Підготовки бакалавра напряму 6.020303.

В.Л.Кравченко

 

 

Методичні рекомендації

З лінгвокраїнознавства

Підготовки бакалавра напряму 6.020303.

Філологія. Мова та література (англійська)

 

Полтава – 2016

УДК 811.11(0758)

ББК 81.001.2(Англ)–923

Методичні рекомендації з лінгвокраїнознавства підготовки бакалавра напряму 6.020303. Філологія. Мова та література (англійська) для студентів 4 курсу. – Полтава: ПНПУ ім.В.Г.Короленка, 2016. – 44` с.

УКЛАДАЧ:

КРАВЧЕНКО В.Л., к.ф.н., доцент кафедри англійської філології Полтавського національного педагогічного університету імені В.Г.Короленка

РЕЦЕНЗЕНТИ:

Іщенко В.Л. к.ф.н., зав. кафедри ділової іноземної мови Полтавського університету економіки і торгівлі

Тимінська І.М. к.ф.н., доц. кафедри англійської філології Полтавського національного педагогічного університету імені В.Г.Короленка

 

У методичних рекомендаціях з лінгвокраїнознавства для студентів 4 курсу визначені мета і завдання вивчення дисципліни “Лінгвокраїнознавство”, представлені вимоги до умінь, знань та навичок, якими повинні опанувати студенти, визначено форми контролю та критерії оцінювання. Методичні рекомендації містять питання до кожного семінарського заняття, а також матеріал, що допоможе студентам при підготовці до занять. Кожний тематичний модуль завершується автентичними матеріалами, описом реалій, що характерні для культури англомовних націй, та завданнями для оцінювання рівня володіння лінгвокраїнознавчих знань студентів.

Для студентів педагогічного університету факультету філології та журналістики.

Методичні рекомендації розглянуті та схвалені на засіданні кафедри англійської філології Полтавського національного педагогічного університету імені В.Г.Короленка

Протокол № 10 від 21 січня 2016 року

 

Друкується за рішенням ученої ради Полтавського національного педагогічного університету імені В.Г.Короленка (протокол № від

2015 року)

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION …….……………………….……………………………... 4

SEMINAR 1..................................................... ……………………………...8

SEMINAR 2……………………………..…………………………………… 18

SEMINAR 3..……………………………………………………………….... 24

SEMINAR 4 …………………………………………………………………. 30

MATERIALS FOR THE CREDIT TEST........ ……………………………..38

Theoretical Questions for the Credit Test..... ……………………………..38

Example of the Practical Assignment …………………………………………… 39

INDEPENDENT WORK ……………............. ……………………………...40

INTRODUCTION

The course “Country-study: linguistic aspect” is considered to be a new theoretical course which combined two or even more disciplines such as Country study, Cross-cultural communication, Culture study and Linguistics in its cultural aspect. So the main goal of this course is to help the students with an understanding of the specifics, peculiarities of culture through linguistic aspect. Its main task is to reveal the connections of language and culture of a certain nation and native speakers.

Country study through linguistic aspect is a science section about a language, which includes studies of language and gives certain information about a country, where it is the means of intercourse. In the process of teaching foreign language it is necessary to light up connection between the elements of Country study and linguistic phenomena, which come forward not only as a means of communication but also as a means of understanding new reality.

The aim of the Country Study program is, over the course of a full academic year, to take a wide-ranging look at a specific country or region under study from its earliest history right up to current events. It is our belief that in order to understand and appreciate other countries and cultures, one needs to employ a broad lens and engage the “other” on a myriad of levels. The program allows faculty and student participants, and community guests to break down stereotypes and connect across cultures. The Country Study program uses a multidisciplinary approach in order to provide our audiences with a richer, more complex sense of place and community.

Assessment and Evaluation of the course

Having Completed the Course, the Students Should Know:

1. characteristics of all English-speaking countries;

2. the main and principal cultural icons of GB, the USA, Australia, Canada;

3. the main theoretical questions in the theory of the Country study: Linguistic Aspect;

4. all the cultural-key words of English-speaking countries;

Having Completed the Course, the Students Should Be Able to:

1. to explain the peculiarities of the nation’s making and development;

2. to give the information about keywords and cultural keywords;

3. to analyse cultural background of English-speaking countries;

4. to distinguish realia and cultural key-words.

