The English-Speaking World: Some Facts & A Short Story of the

The English-Speaking World: Some Facts & A Short Story of the Language --------- Free printable material by Celia Nieto

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E-Language www.e-language.com.ar

Bridging the gap between cultures

The English-Speaking World

Some Facts

&

A Short Story of the Language


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CONTENTS CONTENTS ..................................................................................................................................... 2

UNIT 1. Some facts about the English-speaking world ................................................................. 4

Class discussion: How many of these questions can you answer? ......................................... 4

England – Great Britain – the UK – the British Isles: What’s the difference? .......................... 5

Where is English spoken? .......................................................................................................... 8

The British Government ............................................................................................................ 9

ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................................... 11

Complete the table .............................................................................................................. 11

Colour the following in the map below: .............................................................................. 11

Look at the world map below and complete the references by giving each country mentioned the number it has in ‘References’ ........................................................................ 12

Who’s the Prime Minister at this moment? ........................................................................ 13

Answer the questions by looking at the map below ........................................................... 13

What is it? / Who is it? ........................................................................................................ 14

Glossary. Look up the new words ....................................................................................... 16

Unit 2: Languages on the British Isles ......................................................................................... 18

Picts and Scots ......................................................................................................................... 19

Some testimonies of the past ................................................................................................. 22

1. Origin of the names of the days ...................................................................................... 22

2. Stonehenge ..................................................................................................................... 23

3. Hallowe’en ....................................................................................................................... 23

4. The City of Bath ............................................................................................................... 24

5. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table ............................................................ 25

ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................................... 26

1. Find these countries in the map of Europe below .......................................................... 26

1. a. What colour are they in this map? .............................................................................. 27

1. b. Who invaded Britain? Where did they come from? Who came first? And next? And then? And after that? .......................................................................................................... 28

2. a. Highlight these cities/places in the map below .......................................................... 28

2. b. Why were these cities mentioned in Part 1 of the History of the English language? . 29

2. c Write the names of two other cities founded by the Romans. ................................... 29

3. Where do these words come from? ............................................................................... 29

4. Match Columns A, B and C .............................................................................................. 30


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5. Timeline ........................................................................................................................... 30

6. Trivia ................................................................................................................................ 33

7. Glossary ........................................................................................................................... 37

Unit 3: From Anglo-Saxon to Modern English ......................................................................... 40

1066 ......................................................................................................................................... 40

1215 ......................................................................................................................................... 43

Middle English ......................................................................................................................... 44

The printing press .................................................................................................................... 45

The Elizabethan Age ................................................................................................................ 46

Francis Drake ....................................................................................................................... 47

The British Empire ................................................................................................................... 49

The May Flower ................................................................................................................... 49

Some other colonies ............................................................................................................ 50

Some Testimonies of the Past ................................................................................................. 51

The Tower of London .......................................................................................................... 51

The legend of Robin Hood ................................................................................................... 51

The Globe Theatre ............................................................................................................... 52

World Book and Copyright Day ........................................................................................... 52

ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................................... 53

2. Timeline ....................................................................................................................... 54

Think and try to explain the following facts ........................................................................ 56

Unit 4: Becoming an International Language .............................................................................. 58

The Industrial Revolution ........................................................................................................ 58

Textile manufacturing ......................................................................................................... 58

Steam power ....................................................................................................................... 60

Iron founding ....................................................................................................................... 62

Queen Victoria ........................................................................................................................ 65

The Victorian Era ................................................................................................................. 66

Charles Dickens ................................................................................................................... 67

The independence movement ................................................................................................ 68

Some Testimonies of the Past ................................................................................................. 70

Films (Videos, DVD’s) .......................................................................................................... 70

Buildings .............................................................................................................................. 71

Activities .................................................................................................................................. 72

Place the following events on the timeline ......................................................................... 72


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Glossary Look up the following words in a dictionary and copy their meaning ................ 76

UNIT 1. Some facts about the English-speaking world

Class discussion: How many of these questions can you answer?

1. Have you heard these names? Do you know what they refer

to?: England, Great Britain, the United Kingdom

2. In which countries is English spoken?

3. What is this? Where is it?

4. What is the Thames?

5. What is an MP?

6. Who is this?


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England – Great Britain – the UK – the British Isles: What’s the difference?

The British Isles is the name given to the islands off the coast of Western Europe. It is a name used in Geography. It is not the name of a country.

England is part of Great Britain, together with Wales and Scotland.


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England Wales

England + Wales + Scotland = Great Britain

Scotland

Wales became ‘part of England’ when two Acts of Union were passed, one in 1536 and the other in 1542. At that moment, English became the official language but Welsh continued to be spoken among members of the family and friends. Welsh is still spoken today, signs in the streets are usually written in both languages, English and Welsh. The title ‘Prince of Wales’ is given to the eldest son of an English sovereign. The story goes back to a battle in which Llewelyn, the Welsh leader, was killed and King Edward I decided to bring the Welsh under his own rule. He divided the country into shires like those of England and prevented rebellions by building strong castles. But he did not try to crush their national spirit. On the contrary, he paid them a compliment by giving his newly born heir the title of 'Prince of Wales'; and that title has been borne by the eldest sons of our kings ever since". Unlike Wales, Scotland used to be an independent kingdom for quite a long time but at the beginning of the 18th Century both England and Scotland felt endangered by the French and decided to join forces. In 1707 an Act of Union was passed and the first parliament of Great Britain met. This also meant the creation of a Union flag.


