Countries of the English language. Страны английского языка. Учебное пособие

Task 6.6. Prepare a description of Canadian national symbols: the flag, the coat of arms, the national anthem, etc. Explain their historical meaning.

Task 6.7. Prepare a presentation on Canadian culture: a popular writer / singer / artist / public figure / celebrity.

Task 6.8. Find any popular stereotypes about Canada and the Canadians. Discuss the stereotypes in your group. Are the stereotypes true or false? Can they help understand Canadian culture?

7. INDIA

Task 7.1. Read Text 7.1, find out the meaning of the new words, retell.

Text 7.1. A General Overview of India

India’s frontier, which is roughly one-third coastline, abuts six countries. It is bounded to the northwest by Pakistan, to the north by Nepal, China, and Bhutan; and to the east by Myanmar (Burma). Bangladesh to the east is surrounded by India to the north, east, and west. The island country of Sri Lanka is situated some 65 km off the southeast coast of India across the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar.

The land of India – together with Bangladesh and most of Pakistan – forms a well-defined subcontinent, set off from the rest of Asia by the imposing northern mountain rampart of the Himalayas and by adjoining mountain ranges to the west and east. In area, India ranks as the 7th largest country in the world.

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world’s oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 BC; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture.

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The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries BC united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty from 4th to 6th century AD saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, Emperor Babur established the Mughal Dynasty, which ruled India for more than three centuries.

European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent and India was seen as the “Jewel in the Crown” of the British Empire. The British Indian Army played a vital role in both World Wars. Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, eventually resulted in Indian independence in 1947. Large-scale communal violence took place before and after the subcontinent partition into two separate states – India and Pakistan. The neighbouring countries have fought wars since independence, the last of which was in 1971 and resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India’s nuclear weapons tests bolstered Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. In November 2000s, terrorists originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India’s financial capital. India’s economic growth following the launch of economic reforms, a large youthful population, and a strategic geographic location have contributed to India’s emergence as a regional and global power. However, India still faces pressing problems, the main of which is extensive poverty of the country’s 1.4 billion population.

Task 7.2. Using Text 7.1 prepare a brief history chart for India. Choose the most important events, that influenced the future of the country and the people (see the template in Table 7.1). Compare the chosen events with your group members. Try to explain the priority of your choice. Add or remove

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events after the group discussion to make the final version of the history chart.

Table 7.1

Task 7.3. Using britannica.com and the information from previous topics about the governments as a model, write a 250–300-word description of India’s governmental structure. Consider the following questions: 1) the capital of the country; 2) the formal and ruling heads of the country; 3) the 3 branches of power; 4) major political parties and issues they deal with.

Task 7.4. Read Text 7.2, find out the meaning of the new words, retell.

Text 7.2. Indian Economy Overview

Since the 2000s, India – with its capital in Delhi and major financial centre in Mumbai – has made remarkable progress in reducing absolute poverty. In 2010s more than 90 million people were lifted out of extreme poverty.

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However, the COVID-19 pandemic led India’s economy into a contraction, despite well-crafted fiscal and monetary policy support. Successful implementation of agriculture and labour reforms would boost medium-term growth, putting India among the fastest growing economies in the world, but weakened household and corporate balance sheets may constrain it. The informal sector, where the vast majority of India’s labour force is employed, has been particularly affected by COVID-19. As in most countries, the pandemic has exacerbated vulnerabilities for traditionally excluded groups, such as youth, women, and migrants.

To build back better, it will be essential for India to stay focused on reducing inequality, even as it implements growth-oriented reforms to get the economy back on track. The World Bank is partnering with the government in this effort by helping strengthen policies, institutions, and investments to create a better future for the country and the people through green, resilient an inclusive development. Thanks in part to proactive measures of the government, the economy is expected to rebound, and growth is expected to stabilize. Elevated public spending, robust urban demand, significant foreign investment inflows and low inflation will support growth.

Task 7.5. Find the information in all-about-india.com/In- dian-Language and britannica.com and discuss the case study questions.

1.What is the linguistic situation in India? What is the role of the English language among the other languages that are spoken in India?

2.What are the peculiarities of the ethnic structure of the Indian population? Can India be called a multicultural society? Why? Are there any problems of cultural co-existence?

3.What are the reasons for the extreme poverty of Indian population? Are there any social lifts that may help overcome personal poverty?

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4.What is the role of agriculture and industries in Indian economic development? Give examples. What are the traditional and modern products of India?

5.What are the official and dominant religions in India? What are the relations between people of different religious beliefs in India? Give examples.

Task 7.6. Prepare a description of Indian national symbols: the flag, the coat of arms, the national anthem, etc. Explain their historical meaning.

Task 7.7. Prepare a presentation on Indian culture: a popular writer or poet / singer / artist / public figure / celebrity.

Task 7.8. Find any popular stereotypes about India. Discuss the stereotypes in your group. Are the stereotypes true or false? Can they help understand Indian culture?

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PART II. COUNTRIES OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

8. PAKISTAN

Task 8.1. Read Text 8.1, find out the meaning of the new words, retell.

