POPULATION
 

    Population of the UK is about 58 million people. The density is one of the highest in the world - 232 people to one square kilometre. About 93 per cent of inhabitants live in urban areas. Life expectancy is 74 for male and 79 for female.

    In Britain we can find the following ethnic groups:

• English (81.5 per cent)

• Scottish (9.6)

• Irish (2.4)

• Welsh (1.9)

• Ulster (1.8)

• Indian, Pakistan and others (Jews, Italian, Chinese, Caribbeans, Cypriots)

    Various origins, separate traditions and cultures explain many of the differences between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: differences in religion, the legal system, education and language. People living there are different nations.
    It is quite hard to describe a nation in this changing world but, on the other hand, a description makes understanding the nation easier for foreigners. Talking about the British, perhaps the book "Background to Britain" offers something reasonable. Here is what it says in the chapter called The peoples in Britain:

    Even in England there are many differences in regional character and speech. The chief division is between southern England and northern England. South of a line going from Bristol to London, people speak the type of English learnt by foreign students … Further north (roughly beyond a line going from Manchester to Hull) regional speech is usually "broader" than that of southern Britain. Northerners are apt to claim that they work harder than the Southerners, and are more thorough. They are open-hearted and hospitable; foreigners often find that they make friends with them quickly … In accent and character the people of the Midlands represent a gradual change from the southern to the northern type of Englishman.
    In Scotland the sound denoted by the letter "R" is generally a strong sound, and "R" is often pronounced in words in which it would be silent in southern English ... The Scots are said to be a serious, cautious, thrifty people, rather inventive and somewhat mystical. All the Celtic peoples of Britain (the Welsh, the Irish, the Scots) are frequently described as being more "fiery" than the English. The English generally look upon the Welsh as an emotional people who are, however, somewhat reticent and difficult to get to know easily … The Irish are known for their charm and vivacity, as well as for the beauty of the Irish girls.

LANGUAGE
 

    Although everybody speaks English in the United Kingdom, it is not the same language. English has its own special accents and dialects. Occasionally, people have difficulty in understanding one another because of these different accents.
    A Southern English accent is generally accepted to be the most easily understood, and is usually taught to foreigners. It is known as R.P. (Received Pronunciation) or BBC English or Oxford English. One of the most difficult to understand is probably Cockney, the standard London dialect, with its characteristic pronunciation and rhyming slang, e.g. apples and pears - stairs.
    English developed from Anglo-Saxon and is a Germanic language. However, all the invading peoples, particularly the Norman French, influenced the English language. The present-day vocabulary is about half Germanic (Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian) and half Romance (French and Latin).
    Besides English, some nations speak their own language as well. Welsh, Scottish and Irish are of Celtic origin. There are three varieties of Celtic. Some people in Wales still speak Welsh; Gaelic is spoken in Scotland - mainly in the West Highlands; Irish Gaelic is the first official language in the Republic of Ireland.
 

Welsh:
    Going to Wales is like going to another country. All signs around you are in Welsh and English, and most people speak both languages, too. Welsh is believed to be the oldest living language in Europe and shares its roots with the other Celtic languages - Gaelic, Breton and Cornish. If you look at some of the phrases there are combinations which are quite difficult to pronounce.
 

Wales = Cymru (kimru)
Good morning = Bore da (bore da)
Good day = Dydd da
Good afternoon = Prywhawn da
Good evening = Noswaith da
Good night = Nos da (nos da)
Thank you = Diolch (diolch)
Thank you very much = Diolch yn fawr iawn
How are you? = Sut mae?
Happy birthday = Penblwydd hapus
Milk = Llefrith
Sugar = Siwgr
Wine = Gwin