Countries Where English is Spoken

English is an official language or is predominantly spoken in the following countries:

Antigua and Barbuda Australia Bahamas Barbados Beliza Botswana Brunei Cameroon Canada Dominica Ethiopia Fiji Gambia Ghana Grenada Guyana India Ireland Israel Jamaica Kenya Kiribati Lesotho Liberia Malawi Malta Marshall Islands Mauritius Micronesia Namibia Nauru New Zealand Nigeria Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Philippines Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa Swaziland Tanzania Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu Uganda United Kingdom United States Vanuatu Zambia Zimbabwe

Varieties of English

As so many people speak English in so many different countries, there are many different “Englishes”. The best form of English is called Standard English and it is the language of educated English speakers. It is used by the Government, the BBC, the Universities and it is often called Queen’s English.

American English is the variety of English spoken in the USA. It is different from English in pronunciation, intonation, spelling, and vocabulary and sometimes even in grammar.

An Englishman goes to the town centre to see a film while an American goes downtown to see a movie. If an Englishman needs a pen he would ask you: “Have you got a pen, please?”, but an American would say: “Do you have a pen?”

Australian and New Zealand English, also called Australian English, are very similar. Especially in pronunciation they are also similar to British English, but there are differences in vocabulary and slang. Many terms, such as kangaroo, dingo, wombat and boomerang, come from the Aboriginal language and many other s from the Cockney dialect spoken by the first settlers, the Londoners.

Module 2

Seminar 2 (2 hours) Theme: Introducing Great Britain.

I. Test Questions.

1. Describe the relief features of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.

1. History of GB: Ancient Britain. England in the Middle Ages (11^th-15^th centuries). The development of England in the 16^th century. Civil War and Oliver Cromwell. The Industrial Revolution. The British Empire. Great Britain at the End of the 19 and the beginning of the 20^th century. World War I and 'inter-war' years.

2. Great Britain - a Constitutional Monarchy. Parliament. Houses of Parliament. Political Parties. Election System. System of Government.

4. British literature, theatre, cinema, music, Arts, museums. II. Problems for class discussion.

1. Outline the geographical position of the British Isles in the world.

2. What monuments of pre-Roman England can you name? What do you know about it? What imprint did the Roman Empire leave on England and what physical evidence of its occupation can still be found?

3. What were the most ancient tribes on English territory and who were the invaders after the Romans?

4. Evaluate the historical significance of Magna Charta.

5. The War of the Roses in the history of England.

6. Outline the major functions of the monarchy in Britain today.

7. Does England have a central government of its own?

8. How is English law different from that of Scotland and Northern Ireland

9. Describe the origin, development and present-day character of the Cabinet, examining the reasons for the growth of its power.

10. What are the most renowned English figures of literature?

11. Describe the main art and science museums of Great Britain.

12. Describe the prominent Literary figures of Scotland.