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Northern Ireland

Great Britain + Northern Ireland =

The United Kingdom of Great Britain

and Northern Ireland

The whole of Ireland was ruled by the English for many years although most Irish people resented this. There were rebellions at different moments but they were unsuccessful. Finally, in 1919, the members of a movement that had gained a lot of support won most of the seats in the Irish elections; they met in Dublin and proclaimed the parliament of an independent Irish Republic. A war between the Irish and the British followed. Finally, in 1921, a treaty was signed and the Irish Free State was set up. Only the North of Ireland, also called Ulster, remained under the control of Britain.

Therefore, the flag of the United Kingdom is three flags in one:

St. George’s Cross St. Andrew’s Cross


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National flag of England National flag of Scotland

Ireland is represented by the cross of

St. Patrick

The Union Flag

U2, the famous rock group, formed in 1978, is from Dublin, Ireland’s capital city.

London is both the capital of England and of the United Kingdom.

Where is English spoken? English is the second most spoken language in the world after Chinese. English is the first language in: Australia, Canada, Guyana, Ireland, many Caribbean Islands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. In many other countries, English is the official second language. For example:


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India, Israel, some African countries and some countries in south Asia.

The British Government The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy because there is a monarch who shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The monarch must not take part in politics, so government decisions are taken by her advisors instead. These advisors are the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The Prime Minister is elected in general elections.

10 Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives. Parliament is made up of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The members of Parliament (MP’s) in the House of Commons are elected in general elections. Each MP represents the citizens of a geographical area in the UK.

The Houses of Parliament

The Prime Minister and the members of his Cabinet discuss government affairs in the House of Commons. The Queen has ceremonial duties. For example, once the election has taken place, she formally appoints the winner as Prime Minister. She also opens the sessions of parliament every year.


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The Queen lives in Buckingham Palace when she is in London. The Palace is really big. It has more than 600 rooms. Over 400 servants work there and there are 39 royal guards.

The changing of the guard refers to a formal ceremony in which sentries providing ceremonial guard duties at important institutions are relieved by a new group of sentries. It is a tourist attraction. London’s Tower Bridge is one of the most recognizable bridges in the world. Plans for it were devised around 1876 when the east of London became extremely crowded and a bridge across the Thames in that area of the city seemed a necessity. The Thames is only 346 km long. It is England's longest river and the second longest river in the United Kingdom. The Severn is the longest river in the UK.

------ ------ ------


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ACTIVITIES

1. In the map below you can see the names of the capital

cities of the countries that make up the United Kingdom.

Complete the table

Continent Country Capital City London

London Edinburgh Cardiff Belfast

Dublin

Colour the following in the map below:

References Wales Scotland England Northern Ireland


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Look at the world map below and complete the references by giving each country mentioned the number it has in ‘References’


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References 1. The Unites States of America 2. Canada 3. Some Caribbean Islands 4. Guyana

5. The United Kingdom 6. Ireland

7. South Africa

8. Australia 9. New Zealand

Who’s the Prime Minister at this moment? Look it up in the Internet

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Answer the questions by looking at the map below

1. What’s the name of the Channel between the British Isles and

the Continent (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, etc.)?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. Is Wales in a mountainous area?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3. Are there any mountains in Scotland?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4. Liverpool is a port. On which sea is it?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………


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What is it? / Who is it?

1. It’s the Queen’s residence.

……………………………………………………………

2. The Prime Minister lives here.

……………………………………………………………

3. You use it to go over the Thames.

……………………………………………………………

4. Its bell rings to tell the time.

……………………………………………………………


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5. It’s the capital of Northern Ireland.

……………………………………………………………

6. A representative of citizens in the House of Commons ……………………………………………………………

7. England + Wales + Scotland

……………………………………………………………

8. It’s the cross that represents Ireland.

……………………………………………………….

9. Dublin is the capital of this country.

……………………………………………………………

10. More than 400 people work there.

……………………………………………………………

11. A country in Africa where English is the first language. ……………………………………………………………

12. The longest river in England.

……………………………………………………………

13. Island country south-east of Australia.

…………………………………………………

14. The State Opening of Parliament is her/his responsibility. ……………………………………………………………


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15. Country north of the USA.

…………………………………………………………...

16. Names of the two Houses of Parliament. ……………………………………………………………

17. Title given to the first son of an English King or Queen. ……………………………………………………………

18. These people are bilingual. They speak English and another language. ……………………………………………………………

19. A tourist attraction at Buckingham Palace. ……………………………………………………………

20. It used to be an independent kingdom.

…………………………………………………………

Glossary. Look up the new words

Word / expression

page

Meaning

pass-ed (an Act of Parliament is passed)

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sovereign

4

resent-ed

5

set up

5


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citizens

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appoint-ed

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sentry / sentries

8


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Unit 2: Languages on the British Isles

About 5000 B.C. a tribe called the Indo-Europeans lived in Central Europe. They were farmers and they had their own language. They discovered the wheel around 3000 B.C. After this they were able to travel. Some went east, others went west.

The Indo-Europeans who travelled to Britain were the Celts. Today the people of Wales, Western Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall and Brittany (in Northern France) still call themselves ‘Celts’.

Ancient Celtic art relics bronze bracelets

The Celts were the only people in Britain for over 2000 years.

Then the Romans arrived. Julius


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Second invasion, in 43 A.D.

Caesar’s invasion did not produce much effect, but the Romans returned some time later, and this time they stayed. Naturally, they brought a new language with them – Latin. But the Romans lived in England and the Celts (sometimes called Ancient Britons) fled to the mountains in the north and west. They took shelter in what is now Scotland and Wales. The Celts and the Romans did not mix much and only a few Latin words entered the Celtic language.

The Romans founded many cities, such as London, Bath and Chester. They made Londinium (where now London is) the capital of Roman Britain. The suffixes –chester (Manchester) and –caster (Lancaster) come from the Roman word for ‘camp’.

