joseph doesn't say very much in the book - the rest is in
normal English!
In a country like New Zealand, English is the first language. In fact it’s
the only language for most people. About 100,000 Maoris have their own
language, but they also speak English. Most of this book is about countries
where English is the first language – Canada, Ireland, the USA and so on.
But in more than sixty other countries English is a second language. The
government, business and universities use it. Some of the people, but not
all, speak it well and use it for certain parts of their lives.
IV. Conclusion.
I enjoy learning English, it is really great' I like to learn new words, to
look up in the dictionary their meanings. English grammar is difficult, but
I try hard to understand it, to learn the rules, to put them into practice.
I think it is very interesting to read English books, newspapers,
magazines. I came to know a lot of exciting facts and new things. It is
like a new world where you can enter if you know the language.
English folklore is very rich. I believe, it is good to know English
proverbs and tongue-twisters, English rhymes and limericks. English sayings
and songs.
When you learn tongue-twisters, it helps you to improve your
phonetics.
I know quite a number of them. Here is a good one:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper:
A peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked:
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper
Where's the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked!
This one is my favorite:
A thatcher of Thatchwood went to Thatchet a-thatching
Did a thatcher of Thatchwood go to Thatchet a-thatching?
If a thatchcr of Thatchwood went to Thatchet a-thatching
Where's the thatching the thatcher of Thatchwood has thatched?
While writing my research paper report I had to read a lot of books on
English History I came to know a lot of English folk songs, they are simple
and nice. Some of them help me to learn words. Solomon Grundy is a folk
song it helps you to remember the days of the week. It is a sad song/ but 1
the same it’s funny too.
Solomon Grundy
Born on Monday
Christened on Tuesday
Married on Wednesday
Ill on Thursday
Worse on Friday
Died on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
This is the end
Of poor old Solomon Grundy.
English proverbs are useful in many situations. Here are a few examples.
When there's a will, there's a way. Or: All’s well that ends well. No sweet
without sweat. Lend money and lose a friend. East or West, home is best.
English jokes are very funny. They often laugh at nationalities of the
British Isles. Here is a typical one. “An Englishman, a Scotsman and an
Irishman were alone on a desert island.” One day the Englishman found an
old bottle. He broke it and out came a genie. The genie said: “I'll give
you and your friends three wishes. But choose well, because you may have
only one wish each” “My wish is quite simple”, - said the Englishman, -
“I wish to be taken home”. “Your wish is my command”, - said the genie,
and the Englishman disappeared. “Yes, I'd like the same”, - said the
Scotsman. And in a minute he was at home as well. Then the genie turned to
the Irishman. “And what about you? What's your wish?” The Irishman
thought a little and then said: “I'm very lonely without my friends. I
wish they were back here with me.”
English literature has very rich traditions. English poetry is well known
in the world best Russian poets translated English poetry into Russian. But
of course, when you study English it's a pleasure to learn English poems in
the original. My favorite poem is “If by R. Kipling. I think, he gives
very good advice for the young people in this poem.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are loosing theirs and blaming it on you*
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master:
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim.
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same.
You can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build them up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch and toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginning
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them; “Hold on!”
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, out non much;
If you can *ill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run.
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!
Yes, to learn English is such a fun, indeed!!!
List of Literature
1. Speak Out 3/2001 – pages 2-4 Издательство «ГЛОССА».
2. Борисов В.С., Борисова Л.М. «Английский не для всех»
3. Mark Farrell «The World Of English» England Longman 1995.
4. James O’Driscoll «Britain» Oxford University England Press 1995.
5. «Treasures Of Historical English» Борисова Л.М.
6. «History And Mystery Of The English Words» Борисова Л.М.
7. G.C. Thorney «An Outline Of English Literature» England Longman 1984.
Supplement
|OE |Gothic |Description; Position; |Examples |
| | |Pronunciation | |
|a |a |Short back vowel; Mainly in open |macian (to |
| | |syllables, when the following one|make), habban |
| | |contains a back vowel; English |(to have) |
| | |cup | |
|б |ai |Long back [a] vowel; In any kind |stбn (a stone),|
| | |of syllables; English star |hбtan (to call)|
|ж |a |Short back vowel; Met mainly in |dжg (a day), |
| | |closed syllables, or in open |wжter (water) |
| | |ones, if the next syllable | |
| | |contains a front vowel; English | |
| | |bad | |
|ж ' |й, б |Long back vowel; as Gothic й |stж ' lon |
| | |found only in some verbal forms, |(stolen), hж ' |
| | |as Gothic б is the result of the |lan (to cure) |
| | |so - called i - mutation; German | |
| | |za "hlen | |
|e |i, ai, a|Short front vowel; as Gothic i, |sengean (to |
| | |ai noticed only in some |sing) |
| | |infinitives, otherwise is result | |
| | |of the mutation of i; English bed| |
|й |у |Long front [e] vowel; resulted |dйman (to |
| | |from the i - mutation of у; |judge) |
| | |German Meer | |
|i |i, ie |Short front vowel; can be either |bindan (to |
| | |stable or unstable, the unstable |bind), niht - |
| | |sound can interchange with ie and|nyht (a night) |
| | |y; English still | |
|н |ie |Long front [i] vowel; also stable|wrнtan (to |
| | |and unstable (mutating to э); |write), hн - hэ|
| | |English steal |(they) |
|o |u, au |Short back vowel; English cost |coren (chosen) |
|у |o |Long back [o] vowel; English |scуc (divided) |
| | |store | |
|u |u, au |Short back vowel; used only when |curon (they |
| | |the next syllable contains |chose) |
| | |another back vowel; English book | |
|ъ |ъ |Long back [u] vowel; English |lъcan (to look)|
| | |stool | |
|y |u |Short front vowel; i - mutation |gylden (golden)|
| | |of u; German fu" nf | |
|э |ъ |Long front [y] vowel; i - |mэs (mice) |
| | |mutation of ъ, German glu "hen | |
|a. |o |A special short sound met only |monn (a man) |
| | |before nasals in closed syllables| |
