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Е. В. Захарова язык и культура великобритании в условиях европейской интеграции предисловие данное учебное пособие

Вид материалаУчебное пособие
Unit iv. the country of three languages
Ii. vocabulary focus
Iii. interpretation
Iv.speaking personally
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UNIT IV. THE COUNTRY OF THREE LANGUAGES


I. READING COMPREHENSION


A. Pre-reading Task. Answer the questions:


1) How many languages do you think are spoken in Scotland?

2) Does Scotland have one official language?


B. Now read and translate the text. You can make use of the following words and word-combinations:

Scottish Standard English – шотландский вариант литературного английского языка

Deny – отрицать

Divergent – отличный, отклоняющийся

Ultimately – в конечном счете, в конечном итоге

Rooted – укоренившийся

Rural – сельский

Border (the) – граница между Англией и Шотландией

Urban – городской

Scotts – шотландский язык

Scottish Gaelic – шотландский вариант гаэльского языка

Remote – отдаленный

The Hebrides – Гебридские острова


questionable – сомнительный

bilingual – двуязычный

primary education – начальное образование

residential areas – жилые кварталы

substratum – основа, субстрат

virtually – фактически

item of vocabulary - единица словарного запаса

institutional – институциональный, относящийся к к-л учреждению

minor – незначительный

vis-à-vis – по сравнению с

colloquial usage – разговорное употребление

inasmuch – в той мере, в какой; на сколько

marginal – незначительный

obligation – обязанность, обязательство

rhotic accent – подчеркнутое произношение звука [r], ротацизм


The move from England to Scotland is one of the linguistically most distinct that can be made in the British Isles as far as English is concerned. Standard English is well established throughout Scotland in government, schools, the media, business etc.in the specially Scottish variety of the standard, which is usually referred to as Scottish Standard English (SSE). Yet in many areas of everyday life there is no denying that forms of English are used in Scotland which are often highly divergent from the English of neighbouring England. These forms are ultimately rooted in the rural dialects of the Scottish Lowlands, which differ distinctly from the dialects south of the Border. The traditional rural dialects as well as their urban variations are collectively known as Scots.

Besides Scottish Standard English and Scots one further non-immigrant language is spoken in Scotland, That is Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language related to both Welsh and Irish. At present only a small part of the population (no more than 1.5 per cent) speaks Gaelic; the Gaelic language areas are located in the more remote regions of the northwest and on some of the Hebrides. Since 40 per cent of Gaelic native speakers live today in urban (= English language) Scotland, their continued use of the language is questionable. However, the situation of Gaelic has stabilized somewhat since the 1960s largely due to: the teaching of Gaelic in schools, bilingual primary education; Gaelic residential areas in Glasgow, Inverness, Skye, Lewis etc. Those who speak Gaelic are, in any case, bilingual and also speak English; their English is often influenced by their Celtic substratum.

Standard English in Scotland is virtually identical to Standard English anywhere else in the world. As elsewhere, it has its special national items of vocabulary. These may be general, such as outwith ‘outside’, pinkie ‘little finger’ or doubt ‘think, suspect’; they may be culturally specific, such as caber ‘a long and heavy wooden pole thrown in competitive sports, as at the Highland Games’ or haggis ‘sheep entrails prepared as a dish’; or they may be institutional, as with sheriff substitute ‘acting sheriff’ or landward ‘rural’.

Syntactically, Scottish Standard English shows only minor distinctions vis-à-vis other types of Standard English. For instance, in colloquial usage, the modal verb system differs inasmuch as shall and ought are not present, must is marginal for obligation and may is rare.

Scottish Standard English has its own distinct pronunciation as is the case with all national or regional varieties of English. It maintains /x/, spelled ch, in some words such as loch or technical. /hw/ and /w/ are distinct as in wheel and weal. It is also a rhotic accent, pronouncing /r/ wherever it is written.


C. Referring back to the text. Answer the following questions:


1) Is Standard English well-established throughout Scotland?

2) Through which institutions is it established?

3) What is the specially Scottish variety of the standard usually referred to?

4) Are any forms of English used in Scotland divergent from the English of neighbouring England?

5) Where are these forms rooted?

6) Do many people in Scotland speak Gaelic?