Forms of Assessment

Students have the option of completing a total of 54 academic hours during 1 term as well as:

 

Lectures – 8 hours

Seminars – 10 hours

Independent Work – 36 hours

The course is finished by the Credit Test.

 

Student learning hours include all activities required for successful completion of the course, module or unit, for example:

• Time to work through study guides
• Reading of prescribed materials
• Completion of learning activities
• Completion of assessment tasks
• Participation in seminars
• Attendance of lectures
• Credit test preparation

Grading Scale according to Credit-Module System

Mark ECTS Scale	Mark in points	Mark in National Scale
A	90-100	5 (excellent)
B	83-89	4 (good)
C	75-82	4 (good minus)
D	68-74	3 (satisfactory)
E	60-67	3 (satisfactory minus)
F	35-59	2 (unsatisfactory)

 

The points can be earned in the following way:

 

1) Answers to the theoretical questions at the seminars – 20 points;

2) Fulfilment of practice assignments – 30 points: 1 seminar – 10 points, 2 seminar – 3 points, 3 seminar – 8 points, 4 seminar – 9 points.

3) Special reports (2) or abstracts based on the main topic of the seminars – 10 points;

4) Independent work – 20 points;

5) Credit Test [in written] – Total at the credit test: 20 points;

6) Seminar attendance [bonus] – 5 points.

 

 

Students are required to undertake an independent project on an agreed subject approved by lector. The Independent work (project) should correspond to the following categories:

Category	Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Needs Improvement
Content	Covers topic in-depth with details and accurate information. Subject knowledge is excellent.	Includes essential knowledge about the topic with accurate information. Subject knowledge appears to be good.	Includes essential information about the topic but there are 1 or 2 factual errors.	Content is minimal OR there are several factual errors.
Requirements	All requirements are met and exceeded	All requirements are met.	One requirement was not completely met.	More than one requirement was not completely met.
Organization	Project is very well organized and easy to understand.	Project is organized and usually easy to understand.	Project is organized for the most part.	There was no clear organization of this project.
Presentation	Makes excellent use of graphics, font and effects to enhance presentation. ORWell-rehearsed with smooth delivery that holds audience attention.	Makes good use of graphics, font and effects to enhance presentation. ORRehearsed with fairly smooth delivery that holds audience attention most of the time.	Makes use of graphics, font, and effects but occasionally these detract from the presentation. ORDelivery not smooth, but able to maintain interest of the audience most of the time.	Use of graphics, font and effects but these distract from the presentation. ORDelivery not smooth and audience attention was often lost.
Use of Technology	Successfully uses required technology to complete this project	Usually able to use required technology to complete this project.	Occasionally able to use required technology to complete this project.	Did not use technology at all to complete this project.
Sources	Source information collected for all outside information. All sources are documented correctly.	Source information collected for all outside information. Most sources are documented correctly.	Source information collected for all outside information, but not documented correctly.	Very little or no source information was collected.

Seminar 1 (2 hours)

Theme 1: Introduction to the discipline.

I. Questions.

1. The aim and the task of the discipline "Country-study: linguistic aspect'

2. English-speaking countries

I. Questions.

1. Describe the relief features of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.

2. History of GB: Ancient Britain. England in the Middle Ages (11^th-15^th centuries). The development of England in the 16^th century. Civil War and Oliver Cromwell.

3. Great Britain - a Constitutional Monarchy. Parliament. Houses of Parliament. Political Parties. Election System. System of Government.

4. British theatre, cinema, music, Arts, museums.
II. Problems for class discussion.

1. Outline the geographical position of the British Isles in the world.

2. What monuments of pre-Roman England can you name? What do you know about it? What imprint did the Roman Empire leave on England and what physical evidence of its occupation can still be found?

3. What were the most ancient tribes on English territory and who were the invaders after the Romans?

4. Evaluate the historical significance of Magna Charta.

5. The War of the Roses in the history of England.

6. Outline the major functions of the monarchy in Britain today.

7. Does England have a central government of its own?

8. How is English law different from that of Scotland and Northern Ireland

9. Describe the origin, development and present-day character of the Cabinet, examining the reasons for the growth of its power.