Text 8.1. A General Overview of Pakistan

Pakistan encompasses a rich diversity of landscapes from the Pamirs through a maze of mountain ranges, a complex of valleys, and inhospitable plateaus, down to the remarkably even surface of the fertile Indus River plain, which drains into the Arabian Sea. The territory of pakistan contains a section of the ancient Silk Road and the Khyber Pass, the famous passageway that has brought outside influences into the otherwise isolated subcontinent. Along the Indus River, the artery of the country, the ancient site of Mohenjo-daro marks one of the cradles of civilization.

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan with the capital in Islamabad. During the second millennium BC, remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought wars and a limited conflict over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries – in which India assisted an indigenous movement reacting to the marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics – resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh.

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India-Pakistan relations improved in the mid-2000s but have been rocky since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks and have been further strained by Indian reports of cross-border militancy. Imran Khan took office as prime minister in 2018 after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party won a plurality of seats in the July 2018 general elections. Pakistan has been engaged in a decades-long armed conflict with militant groups that target government institutions and civilians, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other militant networks.

Task 8.2. Using britannica.com prepare a brief history Pakistan (see the template in Table 8.1). Choose the most important events, that influenced the future of the country and the people. Compare the chosen events with your group members. Try to explain the priority of your choice. Add or remove events after the group discussion to make the final version of the history chart.

Task 8.3. Using britannica.com and the information from previous topics about the governments as a model, write a 150– 300-word description of the government in Pakistan. Consider the following questions: 1) the capital of the country; 2) the formal and ruling heads of the country; 3) the 3 branches of power; 4) major political parties and issues they deal with.

Task 8.4. Read Text 8.2, find out the meaning of the new words, retell.

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Text 8.2. Pakistani Economy Overview

Contemporary Pakistan is a lower middle-income South Asian economy with an extremely high debt. Due to the problems of state government and administration it is characterised by endemic corruption, which results in major currency (Pakistani rupee) devaluation, major food insecurity and inflation. The agricultural sector of Pakistan is environmentally fragile, while regional disputes with India and Afghanistan hinder foreign investment into the local economy.

Political stability and security are tenuous in Pakistan, the country is conducting national elections in 2023, where the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party led by Imran Khan is expected to win owing to widespread discontent with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) coalition. Balance-of-payments strains constantly worsen in this political situation, and Pakistan is likely to default on sovereign debt obligations. China remains a major strategic ally of Pakistan, while relations with India are strained.

Task 8.5. Case study questions.

1.What are the official languages of Pakistan? What is the status of the English language in the country? Describe the linguistic situation in the country.

2.How long is the history of Pakistan? What was the role of the USA in the modern history of the country? Characterise the current relations of Pakistan and the USA.

3.What is the religious situation in Pakistan? Is there any connection between the religious beliefs of the population and the languages the people speak?

4.What are the major internal political issues that prevent social and economic stability in the country?

Task 8.6. Prepare a description of Pakistani national symbols: the flag, the coat of arms, the national anthem, etc. Explain their historical meaning.

Task 8.7. Prepare a presentation on Pakistan’s traditional culture.

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Task 8.8. Find any popular stereotypes about Pakistan. Discuss the stereotypes in your group. Are the stereotypes true or false? Can they help understand Pakistan’s culture?

9. SOUTH AFRICA

Task 9.1. Read Text 9.1, find out the meaning of the new words, retell.

Text 9.1. A General Overview of South Africa

Some of the earliest human remains in the fossil record are found in South Africa. By about 500 AD, Bantu speaking groups began settling into what is now northeastern South Africa displacing Khoisan speaking groups to the southwest. Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of present-day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the Far East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the settlers of Dutch descent (Afrikaners, also called “Boers” (farmers at the time) trekked north to found their own republics, Transvaal and Orange Free State. In the 1820s, several decades of wars began as the Zulus expanded their territory, moving out of what is today southeastern South Africa and clashing with other indigenous peoples and with expanding European settlements. The discovery of diamonds and gold in the end of the 19th century spurred wealth and immigration from Europe.

The Anglo-Zulu War (1879) resulted in the incorporation of the Zulu kingdom’s territory into the British Empire. Subsequently, the Afrikaner republics were incorporated into the

British Empire after their defeat in the Second South African War (1899–1902). However, the British and the Afrikaners ruled together beginning in 1910 under the Union of South Africa, which became a republic in 1961 after a Whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid – billed as “separate development” of the races – which favoured the White minority at the

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expense of the Black majority and other non-White groups. The African National Congress (ANC) led the opposition to apartheid and many top ANC leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, spent decades in South Africa’s prisons. Internal protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts by some Western nations and institutions, led to the regime’s eventual willingness to negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule.

The first multi-racial elections in 1994 following the end of apartheid ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa has since struggled to address apart- heid-era imbalances in wealth, housing, education, and health care. Jacob Zuma became president in 2009 but resigned in February 2018 after numerous corruption scandals and gains by opposition parties in municipal elections. His successor, Cyril Ramaphosa, has made some progress in reigning in corruption, though many challenges persist. In 2019 national elections, the country’s sixth since the end of apartheid, the ANC won a majority of parliamentary seats, delivering the current president another five-year term.

Task 9.2. Using britannica.com prepare a brief history chart for South Africa. Choose the most important events, that influenced the future of the country and the people (see the template in Table 9.1). Compare the chosen events with your group members. Try to explain the priority of your choice. Add or remove events after the group discussion to make the final version of the history chart.

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