Roman Emperor Hadrian had a wall built to protect the north of England, in Roman hands, from the attacks of the Picts and Scots, in Scotland.

Hadrian’s Wall visited by tourists

Picts and Scots

They were called 'Picts' because they painted their bodies with 'pictures': like tattoos today. The Romans called them Caledonians.

The Picts were the people who lived in most of Scotland. They lived there before, during and after the Romans ruled Britain. They are thought to have been a type of Celtic people.

They spoke a language called Pictish. No-one speaks Pictish today. We know almost nothing about it. For a number of years Scotland was not called 'Scotland'. It was called 'Pictland'.

The Scots eventually took over Pictland. The Scots of today are partly descended from the Picts and partly from the Irish.


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The power of the Romans started to decline in the fifth century and Britain was under attack of other invaders –mainly the Angles and the Saxons, who came from Holland, Denmark and Germany. (Today, British and American people are often called ‘Anglo-Saxons’).

The language of the Saxons and Angles was Englisc or Old English. They were farmers and many of their words are still in the dictionary today. Here are some examples: sheep, dog, earth, work and field. Words like the, is and you are Anglo-Saxon, too.

Canterbury Cathedral

Latin appeared again in Britain by the end of the sixth century. That´s when St. Augustine converted Britain to Christianity. This time hundreds of Latin (and Greek) words entered Old English. St. Augustine built Britain’s first church in Canterbury. This Cathedral became an important place for pilgrims after the murder of St. Thomas á Becket on the Cathedral steps in 1170.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The annals were initially created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great, a king very much interested in education. Multiple manuscript copies were made and distributed to monasteries across England and were independently updated. In one case, the chronicle was still being actively updated in 1154.

Another people that invaded Britain and left a mark in the language were the Vikings. The term Viking (from Old Norse víkingr) is customarily used to refer to the Norse (Scandinavian) explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded,


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explored and settled in wide areas of Europe and the North Atlantic islands from the late eighth to the mid-eleventh century.

Their language, Norse, sounded very much like modern Swedish. Norse words in English today include get, wrong, leg, want, skin, same and law.

Typical Viking ship.


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Some testimonies of the past

1. Origin of the names of the days

The names of the days are in some cases derived from Norse mythology or, such as in Romance languages, from Roman deities.

The early Romans, around the first century A.D., used Saturday as the first day of the week. It was given this name in honour of Saturn, a major Romand god of agriculture and harvest. As the worshipping of the Sun increased, the Sun's day (Sunday) advanced from position of the second day to the first day of the week (and Saturday became the seventh day).

The name Monday comes from the Anglo-Saxon monandaeg, "the moon's day". This second day was consacrated to the goddess of the moon.

Tuesday was named after the Norse god Tyr, the ancient god of War and the Lawgiver of the gods

Wednesday was given that name to honour Wodan, later called Odin, in Norse mythology.

Thor, the Norse god of thunder, gave his name to Thursday.

And Odin’s wife, Frigga, considered to be the mother of all and protector of children became the sixth day of the week, Friday.


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2. Stonehenge

What is Stonehenge?

Is it an astronomical observatory? Probably not, though there are certainly solar and lunar alignments to be found in the final arrangement of stones. Was it a Druid temple, complete with sacrifices and blood curdling ceremonies? Sorry, no. The Druids were Celtic priests, not due for another 1500 years at least.

What on earth was it then?

It is one of the most famous and mysterious landmarks in Britain. No-one knows for sure when it was built or who built it. Some experts think it dates back to 4000 B.C. when primitive farmers buit it as part of their religion. It was probably a multipurpose ceremonial centre, like other early circles, relating to fertility, death, and rebirth. There are remains of quite a few cremations and other burials nearby and inside the circle. It was obviously an important site in the religious observances of the Bronze Age culture, but precisely what those observances were it is not possible for us to say.

3. Hallowe’en

Halloween (or Hallowe'en) is an annual holiday observed on October 31, which commonly includes activities such as trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving jack-o'-lanterns, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing practical jokes, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.

a jack-o'-lantern


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apple bobbing a bonfire

Ancient Origins of Halloween

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

4. The City of Bath


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Visit the heart of the World Heritage Site. Around Britain's only hot spring, the Romans built a magnificent temple and bathing complex that still flows with natural hot water. See the water's source and walk where Romans walked on the ancient stone pavements around the steaming pool. The extensive ruins and treasures from the spring are beautifully preserved and presented using the best of modern interpretation.

from the official Tourism website for Bath, England

5. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Arthur was the first born son of King Uther Pendragon and heir to the throne. However, these were very troubled times and Merlin, a wise magician, advised that the baby Arthur should be raised in a secret place and that none should know his true identity.

As Merlin feared, when King Uther died there was great conflict over who should be the next king. Merlin used his magic to set a sword in a stone. Written on the sword, in letters of gold, were these words: "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is the rightwise born king of all England." Of course all the contenders for the throne took their turn at trying to draw the sword, but none could succeed. Arthur, quite by chance, withdrew the sword and became King.

Arthur's base was at a place called Camelot. Here he built a strong castle. His knights met at a Round Table. They carried out acts of chivalry such as rescuing damsels in distress and fought against strange beasts. They also searched for a lost treasure, which they believed would cure all illnesses - this was the 'Quest for the Holy Grail'.

Under the guidance of Merlin, Arthur had obtained a magical sword from The Lady Of The Lake. This sword was called 'Excalibur" and with this weapon he vanquished many foes.


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Queen Guinevere, Arthur's beautiful wife brought romance to the story while his equally beautiful half sister Morgan le Fay added a dark side.