10. What are the most renowned English figures of literature?

11. Describe the main art and science museums of Great Britain.

III. Practical assignments.

1. Summarize in writing the role of English in the world.

2. Summarize in writing the advantages and disadvantages of the geographical position of the British Isles.

3. To give the explanation for the following terms: Albion, Blighty, Camelot, Danelaw, Holy Grail, Industrial Revolution, Lions of Anjou, Lord Protector, Normans, Picts.

4. Identify the events in English history related to the following name: Richard the Lionheart, Lord Nelson, the Roman Emperor Claudius, William of Normandy, Henry VII Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Oliver Cromwell, William Shakespeare, King Arthur, Winston Churchill.

Reports topic

1. Great Britain and the European Union today.

2. In written form summarize your observations of resent developments in the economic and social life of Britain.

3. Write an essay on one of the representatives of Britain culture and arts.

4. Make the comparison of the British cinematography and Hollywood.

IV. Literature to use:

1. Барановский Л.С, Козикис Д.Д. Страноведение. Великобритания: Учеб. пособие. – Мн.: Выш. шк., 1990. – 343 с.

2. Гапонів А.Б., Возна М.О. Лінгвокраїнознавство. Англомовні країни. Підручник для студентів та викладачів вищих навчальних закладів. – Вінниця: НОВА КНИГА, 2005. – 464 с.

3. The English-speaking world / Упоряд.: М.Россоха. – Тернопіль, 1996. – 161 с.

English-speaking countries

English is the second most widely spoken language in the world (the first is Chinese) and it is the most popular. It is the official language of the United Kingdom, Ireland (Eire), the USA, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and it is widely spoken in India. It is the language of international business and science, of aviation and shipping. It is the language of computer science, of sport and politics. About one third of the world speaks English.

Varieties of English

As so many people speak English in so many different countries, there are many different “Englishes”. The best form of English is called Standard English and it is the language of educated English speakers. It is used by the Government, the BBC, the Universities and it is often called Queen’s English.

American English is the variety of English spoken in the USA. It is different from English in pronunciation, intonation, spelling, and vocabulary and sometimes even in grammar.

An Englishman goes to the town centre to see a film while an American goes downtown to see a movie. If an Englishman needs a pen he would ask you: “Have you got a pen, please?”, but an American would say: “Do you have a pen?”

Australian and New Zealand English, also called Australian English, are very similar. Especially in pronunciation they are also similar to British English, but there are differences in vocabulary and slang. Many terms, such as kangaroo, dingo, wombat and boomerang, come from the Aboriginal language and many other s from the Cockney dialect spoken by the first settlers, the Londoners.

Where is the UK?

 

The UK is situated north-west of the European continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. It has a total land area of 244,100 square kilometres, of which nearly 99% is land and the remainder inland water. From north to south it is about 1,000 kilometres long.

The UK part of Europe and is a member of the European Union (EU)

 

 

The United Kingdom is made up of:

• England - The capital is London.
• Scotland - The capital is Edinburgh.
• Wales - The capital is Cardiff.
• Northern Ireland - The capital is Belfast.

Why is the whole of Ireland not in the UK?

Before 1922 the UK included Ireland in the definition, but when the Irish Free State ceased to be part of the Union the title changed to include 'Northern Ireland'.

Use and nomenclature

Use of the term Great Britain

"Great Britain" is often used to mean the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" (UK). However, Great Britain is only the largest island within the United Kingdom, which includes numerous surrounding smaller islands, as well as Northern Ireland in the island of Ireland.

Terms associated with Great Britain – such as Britain or British – are generally used as short forms for the United Kingdom or its citizens respectively.

Great Britain and its abbreviation GB is used in some international codes as a synonym for the United Kingdom.

On the Internet,.uk is used as a country code top-level domain. A.gb top-level domain was also used to a limited extent in the past, but this is now effectively in abeyance because the domain name registrar will not take new registrations.

Nomenclature

The name Britain is derived from the name Britannia, used by the Romans from circa 55 BCE and increasingly used to describe the island which had formerly been known as insula Albionum, the "island of the Albions".