7) Where are the Gaelic language areas located?

8) Are people who speak Gaelic bilingual?

9) What special national items of vocabulary are their in standard English in Scotland?

10) What is the rhotic accent?


II. VOCABULARY FOCUS


A.Translate the following words and word-combinations into Russian:


There is no denying; to be ultimetely rooted; urban variations; to be related to smth; items of vocabulary; to be culturally specific; to be institutional; to maintain;

competitive sports; to be marginal for obligation.


Reproduce the situations in the text in which they are given.


B.Find the English equivalents in the text:


Средства массовой информации; повседневная жизнь; значительно отличаться; к югу от границы; в настоящее время; отдаленные районы; благодаря ч-л; в любом случае; испытывать влияние ч-л; быть практически идентичным чему-либо.

Use them in sentences of your own.


C. Match the words which collocate with each other:

1. rural a. areas

2. native b. usage

3. residential c. speakers

4. minor d. dialects

5. colloquial e. distinctions


D. Match the words which are close in their meaning:

1. divergent a. vernacular

2. colloquial b. doubtful

3. minor c. distant

4. questionable d. opposite

5. remote e. inconsiderable


E. Match the words having the opposing meaning:

1. questionable a. similar

2. remote b. significant

3. divergent c. nearby

4. minor d. standard

5. colloquial e. indisputable


F. Match the words and their definitions:

1) something that you must do for legal or moral reasons
a. deny

2) possibly not true, accurate, or complete
b. rooted

3) to say that smth is not true or does not exist
c. questionable

4) based on smth, developed from smth, or influenced by it
d. remote

5) far away from other cities, towns, or people
e. obligation



G. Translate the following sentences into Russian:


1) Buyers have no legal obligation to disclose personal financial information.

2) The results of the test seem highly questionable.

3) Officials have repeatedly denied the existence of a secret report.

4) The conflict in the area was rooted in history and religion.

5) We felt very remote and lonely living out in the country.


H. Insert prepositions where necessary

(from, in, to):

1. to be identical __ smth 6. to be related __ smth

2. to be referred __ smth 7. __ any case

3. to be divergent __ smth 8. to influence __ smth

4. to be rooted __ smth

5. to differ __ smth


I. Complete the following sentences using the words in the box:

substratum minor distinctions located

remote items of vocabulary pronunciation

varieties influenced bilingual

Gaelic


1) It has its special national ___.

2) Syntactically, Scottish Standard English shows only ___ vis-a-vis other types of Standard English.

3) Scottish Standard English has its own distinct __ as is the case with all national and regional __ of English.

4) The __ language areas are __ in the more __ regions of the northwest and on some of the Hebrides.

5) Those who speak Gaelic are, in any case, __ and also speak English; their English is often __ by their Celtic __.


J. Make up phrases. Translate them into Russian and think of your own sentences with them:

a. legal

financial obligation

moral

professional


b. to accept

to fulfil

to honour obligation

to meet

to perform


K. In what meanings are the following words given in the text:


1) marginal

a. very small

b. not considered important

c. written in the margin of a page


2) minor

a. relating to a musical scale

b. not very important


3) residential

a. a residential area is one in which most of the buildings are houses

b. involving living at a place where you are working, studying or being looked after.


III. INTERPRETATION


A. Paraphrase the following statements. Comment on them:


1) The move from England to Scotland is one of the linguistically most distinct that can be made in the British Isles as far as English is concerned.

2) Standard English is well established throughout Scotland in government, schools, the media, business etc.


B. Answer the following questions:

1) The text says that Standard English is well established throughout Scotland in government, schools, the media and business. Can you think of any other ways of establishing the language in a country?

2) Why do you think that the divergent forms of Standard English are rooted in the rural dialects of Scotland, not in the urban ones?

3) Do you know anything about Celtic languages? In what countries are they spoken?

4) Why do you think the situation concerning the Status of Gaelic in Scotland has stabilized since the 1960s?

5) What do you think makes people bilingual?


IV.SPEAKING PERSONALLY


Discuss with your partners what problems the existence of a few languages on the same territory infer.

In your discussion you may use the following phrases supporting your point of view:

My personal opinion is….

I’m inclined to think that…..

As I see it….

I’d like to print out that….