English Speaking Countries vol I 2 10 08.pdf

Andrzej Diniejko

English-Speaking Countries

An Introduction to

The United Kingdom of Great

Britain

and Northern Ireland

and

The Republic of Ireland

Revised and updated e-book for students of English, 1 July, 2010

Acknowledgements

For their consulations and advice, I am indebted to John Anderson (UK), Martin

Murphy, and Jolanta Palowska, whose improvements of the text and comments on

matters of detail have been of great assistance.

Photo credit for photo on the cover page: David Iliff (Wikipedia). Unless otherwise

stated, all photographs are from Wikikedia.

This is an updated and enlarged PDF edition of the book published by

Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne in 1999.

Od redaktora

Publikacja, którą oddajemy Czytelnikom stanowi zwiĊ]áy wykáad wiedzy o krajach

anglojĊzycznych (Wielka Brytania, Irlandia, Stany Zjednoczone, Kanada, Australia i

Nowa Zelandia). Obejmuje ona w syntetycznym skrócie wiadomoĞci o geografii,

demografii, historii, ustroju politycznym, gospodarce, edukacji, literaturze, kulturze,

Īyciu codziennym i obyczajach mieszkaĔców krajów anglosaskich.

Opracowanie jest adresowane do szerokiego krĊgu czytelników: uczniów

szkóá Ğrednich, kandydatów na studia z angielskim jĊzykiem wykáadowym,

studentów kolegiów jĊzyka angielskiego, nauczycieli jĊzyka angielskiego oraz tych

wszystkich, którzy pragną mieü skondensowany wykáad wiedzy o krajach

anglojĊzycznych. KsiąĪka jest bogato zaopatrzona w üwiczenia sprawdzające. Przy

koĔcu kaĪdego paragrafu znajdują siĊ pytania, które pomogą Czytelnikowi

sprawdziü, czy zrozumiaá przeczytaną treĞü oraz zalecana literatura poszerzająca

dane zagadnienie. Ponadto zamieszczono zestawy üwiczeĔ uzupeániających oraz

Váowniczek trudniejszych pojĊü.

Autor i redakcja z wdziĊcznoĞcią przyjmą wszelkie uwagi i zalecenia

odnoszące siĊ do zawartoĞci niniejszej pracy.

To the Reader

The number of people taking various English language courses has increased rapidly

in recent years. Until now, however, there has been no basic introductory textbook

to enable students of English to familiarise themselves with the essential information

about English-speaking countries. This book is for them.

The aim of this book is to provide readers with basic information about the

life, institutions, and culture of the English speaking countries, with emphasis on the

UK and the US. It is intended for a wide group of learners of English, including

students in secondary and advanced education, as well as pre-service and in-service

teachers of English and other learners of English who need a comprehensive

overview of background information relating to English-speaking countries. Much of

the information here offered is of course little more than a compilation and

distillation of facts found in numerous publications devoted to the United Kingdom,

the United States, and other English-speaking countries. The basic approach is

historical. Starting with a geographical account there follow accounts surveying the

population structure, history, language, public life and institutions, economy,

education, welfare, culture, media and lifestyles of the English-speaking countries:

the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia,

and New Zealand.

I could not have written this book without reference to a number of

authoritative sources, such as the pamphlets of the Central Office of Information

(UK), the Encyclopaedia Britannica , numerous USIA publications, and many

others acknowledged in the Bibliography. Although the material is primarily factual

and descriptive, an attempt has been made to highlight some of the major problems

of English-speaking countries. Limitations of space do not allow the inclusion of all

that is worth mentioning. Nor is the book exempt from drawbacks. I am well aware

of the difficulty of avoiding errors in a publication like this. Corrections of this book

will be most gratefully welcomed.

The book is divided into six unequal parts. Part One deals with the United

Kingdom; Part Two, with the Republic of Ireland; Part Three, with the United

States; Part Four, with Canada; Part Five, with Australia, and finally Part Six, with

New Zealand. In order to make reference easier, the book is further divided into

chapters, sections and subsections. Each chapter ends with Tests and Tasks.

It is hoped that this book may encourage the reader to further study of

English-speaking countries. Therefore, at the end of each chapter a list of useful

websites and further reading is provided.

Contents

Part One. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern

Ireland

Chapter One . Land and People

Facts in Brief ………………………………………

1. Geography …………………………………………

2. Population

3. History …………………………………………….

4. Chronology of Main Historical Events ……………

5. Language

Chapter Two. Historical Areas of the UK

1. England

2. Scotland

3. Wales

4. Northern Ireland (Ulster)

Chapter Three. Public Life and Institutions

1. The Political System

2. The Monarchy

3. The Privy Council

4. Parliament

4.1. The House of Commons

4.2. The Electoral System

4.3. The House of Lords

5. Government

5.1. The Cabinet

6. The Civil Service

7. Local Government

8. The Legal System

8.1. Criminal Justice

9. Political Parties

9.1. The Conservative Party

9.2. The Labour Party

9.3. The Liberal Democrats

9.4. Other Parties

10. The Media

10.1. The Press

10.2. Broadcasting (Radio and Television)

11. The Police

12. The Armed Forces

13. The Established Church and Other Churches

13.1. The Presbyterian Church

13.2. Nonconformist Churches

13.3. The Roman Catholic Church

14. Britain and the Commonwealth

14.1. The Channel Islands

14.2. The Isle of Man

14.3. Gibraltar

14.4. British Dependencies

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