Albion (Alouion in Ptolemy) is the most ancient name of Great Britain. It is sometimes used now to refer to England specifically. Occasionally, it refers to Scotland, which is called Alba in Gaelic, Albain in Irish, and Yr Alban in Welsh. Pliny the Elder in his Natural History applies it unequivocally to Great Britain. The name Britain may be derived from the Brythonic 'Prydyn' (Goidelic: Cruithne), a name used to describe some northern inhabitants of the island by Britons or pre-Roman Celts in the south. "It was itself named Albion, while all the islands about which we shall soon briefly speak were called the Britanniae." The name Albion was taken by medieval writers from Pliny and Ptolemy.

The name Britannia derived from the travel writings of the ancient Greek Pytheas around 320 BC, which described various islands in the North Atlantic as far North as Thule (probably Iceland). Although Pytheas' own writings do not survive, later Greek writers described the islands as the αι Βρεττανιαι or the Brittanic Isles. The peoples of these islands of Prettanike were called the Πρεττανοι, Priteni or Pretani. These names derived from a Celtic name which is likely to have reached Pytheas from the Gauls, who may have used it as their term for the inhabitants of the islands. Priteni is the source of the Welsh language term Prydain, Britain, which has the same source as the Goidelic term Cruithne used to refer to the early Brythonic speaking inhabitants of Ireland and the north of Scotland. The latter were later called Picts or Caledonians by the Romans.

During Roman times, the term Britannia was applied to the Roman province of Britain, which occupied most of the island of Great Britain, and to the island as a whole.

Great Britain may well be a translation of the French term Grande Bretagne, which is used in France to distinguish Britain from Brittany (in French: Bretagne), which had been settled in late Roman times by Romano-Celtic troops from Maximus' army and later by refugees from Roman Britain, who were then under attack by the Anglo-Saxons. Since the English court and aristocracy was largely French-speaking for about two centuries after the Norman Conquest of 1066, the French term may have naturally passed into English usage. The term "Bretayne the grete" was used by chroniclers as early as 1338, but it was not used officially until James I proclaimed himself "King of Great Britain" on 20 October 1604 to avoid the more cumbersome title "King of England and Scotland". Sources such as the New Oxford American Dictionary (NOAD) define Great Britain as "England, Wales, and Scotland considered as a unit" and Britain as "an island that consists of England, Wales, and Scotland." Thus, Britain is the name of the island, while Great Britain is the name of the geopolitical unit. NOAD advises that while Britain "is broadly synonymous with Great Britain... the longer form is usual for the political unit."

The term was used officially for the first time during the reign of King James VI of Scotland, I of England. Though England and Scotland each remained legally in existence as separate countries with their own parliaments, on 20 October 1604 King James proclaimed himself as 'King of Great Brittaine, France and Ireland', a title that continued to be used by many of his successors. In 1707, an Act of Union joined both parliaments. That Act used two different terms to describe the new all island nation, a 'United Kingdom' and the 'Kingdom of Great Britain'. However, the former term is regarded by many as having been a description of the union rather than its name at that stage. Most reference books therefore describe the all-island kingdom that existed between 1707 and 1800 as the Kingdom of Great Britain".

In 1801, under a new Act of Union, this kingdom merged with the Kingdom of Ireland, over which the monarch of Great Britain had ruled. The new kingdom was from then onwards unambiguously called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922, 26 of Ireland's 32 counties attained independence to form a separate Irish Free State. The remaining truncated kingdom has therefore since then been known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

When was the UK formed (made)?

The United Kingdom (UK) was formed in on January 1, 1801 and constitutes the greater part of the British Isles.

Before 17th Century

Up until the seventeenth century there had been four 'countries' in the British Isles:

 

 

England	Scotland	Wales	Ireland

 

Each one had its own separate sense of identity, its own history, even its own language. There was no such word as British. People were simply either English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish.

End of 18th Century

By the end of the eighteenth century, all this changed. The word British was used for the first time, Rule Britannia song was composed and the Union Flag created.

The Making of Great Britain

England and Wales

In 1543, during the Tudor times, England and Wales were united as one country. Scotland and Ireland remained separate kingdoms, with their own parliaments and laws until the much later.

England and Scotland

In 1603 England and Scotland shared the same king. King James VI of Scotland became also James I of England.

James I was very keen to be King of Great Britain, and from 1606 Scots were officially called English citizens. However, it wasn't until 1652, that the two countries were united together through force by Oliver Cromwell. The Scots had never accepted this action.