The Arthurian legend revolves around the Code of Chivalry followed by King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The basis for the code of Chivalry were Honour, Honesty, Valour and Loyalty.

Why a round table?

The significance of the Round Table was that no one person, not even King Arthur, would be able to sit at the head of such a table. A round table enforced the concept of equality. The legend states that King Arthur ordered the Round Table to be built in order to resolve a conflict among his knights concerning who should have precedence. The Round Table was therefore built to ensure that all the Knights of the Round Table were deemed equal and each of the seats at the Round Table were highly favoured places.

It was the work of Geoffrey of Monmouth, a Welsh cleric, which really set down the foundations of the Arthurian legends. His work, 'Historia Regum Britaniae' was written in the year 1133AD. He claimed to have based the work on an ancient Celtic document in his possession. It became a 'best seller' and still survives in two hundred manuscripts.

Excalibur, Arthur’s sword.

ACTIVITIES

1. Find these countries in the map of Europe below: Italy (Rome); Holland, Denmark and Germany; Norway and Sweden (Scandinavia)


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1. a. What colour are they in this map?


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Italy (Rome) ..............................

Holland ..............................

Denmark ..............................

Germany ..............................

Norway (Scandinavia) ......................

Sweden (Scandinavia) ....................

1. b. Who invaded Britain? Where did they come from? Who came first? And next? And then? And after that?

Invaders From

The Celts Central Europe

2. a. Highlight these cities/places in the map below: Canterbury, Bath, Manchester, London, Stonehenge, Liverpool


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2. b. Why were these cities mentioned in Part 1 of the History of the English language?

Bath ..........................................................................................................

Canterbury .........................................................................................................

London ..........................................................................................................

Manchester ..........................................................................................................

Stonehenge ..........................................................................................................

2. c Write the names of two other cities founded by the Romans.

...............................................................................................................................

3. Where do these words come from? The first two groups are mentioned in the text; the other two, you have to make a choice: Which are of Latin origin?

Celtic Anglo-Saxon Latin Norse (Viking)


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• get, wrong, leg, want, skin, same, law

• sheep, dog, earth, work, field, the, is, you

• bard (a high rank of poet), pet, whiskey, clan (family, lineage), trousers

• agenda (things to be done), etc. (et cetera), a.m. (ante meridiem, before noon), p.m. (post meridiem, after noon), A.D. (anno domini, year of the Lord)

4. Match Columns A, B and C

A B C

Sunday Thor Anglo-Saxon goddess of the moon

Monday Saturn Norse god of War and the Lawgiver of the gods

Tuesday Frigga Norse god of thunder

Wednesday Tyr later called Odin, in Norse mythology

Thursday Wodan Odin’s wife, mother of all/protector of children

Friday Sun’s day Roman god of agriculture and harvest

Saturday Moon’s day --------------------

5. Timeline: Re-arrange these facts in chronological order. (Two events have been given as an example)

1. Hadrian’s Wall was started (122 AD - 2nd century) 2. Julius Caesar arrived in Britain (54 BC) 3. Second Roman invasion (43 AD - 1ST Century) 4. St. Augustine started the conversion of Britain to Christianity (597 AD –

6th century)

5. Stonehenge was built (2000 BC) 6. The Angles and Saxons invaded Britain (5th Century)


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7. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles were written (late 9th Century) 8. The Celts arrived in Britain (550 BC) 9. The Romans left Britain (410 AD - 5th Century) 10. The Vikings started raiding British shores (late 8th century)

- 2000 - 1900 - 1800 -1700 - 1600 - 1500 - 1400 - 1300 - 1200 - 1100

Stonehenge

- 1000 - 900 - 800 -700 - 600 - 500 - 400 - 300 - 200 - 100


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0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900

The Vikings started raiding British shores


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6. Trivia

1. What was the name of the first Indo-European people that came to Britain?

a. Romans b. Angles c. Celts

2. Does anybody consider him/herself a Celt today?

a. Yes. B. No.

3. Is Stonehenge a Celtic monument?

a. Yes b. No

4. Where is Stonehenge?

a. South of London b. East of London c. South-West of London

5. What did the Celts do when the Romans invaded Britain?

a. They stayed and mixed with the Romans b. They fled into the mountains

6. What language did the Romans speak?

a. Celtic b. Latin c. Indo-European

7. What language are the suffixes–chester and –caster from?


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a. Celtic b. Latin c. Indo-European

8. What did Emperor Hadrian do to protect his lands from the attacks of the Picts and Scots?

a. He exterminated the Picts and Scots b. He had a wall built

9. Is Hadrian’s Wall still standing today?

a. Yes b. No

10. Why were the Picts given that name?

a. Nobody knows b. Because they liked pictures c. Because they painted their bodies

11. What part of Britain was formerly called Pictland?

a. Wales b. Scotland c. England

12. If the Romans invaded Britain successfully in 43 A.D., how long were they in Britain?

a. Over 400 years b. Over 500 years c. Over 600 years

13. Where did the Angles and Saxons come from?

a. Denmark, Germany and Sweden b. Holland, Denmark and Germany


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14. What language did the Angles and Saxons speak?

a. Celtic b. Latin c. Englisc

15. Who Christianized Britain?

a. St. Thomas á Becket b. St. Augustine c. Pope Gregory

16. Where is Britain’s first church?

a. In London b. In Manchester c. In Canterbury

17. Why did Canterbury Cathedral become an important place for pilgrims?

a. Because St. Augustine was killed there. b. Because Thomas á Becket was killed there.

