Who are the British?

Who are the British?

People often refer to Britain by another name. They call it “England”. But it is no strictly correct, and it can make some people angry. England is only one of the four nations of the British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland). Their political unification was a gradual process that took several hundred years. It was completed in 1800 when the Irish Parliament was joined with the Parliament of England, Scotland and Wales in Westminster, so that the whole of the British Isles became a single state – the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. However, in 1922, most of Ireland became a separate state.

At one time the four nations were distinct from each other in almost every aspect of life. They were different racially. The people in Ireland, Wales and highland Scotland belonged to the Celtic race; those in England and lowland Scotland were mainly of Germanic origin. This difference was reflected in the languages they spoke. People in the Celtic areas spoke Celtic languages: Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. People in the Germanic areas spoke Germanic dialects (including the one which has developed into modern English).

Today these differences have become blurred. But they have not completely disappeared. Although there is only one government for the whole Britain, and people have the same passport regardless of where in Britain they live, some aspects of government are organized separately in the four parts of the United Kingdom. Moreover, Welsh, Scottish and Irish people feel their identity very strongly.

Historical and poetic names of the country and its parts:

Albion is a word used in some poetic or rhetorical contexts referring to England. It was the original Roman name for Britain. It may come from the Latin word albus, meaning "white". The white chalk cliffs around Dover on the south coast are the part of England to be seen when crossing the sea from the European mainland.

Britannia is the name that the Romans gave to their southern British province. It is also the name given to the female figure of Britain, always shown wearing a helmet and holding a trident (the symbol of power over the sea). The figure of Britannia has been on the reverse side of many British coins for more than 300 years.

Caledonia, Cambria and Hibernia were the Roman names for Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The words are commonly used today in scholarly classifications and for the names of organizations.

Erin is a poetic name for Ireland. "The Emerald Isle" is another way of referring to Ireland, evoking the lush greenery of its countryside.

Musical instruments. The harp is an emblem of both Wales and Ireland. The bagpipes are regarded as distinctively Scottish.

Characteristics. There are certain stereotypes of national character which are well-known in Britain. For instance, the Irish are supposed to be great talkers, the Scots have a reputation for being careful with money, and the Welsh are famous for their singing ability. These characteristics are, of course, only caricatures and are not reliable descriptions of individual people from these countries.

The Union Jack. The flag of the UK is known as the Union Jack. (Jack is a sailing name for a flag). It has been used as the British flag since 1603, when Scotland and England were united. The original design combined the red cross of England with the white diagonal cross on a blue background of Scotland. The red diagonal cross of Ireland was added in 1801, when Ireland became part of United Kingdom. Wales is not represented on the Union Jack because it is a principality of England. The red dragon of Cadwallader, which is now often used as the national flag of Wales, dates from the 1950s. The Union Jack is most often seen flying from public buildings or at the sport events. Children may wave small Union Jack when a member of a royal family visits their town. During national celebrations strings of small flags are hung across the streets as bunting.

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