Kingdom of Great Britain

In 1707 the Act of Union meant that Scotland lost her Parliament and her independence and became part of a new country to be called ' Kingdom of Great Britain'. Since the union of 1707, the entire island has been one political unit, firstly as the Kingdom of Great Britain, later as part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and then as the present United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Since the formation of this unified state, the adjective British has come to refer to things associated with the United Kingdom generally such as citizenship, and not just the island of Great Britain.

Seminar 2 (2 hours)

I. Questions.

1. Bank Holidays.

2. Pubs and Clubs.

3. Traditional British Food and Drink.

4. National Icons (“ a cup of tea ”; “Gin” (Mother’s Ruin); “ thatched cottages ”; “Sir Toby Belch – toby jug ”; “ the Routemaster ”; “ hackney carriage ”; “ King Arthur ”; “ Robin Hood ”; “ Loch Ness ”; “ Irn Bru ”; “ tartan ”; “ plaid ”; “ Llanfair PG ”; “ Scotch ”; “ Walsh love spoon ”; “ leeks and Walsh cuisine ”; “ Walsh castles ”; “ Britain’s smallest house ”).

II. Problems for class discussion.

1. Describe the way most people in Britain spend their weekend.

2. Discuss the Briton’s love of his own garden and his countryside position.

3. What do traditional English breakfast and Sunday dinner consist of?

III. Practical assignments.

1. Write essays on the following subject: What is an Englishman? Or my image of Briton’s character.

IV. Study the most popular National British Icons at the website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cultural_icons_of_the_United_Kingdom

V. Literature to use:

1. Барановский Л.С., Козикис Д.Д. Страноведение. Великобритания: Учеб. пособие. – Мн.: Выш. шк., 1990. – 343 с.

2. Гапонів А.Б., Возна М.О. Лінгвокраїнознавство. Англомовні країни. Підручник для студентів та викладачів вищих навчальних закладів. – Вінниця: НОВА КНИГА, 2005. – 464 с.

3. The English-speaking world / Упоряд.: М.Россоха. – Тернопіль, 1996. – 161 с.

4. National British Icons // http://cultureonline.gov.uk/projects/icons.asp

Afternoon tea (4 o’clock)

Afternoon tea became popular about one hundred and fifty years ago, when rich ladies invited their friends to their houses for an afternoon cup of tea. They started offering their visitors sandwiches and cakes too. Soon everyone was enjoying Afternoon tea.

• This is a small meal, not a drink. Traditionally it consists of tea (or coffee) served with either of the following:
Freshly baked scones served with cream and jam (Known as a cream tea)

• Afternoon tea sandwiches - thinly sliced cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off.

• Assorted pastries

• Afternoon tea is not common these days because most adults go out to work. However, you can still have Afternoon tea at the many tea rooms around England.

3. Fish and Chips. The nation's favoured takeaway dish since the late Victorian era, fish and chips has only lately been challenged for supremacy by Indian food. Notwithstanding that, it is what sustained working communities in towns and inner cities, providing filling and nutritious sustenance to those who had to endure long working days. Even in wartime, although supplies might be scarce, fish and chips were never subject to the ration.

4. Fancy a pint? Is there a more cheering invitation than to accompany your best mate down to the local to sup one of England's
finest products? Served at best from a hand-pump drawing the beer up from the cask in which it matures in the pub cellar, no other beverage is so symbolic of British national history.

5. The English public house. There are more than 60,000 such premises licensed to serve alcohol in the UK. Country pubs generally retain the most traditional air, with cask-conditioned ales served by hand-pump, a range of home-cooked food on offer, and a cheery, convivial ambience.

6. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, the feast that has become synonymous with the English nation. British beef may have had its troubles in recent years, but it has always been at the centre of British national story. In the 18th century, it was celebrated in song as part of British red-blooded heritage of liberty, so different from their neighbours on the continent, where they had only the thin gruel of tyranny to eat.

7. Doctor WHO. Ex-ter-minate! Ex-ter-minate! You will be ex-ter-minated!! Or rather you would be if you didn't have the only surviving Time Lord in the universe on your side, in the shape of the ever-resourceful and ever-eccentric Doctor.

