CelticLanguages英语语言优秀讲义.pptVIP

The Celtic Languages By group 7 Celts Celts The early inhabitants of England were brythons, a branch of Celts, from whom the island got its name of Britain. The Celts were a primitive people living in the tribal society  Of all the traditional languages spoken in the UK today ,the earliest language ,the Celtic ,from which Irish ,welsh and Scottish Gaelic have developed, of these ,welsh closely tied to the cultural nationalism of Wales ,is the strongest ,today ,about one –fifth of the total population of Wales ,especially in the north and west ,are able to speak it . Can the Celtic languages survive? At one time, English law prevented Welsh being spoken at schools and if you spoke Welsh you had to wear a small wooden plank and the one got to wear it last of the school day got beaten by a cane. But since the 80s the Welsh Language is being learned at schools. Some jobs are advertised in Welsh to increase the Welsh speaking work force. He secretly looks down on more excitable nations, and likes to think of himself as more reliable than them. He doesn’t trust big promises and open shows of feelings. To those who are fond of flowery expressions, the Englishman may appear uncomfortably cold. reserved Quality of the British, and in particular of the English, is “reserved.” A reserved person is one who does not talk very much to strangers, does not show much emotion, and seldom gets excited. It is difficult to get to know a reserved person: he never tells you anything about himself, and you may work with him for years without ever knowing where he lives, how many children he has, and what his interests are. English people tend to be like that. Reserved Person modesty If a person is very good at tennis and someone asks him if he is a good player, he will seldom reply “Yes,” because people will think him conceited. He will probably give an answer like, “I’m not bad,” or “Well, I’m very keen on tennis.” Even if he had managed to reach th