Universidad Autónoma de ChiapasEscuela de Lenguas Campus TuxtlaLicenciatura en la Enseñanza del

InglésArte y cultura contemporánea

English speaking countriesWALES

Toledo, Sandra

Table of contents Introduction

1. General facts2. National symbols3. National anthem4. History5. Languages6. Arts & Culture7. Food8. Celebrations9. Education10. The WelshConclusionReferences

Introduction

The following project is about one of the speaking countries that is part of the United Kingdom in Europe, Wales.

The purpose of this project is to give a general overview about this country so we can learn its culture and interesting facts. It is important to remember that English is not only spoken in England but also in other many countries such as Wales, that is why we should know more about those countries and be aware that there is a lot of different cultures involved in English language.

Capital City: Cardiff

Other major cities: Swansea, Newport, Wrexham

First Minister for Wales: Carwyn Jones

Population:3,063,758 (Stats Wales 2011)

Currency: Pound Sterling (£)

Anthem: Hen Wlad fy Nhadau / Land of my fathers

General facts

National Symbols

The Leek

The Daffodil

The Prince of Wales Feathers The harp

The Welsh flag

National AnthemHen Wlad Fy Nhadau (translated in English as ‘Land of my Fathers’) is Wales’ National anthem. It was written in 1856 by Evan James and his son, James James, from Pontypridd in Glamorgan. It is

traditionally sung before national sporting events.

English Translation - Land of My FathersThis land of my fathers is dear to me

Land of poets and singers, and people of statureHer brave warriors, fine patriots

Shed their blood for freedomChorus:

Land! Land! I am true to my land!As long as the sea serves as a wall for this pure, dear land

May the language endure for ever.Old land of the mountains, paradise of the poets,

Every valley, every cliff a beauty guards;Through love of my country, enchanting voices will be

Her streams and rivers to me.Chorus

Though the enemy have trampled my country underfoot,The old language of the Welsh knows no retreat,

The spirit is not hindered by the treacherous handNor silenced the sweet harp of my land.

Chorus• ..\Downloads\Welsh anthem (Land of my fathers).mp4

History1000 BCThe story of Wales begins with the Celts. The Celts began migrating from their central European homeland around 1000 BC.

48ADThe recorded history of Wales begins with the arrival of the Romans on Welsh borders. At that time people spoke a Celtic language – Brythonic, the language that would eventually evolve into Welsh.

1400Charismatic national hero Owain Glyndŵr begins his rebellion against King Henry IV to establish an independent Wales.

1536The first Act of Union was passed between England and Wales. Wales becomes united politically with England and is governed by English law.

1997The Welsh public votes yes to the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales, allowing Wales to become a distinct constitutional entity within the UK for the first time in 40 years.

1955Cardiff is officially declared capital of Wales. Cardiff is Europe's youngest capital city.

Languages

English 81%

Welsh 19%Our Celtic language is closely related to Cornish and Breton and is one of Europe’s oldest living languages

Arts & Culture

Dylan ThomasHis play “under milk wood”

Roald DahlMatilda and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

The National Museum in Cardiff

The Artes Mundi Prize is held here every two years and is one of the largest visual art prizes in the world. The international prize celebrates and recognizes artists across the globe.

Food

Laverbread

not actually bread at all but seaweed, is often fried into crisp patties with eggs, bacon and fresh cockles for a traditional Welsh breakfast.

Bara Brith (which translates as speckled bread), a wonderful sticky fruitcake smothered in butter. 

Welsh cakes a type of scone cooked on a stove-top griddle.

Celebrations

St. Stephen’s Day or Boxing day

New Year’s Eve

Feast of Epiphany

Pancake day

Sunday of flowers

EducationEducation in Wales is compulsory between the ages of 5 to 16 and we have about 1900 state schools offering free education to more than 470,000 pupils. Another 65,000 students between 16 and 19 are in vocational training in further education institutions.

A significant number of students all over Wales are educated either wholly or largely through the medium of Welsh and lessons in the language are compulsory for all until the age of 16. Welsh medium education is available to all age groups from nursery through to schools, colleges, universities and adult education.Today the student population in Wales is large and diverse; there are 10 universities and 17 further education colleges and institutions. We have around 250,000 learners studying at further education institutions per year.

Welsh people• The Welsh are famous for singing and talking and are noticeably

more open and friendly than most of the English. They tend to be quite direct, especially in Swansea and Cardiff, but are quieter and more pacific out in the sticks.

• If you travel from north to south Wales, you may become aware of a cultural ‘north-south divide’ between the ‘Hwntws’ of the south and the ‘Gogs’ of north Wales.

• A Welsh male voice choir is a unique sound and a real part of the local culture.

• The average Welshman (or woman) is much more romantic than their English counterpart and are much more open and forthcoming – if they fancy you, they’ll say so (and also if they don’t!).

• A good souvenir from Wales would be a traditional Welsh ‘love-spoon’ as carved by a farmhand for his fair maid in days gone by.

Conclusion

The importance of this work was to point out the relevance of Wales as one of the English speaking countries. I learned that English is spoken there but people want to preserve their identity and traditions by speaking Welsh which is one of the oldest languages in the world. This presentation helped me to enrich my own culture as well as my general knowledge.

As English teachers we might be asked to talk about English speaking countries so it is useful to have some knowledge about them so we can satisfy our students curiosity .

Activity

CAMPO FORMATIVO: Exploración y conocimiento del mundo

CAMPO SÉMANTICO: Cultura y vida social

DESARROLLO DE LA

COMPETENCIA

DESARROLLO DE LA ACTIVIDAD

MATERIALES TIEMPO

 Distingue algunas expresiones de la culturapropia y de otras, y muestra respeto hacia ladiversidad.

 El maestro mostrará a los alumnos la bandera de Gales y les explicara el significado de la misma. Luego, se les dará a los niños un dibujo del dragón para colorear y después recortar para armar el dragón.

Hojas de trabajoColoresTijeras

 20 minutos

Nivel: Básico /Pre-escolar

References

• http://www.britannia.com/wales/culture2.html• http://

www.wales.com/en/content/cms/English/About_Wales/Wales_Fact_File/Wales_Fact_File.aspx

• http://www.roadjunky.com/guide/britain-uk-travel-guide/welsh-people-and-culture/