Since his first incarnation in 1963 (he's now on to the tenth, and those are just the ones we know about), the Doctor has been repelling Daleks, Cybermen, Sea Devils and other cosmic irritants, on behalf of an often blithely ignorant humanity. Just because he likes us. We'll meet some of the Doctor's many assistants over the years, and also find out how that unforgettable theme tune was created.

8. The Lake District national park in the ancient counties of Cumberland and Westmorland is one of England's best-loved regions of outstanding natural beauty. A hugely varied landscape, it has sheer mountainsides, lush valleys, and tranquil tarns and of course the great Lakes themselves, and it was famously where William Wordsworth came upon his "host of golden daffodils".

9. The oak has always been seen as the national tree of England. Its great height, age and strength made it the king of the English forest, and a symbol of endurance.The oak's sturdy timber was used to build the frames of houses, barns and halls, and the ships of Francis Drake and Horatio Nelson - the "heart of oak" celebrated in the official march of the British Navy. The tree was also sacred to the Druids and the Anglo-Saxons, and it sheltered an English king, Charles II, when he was on the run from his enemies.

10. The red phone box with its crown insignia, domed roof and the helpful name TELEPHONE across all four sides will never be surpassed as a design icon. Designed by architect Giles Gilbert Scott in the 1920s, and going through successive modifications until it achieved perfection in 1936, it remains a visible symbol of an England otherwise fast disappearing.

Seminar 3 (2 hours) Theme 1: Introducing the USA

I. Questions.

1. Flag and National Symbols. Physical Geography of the USA.

2. Human Geography and Demographics.

3. The Federal Government. The President.

4. American Literature.

5. American Cinema and Hollywood. American Music.

6. Religion in the USA.

II. Problems for class discussion.

1. What kind of nation is the USA? What nationalities comprise the American nation?

2. How many states are there in the USA?

3. What are the main parties and governmental institutions of the USA?

4. Who are the most famous American writes, both in the past and today? Who are your favourite authors?

5. What music trends did the USA give life to and who were the best known exponents

I. Questions.

1. Language situation in the USA.

2. Public Holidays and Traditions.

3. Food in the USA.

4. American National Icons (Blue Jeans, American comic books, fast food, Coca-Cola, etc.).

5. American National Personalities (Elvis Aron Presley, Marilyn Monroe, John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr.).

Etymology

In 1507, German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a world map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere "America" after Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci. The former British colonies first used the country's modern name in the Declaration of Independence, which was the "unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America" adopted by the "Representatives of the united States of America" on July 4, 1776. The current name was finalized on November 15, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first of which states, "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America.'" The short form United States is also standard. Other common forms include the U.S., the USA, and America. Colloquial names include the U.S. of A. and the States. Columbia, a once popular name for the United States, was derived from Christopher Columbus. It appears in the name "District of Columbia".

The standard way to refer to a citizen of the United States is as an American. Though United States is the formal adjective, American and U.S. are the most common adjectives used to refer to the country ("American values," "U.S. forces"). American is rarely used in English to refer to people not connected to the United States

The phrase "the United States" was originally treated as plural – e.g., "the United States are" – including in the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1865. It became common to treat it as singular – e.g., "the United States is" – after the end of the Civil War. The singular form is now standard; the plural form is retained in the idiom "these United States."

Language

English is the de facto national language. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.S. naturalization requirements—standardize English. In 2005, about 216 million, or 81% of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at home. Spanish, spoken by 12% of the population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught foreign language. Some Americans advocate making English the country's official language, as it is in at least twenty-eight states. Both Hawaiian and English are official languages in Hawaii by state law. While neither has an official language, New Mexico has laws providing for the use of both English and Spanish, as Louisiana does for English and French. Other states, such as California, mandate the publication of Spanish versions of certain government documents including court forms. Several insular territories grant official recognition to their native languages, along with English: Samoan and Chamorro are recognized by American Samoa and Guam, respectively; Carolinian and Chamorro are recognized by the Northern Mariana Islands; Spanish is an official language of Puerto Rico.

