7 The flag of the uk (the Union Jack) and history of its name.

Not Just 'Union Jack': While commonly called the Union Jack, "Union Flag" is technically the correct term when flown on land. "Union Jack" traditionally refers to its use as a jack flag on ships.

A Composite Flag: The Union Flag is a combination of the flags of England (St. George's Cross), Scotland (St. Andrew's Cross), and Ireland (St. Patrick's Cross).

The Order Matters: The diagonal red cross (St. Patrick's Cross, representing Ireland) is offset so that the white bands of St. Andrew's Cross (Scotland) still take precedence next to the staff. This is often misunderstood, and incorrect versions of the flag are frequently displayed.

A Flag Not Representing All: The Union Flag has faced criticism in some quarters for its perceived failure to adequately represent all parts of the UK, including Wales. There have been various proposals for a redesigned flag that incorporates Welsh symbolism, but none have gained widespread support.

Global Influence: As a result of the British Empire, elements from the Union flag can be found in other flags throughout the world.

8 Linguistic signs of national identity (in proper names, family names, place names).

Proper Names:

English: Common surnames like Smith, Jones, Williams, Taylor and Brown are English.

Welsh: Surnames like Jones, Williams, Evans, Thomas, Roberts, Davies, Lewis, Hughes, Edwards, and Morgan are typically of Welsh origin, originating as patronymic surnames (based on the father's name).

Scottish: Surnames featuring "Mac" or "Mc," such as MacDonald, MacIntosh, or McTavish, are typically Scottish Gaelic.

Irish: Surnames featuring "O'" (meaning "descendant of"), such as O'Connell, O'Brien, or O'Malley, are typically Irish.

Place Names: -chester/-caster (from Latin "castra," meaning camp) are common in England, indicating Roman settlements (e.g., Manchester, Lancaster). -burgh (from Old English "burh," meaning fortified place) or -ness (headland) are common in Scotland. Welsh place names are rich in natural elements and landscape descriptions, often using Welsh language features to identify the location. Many place names in Northern Ireland or England include Irish language origin words.(Irish place names – examples: Ard -Signifies a high place in Gaelic languages. This ususally means a physically high place, but it can also mean a place of importance. For example: the Ards Peninsula (county Down), Ardstraw [A high, or important, rath] (county Tyrone), Ardfert (county Kerry). A few places seem to be an 'Ard', but are actually not. For example, Ardee (county Louth) is actually an abbreviation of the older name 'Atherdee', where 'Dee' is the name of the river on which it stands.

Bally, Ballyna, Ballina -Bally is an extremely common prefix to town names in Ireland, and is derived from the Gaelic phrase 'Baile na', meaning 'place of'. It is not quite right to translate it 'town of', as there were few, if any, towns in Ireland at the time these names were formed. For example, Ballyjamesduff [Place of James Duff] (county Cavan), Ballymoney (county Antrim). The Irish name for the site of present-day Dublin was 'Baile Átha Cliath', which, if anglicised, would be spelt something like 'Ballycleeagh'. Note that 'Dublin' is actually a Viking word.

...beg- This means 'small' in Gaelic. Usually used at the end of a name, this often means that this feature is the smaller of a pair of adjacent features. A similar name ending in 'more' is often found nearby. For example, Killybegs (county Donegal), Lambeg (county Antrim). North of Lough Neagh, Ireland's largest lake, is a much smaller lake called Lough Beg.

..bridge-When found at the end of a name, this means that the town developed beside a bridge, or became famous as a bridging point. These town names are usually of English language origin. For example, Banbridge (county Down) which grew up around a bridge over the river Bann. Newbridge (county Kildare) grew up when a bridge over the Liffey was built at that point. (Newbridge is increasingly being called Droichead Nua, which is a Gaelicised version of the original English name.) This illustrates the importance of bridges to trade.

Carrick, Carrig-Carrick means 'rock' in Gaelic languages, and Carricks are abundant across Ireland. For example Carrickfergus [Rock of Fergus] (county Antrim), Carrickmacross [Rock of MacRoss] (county Monaghan), Carrick-on-Suir (county Tipperary).)

Subtle Dialect Differences: (Тонкие диалектные различия)Regional dialects across the UK, while diminishing, still provide strong markers of local identity and are reflected in subtle variations in spelling and pronunciation of place names.

The Impact of Language Revival: The resurgence of interest in Welsh, Gaelic, and Irish languages has led to increased use of these languages in place names and signage, reinforcing a sense of national identity.