English

Language

English is the official language in 67 countries around the world, including South Africa, the Philippines, India, and Singapore. The best-known English-speaking countries include the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Over one billion people speak English globally, and about 400 million are native speakers.

English is a Germanic language and is descended from Anglo-Saxon that was spoken in the 5th century by the Anglo-Saxons, the people who at the time settled in what is now Britain.

As a Germanic language, English is closely related to Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, Danish, Faroese, and Afrikaans.

English is considered a language that can be learned quickly and easily. With this language, it is possible to quickly achieve success in listening, understanding, writing, and speaking, requiring an estimated about 400 of studies to reach a standard level.

The English language is based on the Latin alphabet consisting of 26 letters.

English consists of approximately 1,000,000 different words. Also, this language has no grammatical gender and conjugations, except in the 3rd person singular present tense.

English has 40 dialects, with the best known of them being Yorkshire and Cockney. Yorkshire is spoken in northern England. Cockney is widely spoken in London and is considered the working class dialect.

In addition to English, the United Kingdom has Irish Gaelic in Ireland, Welsh in Wales, and Scottish Gaelic in Scotland.

Mentality

Great Britain is a multicultural country with multiple cultures. In general, it can be said that politeness and individualism play an essential role in British culture.

Significant holidays in the UK are Easter, Christmas, and New Year`s Eve. However, national holidays such as St. Patrick`s Day (Irish National Day), St. George`s Day (Welsh National Day), St. Andrew`s Day (Scottish National Day) and St. David`s Day (English National Day) also play a significant role. Other typical holidays are Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night (commemorating the British officer Guy Fawkes, whose assassination attempt on the king and the English Parliament was foiled in 1605).

In the run-up to Christmas, it is customary to sing carols and decorate the house. On New Year’s Eve, each city organizes its own fireworks display, and Scotland has its own New Year’s Eve festival called Hogmanay, where the River Forth is swum across by the brave. On Halloween Eve that traces back to the Celts children go from door to door dressed up in costumes and collect candy (trick or treat). On Bonfire Night, there are huge fireworks all over the country.

Great Britain is known for the English national dish fish and chips, and for baked goods such as scones. One of the most famous meals is the English Breakfast. Scotland’s national dish is known as Haggis (sheep’s stomach stuffed with minced meat, oatmeal, and onions) and Ireland’s Irish Stew (vegetables and lamb stew) is also known worldwide. The national dish of Wales is called Cawl (meat and vegetable stew).

Economy

The most important export of Great Britain is motor vehicles, in addition to refined oils, crude oils, and pharmaceutical products.

In 2022, the UK’s GDP amounted to $3.07 trillion.

Population/Social Aspects/Political Aspects

The United Kingdom is home to around 67.33 million people.

Great Britain is the oldest constitutional monarchy.

The capital of the United Kingdom is London.