Culture

The United States is a multicultural nation, home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values. There is no “American” ethnicity; aside from the now small Native American and Native Hawaiian populations, nearly all Americans or their ancestors immigrated within the past five centuries. The culture held in common by most Americans – mainstream American culture – is a Western culture largely derived from the traditions of European immigrants with influences from many other sources, such as traditions brought by slaves from Africa. More recent immigration from Asia and especially Latin America has added to a cultural mix that has been described as both a homogenizing melting pot and a heterogeneous salad bowl in which immigrants and their descendants retain distinctive cultural characteristics.

According to Geert Hofstede's cultural dimensions analysis, the United States has the highest individualism score of any country studied. While the mainstream culture holds that the United States is a classless society, scholars identify significant differences between the country's social classes, affecting socialization, language, and values. The American middle and professional class has initiated many contemporary social trends such as modern feminism, environmentalism, and multiculturalism. Americans' self-images, social viewpoints, and cultural expectations are associated with their occupations to an unusually close degree. While Americans tend greatly to value socioeconomic achievement, being ordinary or average is generally seen as a positive attribute. Though the American Dream, or the perception that Americans enjoy high social mobility, plays a key role in attracting immigrants, some analysts find that the United States has less social mobility than Western Europe and Canada.^[

Women now mostly work outside the home and receive a majority of bachelor's degrees. In 2005, 28% of households were married childless couples, the most common arrangement. Same-sex marriage is contentious. Several states permit civil unions in lieu of marriage. Since 2003, four state supreme courts have ruled bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, while voters in more than a dozen states approved constitutional bans on the practice. In 2009, Vermont and Maine became the first states to permit same-sex marriage through legislative action.

I. Canada

1. Geography and climate of Canada. Provinces and territories of Canada.

2. System of Government and politics in Canada.

3. Language situation in Canada.

4. Canadian Culture: Traditions, customs and public holidays.

5. Canadian National Icons and personalities.

II. Australia

1. Australia's National Symbols. States and territories.

2. History

a) Native people. The Aborigines;

b) the discovery of Australia and its name;

c) the foundation of modern Australia.

3. Language situation in Australia.

4. System of Government and politics in Australia.

5. Australian Culture: Traditions, customs and public holidays.

6. Australian National Icons and personalities.

 

II. Problems for class discussion and test questions:

Canada

1. What are the national flag and symbol of Canada?

2. Where does the word "Canada" originate?

3. When did European colonization of Canada start?

4 Who is the Head of State in Canada?

5. What are the functions of the Governor General?

6. Why are the Mountains so important to the Canadian national identity?

Australia

1. What is depicted on the Australian coat of arms?

2. How and when was Australia discovered by Europeans?

3. Flora and fauna.

III. Practical assignments:

1. Find out the information about the well known places of interest in Canada.

2. Give the explanation for the following: Beavers, The Dominion of Canada, Lieutenant Governor, the maple leaf Mountains, Newfoundland English.

3. Explaine the term “ Dreamtime ”.

Physical Map of Canada

(http://www.canadamaps.info/maps/canadaphysicalmap.jpg)

Political Map of Canada

(http://www.canadamaps.info/maps/canadapoliticalmap.jpg)

The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of aboriginal people. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled along, the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of additional provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, highlighted by the Statute of Westminster in 1931 and culminating in the Canada Act in 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament.

A federation comprising ten provinces and three territories, Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. It is a bilingual and multicultural country, with both English and French as official languages both at the federal level and in the province of New Brunswick. Technologically advanced and industrialized, Canada maintains a diversified economy that is heavily reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship. It is a member of the G8, NATO, OECD, WTO, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Francophonie, and the United Nations.

 

Etymology

The name Canada comes from a St. Lawrence Iroquoian word, kanata, meaning "village" or "settlement". In 1535, indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Quebec City region used the word to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier towards the village of Stadacona. Cartier later used the word Canada to refer not only to that particular village, but also the entire area subject to Donnacona (the chief at Stadacona); by 1545, European books and maps had begun referring to this region as Canada.

From the early 17th century onwards, that part of New France that lay along the Saint Lawrence River and the northern shores of the Great Lakes was named Canada, an area that was later split into two British colonies, Upper Canada and Lower Canada, until their re-unification as the Province of Canada in 1841. Upon Confederation in 1867, the name Canada was adopted as the legal name for the new country, and Dominion was conferred as the country's title; combined, the term Dominion of Canada was in common usage until the 1950s. Thereafter, as Canada asserted its political autonomy from Britain, the federal government increasingly used simply Canada on state documents and treaties, a change that was reflected in the renaming of the national holiday from Dominion Day to Canada Day in 1982.

