Факты, культура, традиции

Методические указания

Омск

Издательство ОмГТУ

Составители: М.В. Ласица, С.В. Богомолов

В издании представлен страноведческий материал по англоговорящим странам, в первую очередь Великобритании, США и Канады, который знакомит студентов с историей, культурой, обычаями, традициями, существующими в странах изучаемого языка.

Для студентов I-II курсавсех специальностей.

Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета

Омского государственного технического университета

What do you know about English Speaking Countries?

English is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world. While it has fewer native speakers than other languages such as Chinese, it has spread far and wide due to British colonization and American global influence, becoming something of an international language. English is often accepted as a go-between language, or lingua franca, for international commerce and politics, as it is very likely the most commonly acquired second or third language on the planet. Exact numbers are impossible to come by, but according to many estimates, English comes close to being the best-known language on Earth.

English was exported to Britain's growing number of colonies, which by the 19th century accounted for one quarter of the world's population. In the 20th century, even though Britain's role as a world power declined considerably, the hegemony of the USA meant that the English language almost achieved the status of a world language.

English is the third most spoken native language worldwide, after Chinese and Hindi, with some 380 million speakers. It is the official language in 71 sovereign states and territories with the total population of 2,135 million people. Among them are the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa and many others. In the UK and the USA there is no law about the official language, and English is the official language there de facto. There are some countries, too, where English is the major language, that is, it is the native language of the overwhelming majority of the population; these countries include the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and some others. The two most important English-speaking countries are, of course, the UK and the USA.

Unit II Great Britain

Interesting Facts Aboutthe United Kingdom. Do you know that?