18. What are the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles?

a. The history of the Anglo-Saxons b. The history of the monasteries

19. Who invaded Britain from Scandinavia?

a. The Angles and Saxons b. The Romans c. The Vikings

20. What language did they speak?

a. Old English b. Latin c. Norse


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21. Who used to celebrate Hallowe’en in ancient times?

a. The Romans b. The Celts c. The Vikings

22. What did November 1st mark for the ancient Celts?

a. The beginning of summer b. The beginning of winter c. The beginning of spring

23. What, according to Celtic beliefs, happened on their New Year’s Eve?

a. The ghosts of the dead came back b. The home fires went out

24. Who were the Druids?

a. Romand priests b. Viking priests c. Celtic priests

25. Which is the only city in Britain with thermal waters?

a. Bath b. London c. Cardiff

26. Who set a sword in a stone?

a. King Uther b. Arthur c. Merlin

27. Where did King Arthur live?

a. Camelot b. Wessex c. Bath


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28. Who was Guinevere?

a. Sir Lancelot’s wife b. A damsel in distress c. King Arthur’s wife

29. Who was Morgan le Fay?

a. Lady Guinevere’s sister b. A damsel in distress c. King Arthur’s wife

30. What is Excalibur?

a. A goddess of the lake b. A wise magician c. A sword

7. Glossary Look up the following words in a dictionary and copy their meaning

Word / expression page Meaning

fled (from flee/fled/fled)

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shelter

17


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found-ed

17

pilgrims

18

annals

18

warriors

18

merchants

18

raided

18

traded

18

settled

18

deities

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harvest

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worshipping

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alignments

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curdling (blood curdling)

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landmark

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boundary

21

blurred

21

crops

21

hearth fires

21

heir

22

contenders

22

knights

22

chivalry

22

damsels

22

vanquish - ed

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foes

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Unit 3: From Anglo-Saxon to Modern English

1066

1066 is a major turning point in the history of Britain. It marks the last invasion of England, the beginning of a new system of land property and of relationship between the king and the nobility and the most important introduction of French words into the English language.

The story of what happened is told in chronicles written at the time and in the Bayeaux Tapestry, “a very long and narrow hanging on which are embroidered figures and inscriptions comprising a representation of the conquest of England".

This scene, for example, shows Edward on his deathbed, offering the English crown to Harold, and this event is reflected in most of the chronicles of the time.

King Edward of England (called "The Confessor" because of his construction of Westminster Abbey) died on January 5, 1066, after a reign of 23 years. Leaving no heirs, Edward's death ignited a three-way rivalry for the crown that culminated in the Battle of Hastings and the destruction of the Anglo-Saxon rule of England.

The leading pretender was Harold Godwin, the second most powerful man in England and an advisor to Edward. He appeared to be a logical successor to the throne. Besides, the dying Edward supposedly said "Into Harold's hands I commit my Kingdom."


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News of Edward's death and Harold’s coronation was carried across the channel to William, Duke of Normandy. William was furious - he claimed that the throne of England should be his and saw Harold as a usurper. He justified his claim through his blood relationship with Edward (they were distant cousins) and by stating that some years earlier, Edward had designated him as his successor. He decided to attack England and so he organised a fleet of warships. In this scene, you can see Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William’s half-brother, sitting to his left.

The third claimant to the throne was Harald Hardrada, King of Norway. His justification was even more tenuous than William's but when he heard of Harold's coronation; he immediately prepared to invade England in the north.


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This part of the Bayeaux Tapestry shows the sea crowded with ships, full of soldiers and horses. William sails in the ship Mora, bought for him by his wife Matilda.

This is a scene of the Battle of Hastings, when King Harold was defeated by William. Harold and his men engaged in this battle after having fought Hardrada in the north of England and after having made an enormous effort to reach the south to fight William. By the time Harold and his men reached Hastings, where William´s camp was, they were exhausted.

William, later called “the Conqueror”, marched to London and was crowned King on Christmas Day, 1066. He took a number of measures to ensure his power. For example, he stated that all the land belonged to the King and he therefore had the right to dispose of it. He, then, favoured the Norman nobles that had helped him and gave them land in return for their loyalty. In this manner, the Normans became powerful and the Anglo-Saxons were deprived of their former rights and had to work the land to make a living.

The new conquerors brought with them a kind of French, which became the language of the Royal Court, and the ruling and business classes. For a period there was a kind of


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linguistic class division, where the lower classes spoke English and the upper classes spoke French. The words “pig” and “pork” are an example of this division. “Pig” is an Anglo-Saxon word used by the poor people that worked the land while “pork” comes from “porc”, the French word used to call pig meat when it is served as a meal.

1215

This year, 1215, is another turning point in the history of Britain. The Church and the nobles got very angry at the King because he kept raising taxes for them to pay. They did not like this so they forced King John to sign a document, Magna Carta, which was the first grant by an English king to set detailed limits on royal authority. Through its statement of liberties, it sought to prevent the king from exploiting his power in arbitrary ways and it made clear that the king was subject to the law, not above it.

King John, from Historia Anglorum

A page from Magna Carta

As many other documents of the time, Magna Carta was written in Latin.


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Three clauses of Magna Carta remain part of the law of England and Wales to this day. It was described as "the greatest constitutional document of all times – the foundation of the freedom of the individual against the arbitrary authority of the despot". In a 2005 speech, Lord Woolf described it as "first of a series of instruments that now are recognised as having a special constitutional status". Indeed, Magna Carta was an important step towards the constitutional monarchy Great Britain is today.

Magna Carta served as the basis for the Constitution of the United States of America.

Middle English

In the next 200 years, Old English (with all its new Norse, Latin and French vocabulary) changed and became ‘Middle English’. Then in 1340 the first great English writer was born: Geoffrey Chaucer.