V. Literature to use:

1. Гапонів А.Б., Возна М.О. Лінгвокраїнознавство. Англомовні країни. Підручник для студентів та викладачів вищих навчальних закладів. – Вінниця: НОВА КНИГА, 2005.– 464 с

2. The English-speaking world/ Упоряд.: M.Poccoxa. – Тернопіль,
1996. – 161 с.

В.Л.Кравченко

 

 

Методичні рекомендації

З лінгвокраїнознавства

підготовки бакалавра напряму 6.020303.

Філологія. Мова та література (англійська)

 

Полтава – 2016

УДК 811.11(0758)

ББК 81.001.2(Англ)–923

Методичні рекомендації з лінгвокраїнознавства підготовки бакалавра напряму 6.020303. Філологія. Мова та література (англійська) для студентів 4 курсу. – Полтава: ПНПУ ім.В.Г.Короленка, 2016. – 44` с.

УКЛАДАЧ:

КРАВЧЕНКО В.Л., к.ф.н., доцент кафедри англійської філології Полтавського національного педагогічного університету імені В.Г.Короленка

РЕЦЕНЗЕНТИ:

Іщенко В.Л. к.ф.н., зав. кафедри ділової іноземної мови Полтавського університету економіки і торгівлі

Тимінська І.М. к.ф.н., доц. кафедри англійської філології Полтавського національного педагогічного університету імені В.Г.Короленка

 

У методичних рекомендаціях з лінгвокраїнознавства для студентів 4 курсу визначені мета і завдання вивчення дисципліни “Лінгвокраїнознавство”, представлені вимоги до умінь, знань та навичок, якими повинні опанувати студенти, визначено форми контролю та критерії оцінювання. Методичні рекомендації містять питання до кожного семінарського заняття, а також матеріал, що допоможе студентам при підготовці до занять. Кожний тематичний модуль завершується автентичними матеріалами, описом реалій, що характерні для культури англомовних націй, та завданнями для оцінювання рівня володіння лінгвокраїнознавчих знань студентів.

Для студентів педагогічного університету факультету філології та журналістики.

Методичні рекомендації розглянуті та схвалені на засіданні кафедри англійської філології Полтавського національного педагогічного університету імені В.Г.Короленка

Протокол № 10 від 21 січня 2016 року

 

Друкується за рішенням ученої ради Полтавського національного педагогічного університету імені В.Г.Короленка (протокол № від

2015 року)

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION …….……………………….……………………………... 4

SEMINAR 1..................................................... ……………………………...8

SEMINAR 2……………………………..…………………………………… 18

SEMINAR 3..……………………………………………………………….... 24

SEMINAR 4 …………………………………………………………………. 30

MATERIALS FOR THE CREDIT TEST........ ……………………………..38

Theoretical Questions for the Credit Test..... ……………………………..38

Example of the Practical Assignment …………………………………………… 39

INDEPENDENT WORK ……………............. ……………………………...40

INTRODUCTION

The course “Country-study: linguistic aspect” is considered to be a new theoretical course which combined two or even more disciplines such as Country study, Cross-cultural communication, Culture study and Linguistics in its cultural aspect. So the main goal of this course is to help the students with an understanding of the specifics, peculiarities of culture through linguistic aspect. Its main task is to reveal the connections of language and culture of a certain nation and native speakers.

Country study through linguistic aspect is a science section about a language, which includes studies of language and gives certain information about a country, where it is the means of intercourse. In the process of teaching foreign language it is necessary to light up connection between the elements of Country study and linguistic phenomena, which come forward not only as a means of communication but also as a means of understanding new reality.

The aim of the Country Study program is, over the course of a full academic year, to take a wide-ranging look at a specific country or region under study from its earliest history right up to current events. It is our belief that in order to understand and appreciate other countries and cultures, one needs to employ a broad lens and engage the “other” on a myriad of levels. The program allows faculty and student participants, and community guests to break down stereotypes and connect across cultures. The Country Study program uses a multidisciplinary approach in order to provide our audiences with a richer, more complex sense of place and community.