The British people
The 4 parts of the UK represent 4 nations, which are
distinct from each other in almost every aspect of life. They are different
racially. The people of Ireland, Wales and Scotland belonged to the Celtic
race. Those in England and Scotland were mainly of Germanic origin.
This difference was reflected in the languages they
spoke, in their different economic, social and legal systems. England has
always played the most important role in the history of the British Isles. That
is why foreigners usually call all British people English. The English are
mainly Anglo-Saxon in origin.
Traditionally the English are thought to be reserved,
shy of strangers, conservative, honest, responsible and believing that they are
superior to any other people on Earth. The Scots have a strong sense of
national identify of their own distinct, values and traditions. Scotland is a
country with its dancers, its own songs, its poetry, national food and drink.
To many foreigners, the image of Scotland is associated with kilts, tartans, bagpipes.
The Welsh are proud of their culture, traditions and
their language. They are gifted in the art of self-expression in words, they
are not afraid of being poetic in speech. There is much literary, musical and
dramatic activity in Wales. Special festivals are held to encourage Welsh
literature and music. Wales is called “the land of song”. The Irish have a rich
literary heritage. Many great names of English literature were Irish (G. Swift,
O. Wilde, G.B. Show). Britain is a country where a lot of immigrants live, they
are people of different origin: they are from Commonwealth countries are Asia,
Africa, the West India, Pakistan, Hong Kong.