英美国家概况Chapter 2.pptVIP

The United Kingdom Chapter 2 The people I . Population and Population Density 2005,60.2 million, The third largest country in Europe, next to Russia and Germany, The highest population density in the world, 248 every square kilometer, 10 times of the US, Life expectancy : 76 for men, 81, for women II. Population distribution urban and suburban Seven great conurbations: 1/3 , Greater London, W. Midlands, South Yorkshire, W. Yorkshire, Greater Manchester,Meyseyside, and Tyne Wear. England: An area of an ellipse ,1/2 , South Lancashire and West Yorkshire at one end, London area at the other end, Midland at its center,eastern half of England’s southern coast. Scotland: the Tyne and Tees Valleys, the Clyde Valley Wales: southeast Wales, Belfast, Bristol, Edinburgh. III. Nations and Languages Spoken main nations: English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish English: descendants of Anglo-Saxon, in the middle of 5th( after Romans), 80% population Welsh and Irish:descendants of the Celts, before Romans Languages: English- official language, standard English or Received Pronunciation/RP; Gaelic –by some Scots and a few in Northern Ireland; Welsh-1/5 in Wales English Development Old English: descended from the language of the Germanic people, the Anglo-Saxons in the middle of 5th-the early 6th ,different from modern English in phonology, morphology and syntax Middle English : after Norman Conquest of 1066,tremondous changes through contact with Danes and Norman French—the forwarding of stress and enlarged vocabulary , the Great Vowel Shift, grammar changes. Geoffrey Chaucer ( Canterbury Tales), William Caxton ( the printing press 1476) , London ,Henry VIII ( establishing the postal system and promoting London dialect )helped to establish the London dialect as the literary standard for the country. Modern English(1450-present) Early Modern English: 1450-1650, the language of Shakespeare,lingustic experiment and innovation Authoritarian English:1650-1800 ,codified in ort