The murder of Thomas Becket from a contemporary manuscript

Canterbury Cathedral, the first Christian church founded by St. Augustine, had seen the murder of Thomas á Becket, a very good friend of King Henry II’s. Nobody knows for certain who ordered his killing.

The controversy between Thomas and Henry started when Henry decided to impose the supremacy of the English Courts over the decisions of the religious courts and Thomas did not support him. Thomas thought that the Pope had more power than the King.

The sad news of the death of Becket (1170) spread all over Europe and made King Henry very angry. He punished the knights who had executed Becket thinking that they were doing him a favour. Then several miracles were said to occur at the tomb of the martyr and he was soon canonized. Hundreds of pilgrims transformed Canterbury Cathedral into a shrine that kept being visited for the remainder of the Middle Ages.


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About 200 years later Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales (1387) with the apparent intention of entertaining pilgrims on their long way to Becket’s tomb. The book is considered a masterpiece of Middle English language.

From The Canterbury Tales:

General Prologue

Here bygynneth the Book of the Tales of Caunterbury

Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; ………………………………………………………..

That slepen al the nyght with open eye-

A painting of Geoffrey Chaucer as a pilgrim.

Original version of a few lines of the Canterbury Tales.

When in April the sweet showers fall / That pierce March's drought to the root and all / And bathed every vein in liquor that has power / ... That sleep through all the night with open eye /

The printing press

The printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany in 1452 and it was introduced in Britain by William Caxton in 1475. The Canterbury Tales was one of the first books to be printed. Printing began a new era for the spread of information and of literary texts.


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Gutenberg-style printing press from 1568. Such presses could make 240 prints per hour.

William Caxton

The Elizabethan Age

Elizabeth I was Queen of England from 1558 to 1603. These forty-five years are usually referred to as “The Elizabethan Age”. Why? Because during her reign, England defeated the Spanish Armada, which was thought to be better than the British navy and this victory raised the status of England in Europe. Also, because her time saw the flowering of the arts –poetry, drama, literature and music-- and the expansion of British power abroad. Two famous Elizabethans were Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh. They were both sailors and explorers. Their journeys to the New World (America) and the West Indies were important for two reasons. First, they brought England a lot of land, money and power. Second, they began something that is still happening today –the export of the English language.


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Queen Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn. She was clever and popular. She was also a very learned woman --she spoke Greek, French, Italian, Latin, and, of course, English—and a truly courageous one. On occasion of the war against Spain, she is reported to have said: “I have the body of a woman. But I have the heart and stomach of a king.”

Francis Drake was an experienced and daring seafarer. Among many adventures, the 'famous voyage', his successful circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580 ensured that he would be one of the best remembered figures of Tudor England. By reaching the Pacific, Drake became the first Englishman to navigate the Strait of Magellan, between the South American continent and the island of Tierra del Fuego.

Queen Elizabeth I knights Francis Drake on his ship Golden Hind after his round-the-world voyage.


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Another famous explorer was Sir Walter Raleigh. He is reputed to have gained Queen Elizabeth I’s favour by placing his cloak over a puddle in order to prevent her from muddying her shoes.

After several unsuccessful attempts to settle an English colony in America, a large expedition organized by Sir Walter Raleigh brought 150 settlers to the new world. He named the colony Virginia in honour of Elizabeth I, called the Virgin Queen because she never got married.

But perhaps the most famous Elizabethan of all was William Shakespeare. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and wrote many of his thirty-seven plays there. He also wrote Sonnets, a form of poetry.

Some of his best known tragedies are Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear and Othello. He also wrote comedies, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Shakespeare is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.

The inscription on the stone beneath his monument reads:

GOOD FREND FOR JESUS SAKE FORBEARE, TO DIGG THE DUST ENCLOASED HEARE: BLESTE BE Ye MAN Yt [that] SPARES THES STONES, AND CURST BE HE Yt MOVES MY BONES.

In today’s English:

Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear / To dig the dust enclosed here / Blessed be the man that spares these stones / And cursed be he that moves my bones.


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The British Empire

The English moved into Scotland, Wales and Ireland in the Middle Ages. These countries tried to resist the power of their strong neighbour. But, little by little, they lost their independence. Henry VIII made Wales a part of his kingdom in 1536. Then the English began to look for new land, beyond the British Isles.

The May Flower

In 1620 (four years after Shakespeare’s death), during the reign of King James I, a ship called the Mayflower sailed to America. The people on it were not explorers like Drake or Raleigh –they were settlers. They left England because they were not allowed to practice their religion freely. They are referred to as The Pilgrims. They stayed in America, built towns and started a new life there. In the next thirty years, more than 250,000 people from all over Britain followed them.


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Some other colonies

By 1770 Great Britain had the largest empire in history. Each country they colonised offered something different.

India, for example produced raw material like cotton and silk. The British used their industries to transform these materials into finished goods, which they sold at home and abroad, making good profit.

Jamaica, on the other hand, was a good military base against the Spanish in Central America.

Captain Cook memorial statue at the Catani Gardens St Kilda, Victoria, Australia

The discovery of Australia (James Cook, 1770), New Zealand and the Hawaii Islands gave Great Britain valuable information about the South Pacific and its vegetation.

Aboard Captain Cook’s ships there was always a botanist, who classified the new species found, and an artist who drew them. This was one of the reasons why Captain Cook was greatly appreciated by the British scientific community.


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Some Testimonies of the Past

The Tower of London

The Tower of London was originally built by William the Conqueror as a fortification to protect London from possible invasion coming through the mouth of the River Thames.

It later became a prison and today it is a museum where the Crown Jewels, among other things, can be seen.

