SPEAK ENGLISH ABOUT THE ENGLISH

The English Character

The national character of the English has been described in different ways, but most commentators agree over one quality,which they describe as a sense of superiority or “insular pride”.English patriotism is based on a deep sense of security. Englishmen as individuals may have been insecure, threatened with the loss of their job, unsure of themselves or unhappy in many ways. But as a nation they have been secure for centuries.

The English are a well-disciplined people and it is probably no exaggeration to say that they have

the best manners in the world. They are all polite, they all know how to hold their knife and fork and how to behave in society. Besides they are never rude. Coarse expressions are hardly ever used. You may be struck by the fact that life in Britain is less noisy.

The English display a surprising unity in a crisis. They also have a strong sense for public order. The apparent coldness of Englishmen has been almost universally noted by the foreigners.  But they also confess that once one gets to know an Englishman better, he turns out to be a very companionable fellow.

The typical feature of the English is their love of games. They love playing all of them. They play football and cricket; games are nowhere so popular as in England. But however childish at their games they are very serious in business.

The British have long been famous as a nation of animal-lovers. There is a pet in nearly every family and often the family dog or cat has a special chair near the fire, special food and a special place in the hearts of its owners. All this doesn't mean that the English differ from other human beings. They certainly feel the same emotions: jealousy, envy, joy and happiness as others— only their external reactions are different.

When one speaks of the English, one usually means all the nations living within the borders of the United Kingdom — Scots, Welsh or Irish. The difference between these nations is great enough for everyone who lives in Britain, but for the outside world it is less apparent.



The English Language                                                                 

English is spoken practically all over the world. It is spoken as the mother tongue in Great Britain, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A lot of people speak English in China, Japan, India, Africa and other countries. It is one of 6 official languages of the United Nations. It is studied as a foreign language in many schools.
England's history helps to understand the present condition of English. Many English words were borrowed from the language of Angles and Saxons. Hundreds of French words came into English. These French words didn't crowd out corresponding Anglo-Saxon words. There exist "act" and "deed", "beautiful" and "pretty", "form" and "shape".
Many new words were brought by traders and travellers. These words came from all parts of the world: "umbrella" -from Italian, "skates" - from Batch, "tea" - from Chinese, "cigar"   - from

Spanish.
Some words came into English directly f from Latin, which was the language of the church and the universities in the Middle Ages.
Some of the English words of today are derivatives. One way of creating new words is to put together two or more older English words. For example, the words "railway", "football",

"newspaper" were made in this way.
Many of the new English words - especially new scientific ones - have been made from Latin and Greek words instead of English ones. "Telephone" for instance, was made from Greek words "far" and "talk".