The legend of Robin Hood

What is true about Robin Hood? Did he actually live in the Sherwood Forest? Well, most probably there were more than one Robin Hood. In fact, court records in York refer to a "Robert Hod", who was a fugitive in 1226. In the following year the courts referred to the same man as "Robinhud". By 1300 at least 8 people were called Robinhood, and at least 5 of those were fugitives from the law. In 1266 the Sheriff of Nottingham, William de Grey, was in active conflict with outlaws in Sherwood Forest. It seems most likely that a number of different outlaws built upon the reputation of a fugitive in the forest, and over time, the legend grew.


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The Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre today is a faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse first built in 1599, where Shakespeare worked and for which he wrote many of his greatest plays.

Each year the theatre season runs from April to October with productions of the work by Shakespeare and modern authors, and plays to an audience of 350,000 who experience the ‘wooden O’ sitting in a gallery or standing as a groundling in the yard, just as they would have done 400 years ago.

World Book and Copyright Day

There are some coincidences in Shakespeare’s life: he was born on April 23, 1564 and died 50 years later on the same day --April 23, 1616. Some other famous men related to the world of literature died or were born on the same day -- Miguel de Cervantes, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Vladimir Nabokov and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. That was the reason why UNESCO decided to declare April 23 “World Book and Copyright Day”, which has been celebrated internationally since 1995.


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ACTIVITIES

1. Glossary Look up the following words in a dictionary and copy their meaning


turning point

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embroider -ed

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comprise-d

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fleet

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sought (seek – sought)

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shrine

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daring

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seafaring

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knight

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cloak

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puddle

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forbear

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settlers

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raw material

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2. Timeline: Re-arrange these facts in chronological order. (Two events have been written in the timeline as an example)

1. Captain Cook discovers Australia. 2. Geoffrey Chaucer writes his Canterbury Tales. 3. Henry VIII’s daughter, Elizabeth, is crowned Queen. 4. King John signs Magna Carta. 5. Shakespeare writes his plays. 6. Sir Francis Drake circumnavigates the globe. 7. Sir Walter Raleigh settles a colony (Virginia) in America. 8. The Pilgrims go to America on board the Mayflower. 9. Thomas ‘a Becket is murdered. 10. William Caxton introduces the printing press in England. 11. William, Duke of Normandy, invades England.


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Captain Cook discovers Australia.

1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900

William, Duke of Normandy, invades England.


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Think and try to explain the following facts

1. Before the invention of the printing press books were copied by hand, mainly in monasteries, so

a) they were very expensive. b) few people were able to read and write. c) they were mainly about religious questions.

d) The printing press initiated an "information revolution" similar to that produced by the Internet today.

2. Cartography, the art or technique of making maps or charts, grew a lot with the different voyages of discovery.

3. Queen Elizabeth I ruled England for over forty years.

4. In their colonisation process, the British were not only interested in possessing more land, but in having more information as well.

1.a. ..............................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................

1.b. ..............................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................

1.c. ..............................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................


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1.d. ..............................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................

2. .................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................

3. .................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................

4. .................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................


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Unit 4: Becoming an International Language

The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a major technological, socioeconomic and cultural change in the late 18th and early 19th century resulting from the replacement of an economy based on manual labour to one dominated by industry and machine manufacture. It began in England and the three key drivers in these changes were textile manufacturing, steam power and iron founding.

Textile manufacturing

a goat sheep fleece

In the manufacturing of fabric, two words are necessary to understand the process: spinning and weaving. They explain how fleece (wool from sheep or goat) can be transformed into a piece of fabric, which can then be made into a piece of clothing.


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Spinning is the name of the activity by means of which yarn (or threads) is obtained.

spinning yarn

The yarn is then woven into a piece of fabric by means of a loom.

Prior to the 17th century, the manufacture of goods was performed on a limited scale by individual workers and their families. This was


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usually done on their own premises (such as weavers' cottages) – and goods were transported around the country by horse, or by river.

With the invention of machines for spinning wool, and the construction of factories to house those large spinning machines, a lot of people moved from rural areas into the cities.

For the first time men and women worked in different places. The man stayed at home to weave the yarn (operating the loom was a heavy task) and the women left home each day to work in the factory and produce the yarn.

Steam power

By the middle of the 17th century wind, water, coal, wood and horses were the main sources of energy. A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into motion. Windmills were mainly used


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for grinding grain and for pumping fresh water out of wells. The power of the wind was also used in navigation.

Water, on the other hand, was used to move a wheel that, in turn, moved some kind of machinery, while horses were a means of land transportation.

James Watt

It is sometimes said that James Watt got the idea for a steam engine while still a boy, watching steam lift the lid of his mother's teakettle. The truth is that Watt did not invent the steam engine; however, he made major improvements on the

inefficient steam engine of his time.


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By the time James Watt developed an improved steam engine capable of driving factory machines (1782), the number of machines in use had increased greatly, particularly in the prosperous cotton industry. In 1733, John Kay had invented a mechanism (the flying shuttle), which made weaving much faster and spinning was also being mechanised.

Iron founding

The increased manufacture of machines and the greater use of steam power led to big changes in the coal and iron industries. Coal provided the power to drive the steam engines and was needed to make iron. Iron was used to improve machines and tools and to build bridges and ships. Great Britain's large deposits of coal and iron ore helped make it the world's first industrial nation.

The techniques to transform iron ore into iron suitable for making different products improved enormously by the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th.

Before, most machines had been made of wood, but by the early 1800's, manufacturers used iron to make a wide variety of products, including machine, frames, rails, steam engine parts, and water pipes.


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In 1804, a Cornish engineer, Richard Trevithick, built the first steam locomotive. Several other locomotives were built during the next 20 years, and they were used to haul freight at coal mines and at ironworks. However, steam locomotives did not begin to come into general use for passenger and freight transportation until the late 1830's.

George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives, and he is renowned as being the "Father of Railways".


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The Stockton and Darlington Railway, which opened in 1825, was the first permanent steam locomotive railway in the world.

The effects of the Industrial Revolution spread throughout Western Europe and North America, eventually affecting the rest of the world. The impact of this change on society was enormous and is often compared to the Neolithic revolution, when mankind developed agriculture and gave up its nomadic lifestyle.


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Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria

The Industrial Revolution began under the Georges (King George II, III and IV) and continued under Queen Victoria. She and her husband, Albert Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, understood the importance of industry. In 1851 Albert organized the Great Exhibition of London, to show the world the wonderful things made in England.

Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. Both the Duke of Kent (Victoria’s father) and King George III (Victoria’s grandfather) died in 1820, and Victoria was raised under close supervision by her German-born mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.


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Albert, Prince Consort

Victoria inherited the throne at the age of 18 after her father's three elder brothers died without surviving legitimate children.

She married her German cousin, Albert, and they had 9 children.

Queen Elizabeth II is Queen Victoria’s great grandchild.

The Victorian Era

Queen Victoria’s reign of 64 years was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military progress within the United Kingdom. Overseas, it was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire, which included countries in every continent and so English spread worldwide.

Queen Victoria and her husband patronized artists, encouraged the spread of education and the building of museums so that people who could not own national treasures individually could at least share them as citizens.


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However, her time is also remembered by the dark side of the Industrial Revolution: the slums, child labour, appalling working conditions and disease.

Victoria’s reign also saw the formation of trade unions that restricted the power of factory owners and the beginning of women’s fight for their right to vote.

Charles Dickens

The most popular novelist in the 19th century was Charles Dickens. His books were funny and exciting but they also had a serious message. They showed what life was like for poor children and for orphans. He himself had to start working at the age of 12 when his father was imprisoned because of his debts. He learnt then how hard life was for poor children and later in life produced a number of books about that.


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Dickens' first novel, the brilliantly comic THE PICKWICK PAPERS, brought him enormous fame. Like all his subsequent novels, it was originally published serially, that is, in instalments (parts) over time. This meant he needed to plan his plot very carefully so that readers wanted to go on reading when the next part came out. The chapters of his novels were like good soap opera episodes today. They had cliff-hanging endings so that readers expected the next publication anxiously to learn what happened next.

The independence movement

For 150 years before 1776 America was a British colony. At that time, British and American English were almost exactly the same. Then in 1776 there was a war between Britain and America, the War of Independence. America became a free country. Its first president was George Washington.


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At the beginning of the next century, the 19th, U.S. leaders began to talk about “the American language” and writers like Fennimore Cooper, considered the “Father of the American novel”, and Mark Twain --with his The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn-- raised the standards of this new variety of English and earned it a respected place in the world.

Likewise, many people in Australia, Africa or Asia didn’t speak the official “Queen’s English”. Their accents and vocabulary were very different. English was growing and changing internationally.

Britain kept its empire until the middle of the 20th century. Then, one by one, countries like India, Kenya, Canada and New Zealand became independent. Although they left the empire, they stayed good friends with Britain and became members of the Commonwealth of Nations, an international club of English-speaking countries.


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Some Testimonies of the Past

Films (Videos, DVD’s)

Do you recognise either of these images? Do you remember a film called A Christmas Carol (Un cuento de Navidad, in Spanish).

And what about this?

Both A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist are films based on novels written by Charles Dickens.


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Buildings

Buenos Aires has a French-style building designed by the British architects Eustace L. Conder, Roger Conder and Sydney G. Follet together with engineer Reginald Reynolds. Do you know which it is?

Retiro Railway Station

in Buenos Aires

Building began in June 1909 and the station was opened on 1 August 1915. The steel structure for the building was made in Liverpool, England, and assembled in Argentina. For many years it was considered to be the most important example of structural engineering in South America and architecturally one of the finest buildings in the world. In 1997 it was declared a National Monument.


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Activities

Place the following events on the timeline

America’s Declaration of Independence (1776)

First Iron Bridge (1781, over the River Severn)

Flying shuttle (1733, John Kay)

Invention of the first steam locomotive (1804, Richard Trevithick)

Invention of the spinning frame powered by water --the water frame—(1771, Richard Arkwright)

Invention of the spinning jenny (1764, by James Hargreaves)

Invention of the steam engine (1775, James Watt)

Stockton-Darlington railway (1821, George Stephenson)

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885, Mark Twain)

The Great Exhibition of London (1851)

The Pickwick Papers (1836, Charles Dickens)

Victoria becomes Queen of England (1837)


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1700 1710 1720 1730 1740 1750 1760 1770 1780 1790


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1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890


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1900

Go to these websites and find more information about Victorian Britain. Explore what children’s life was like and how Queen Victoria showed the world her love and her sadness when her husband died.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/victorian_britain/

http://www.royalalberthall.com/about/default.aspx

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/victorian_britain/�

http://www.royalalberthall.com/about/default.aspx�


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Glossary Look up the following words in a dictionary and copy their meaning


steam power

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iron founding

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goods

45

to house - ed

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to pump - ed

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to lift - ed

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lid

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coal

47

iron ore

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water pipes

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to haul - ed

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freights

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spread

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slums

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appalling

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trade unions

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cliff-hanging

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to assemble - d

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The English-Speaking World: Some Facts & A Short Story of the

Documents

Transcript of The English-Speaking World: Some Facts & A Short Story of the