Britain America

Scottish Gaelic General facts

- Sense of cultural identity, in modern times, - Nation of immigrants
tens of thousands people on western isles - Admit more than 50 million immigrants
of Scotland & adjoining mainland - 500,000 – 1mill/year
- 1st language: Scottish Gaelic - Come for wealth, land, freedom
- “a melting pot”
Geographical Identity Major waves of immigrants
- Based on place of birth (~family identity) First immigrants
- Happy to live in a place, have local pride & Who Spanish French English Others
they r fighting to preserve it explore fur (German
- Not very common r trader farmers,
- Of large geographical area is stronger: Swedes,
spoken accents (identification)  coming Dutch,…)
from large city or region Why New Wealth Colonization,
- Strongly at sport events world’s profit,
- Some still consider gold religious
“Northerner/Southerner” freedom
When 1500s 1500s 1600s, 1700s Soon
after
that

Old immigrants
- 1840-1880
- Greatest flux ever (10 mill)
- Northern and Western Europeans
- To escape poor harvest, famines, political unrest

New immigrants/ Southern European

- Began: late 1800s
- Latin, Slavic, Jewish from Southern, Eastern
- Headed to large cities (NY, Chicago)
- Ethnic neighborhood “Little Italy”, “China Town”

Ethnic Identity
Native British
National loyalties can strong among people
in Britain whose ancestors were not English
- Scottish
 Important aspects in public life and
organized separated from the rest
of England
 Way of speaking: distinctive
(dialects by working class in
lowlands)
 Many symbols are well-known
- Wales
Recent immigrants
- Refugees (Mexico, Latin America, Asia,…)
- Illegal aliens (flied from poverty, war in Mexico, Latin
America)
- Facing assimilation problem (Asians were most willing,
Mexican-Americans most difficult)
Issues related to immigration
- Assimilation process
 1st generation: obstacles from: Society
discrimination + reluctance to give up language
and culture
 2nd : spoke more English + practice fewer
traditions
 3rd : No longer use ancestor language, nostalgic
about family heritage, want to regain ethnic
identity
 4th, 5th: intermarriage btw ethnic groups were
accepted
- Immigrant restriction
  Don’t have may reminders of  Reason: Overpopulation, nativist sentiments
Welshness aroused, lowered quality of life, preserved
 Public life: similar England American identity
 Large minority don’t consider  Some American still be optimistic of the cultural
themselves as Welsh wealth & diversity of immigrants
 Important symbol: Welsh language - Identity crisis
(20% population, sign of continued  Past: consider themselves as WASP
vitality  receive public support)  Newcomers expected to assimilate
- Northern Ireland  1900s, Mass immigrant brought new
 Ethnic, family, politics and religion: heterogeneity, challenged WASPS to
inter-related acknowledge Americans
 Social class: minor role in identity  Since then, American attitudes towards ethnic
 Polarized society: born & stay in 1 and religious differences altered, pressure to
community for their whole life Americanize relaxed
 Divided 2 communities: live side by
side but different housing estates,
schools, anniversaries, TVs,… 
Rarely contact, Horrify to marry the
others  Working class (more
severe) > Middle class
- English
 No distinction: English – British
Non-native British
- 6% of the population
- Cannot choose when to advertise their
ethnics identity & when not to
- Have different languages, religions (Hindu,
Muslim) ; habits and attitudes (parent’s
control)  less distinctive as most non-
whites
- Take pride of cultural roots, defend against
racial discrimination (common in Britain)
Class Native American
- Conscious of class differences (though not - Columbus discovered “New world” (1492), call Native
approve class division) Americans “Indians”
- Have different sets of attitudes and habits - American Indians lived long before the British
- Difficult to have friends in other class settlement
- Not determined by wealth or the
appearance BUT by attitudes & interests &
the way of speaking
 Working class: “non-standard”
gram & vocab
 Accent cannot change like the
ability of using Standard E
- Class division:
 Acceptable for Tv & radio to speak
with “accent”
 Working- class: proud of their class
 No-one wants to be though as
snobbish
- Received pronunciation: the most prestige
accent in Britain = standard English spoke
with an RP accent (BBC, Oxford, the
 Queens’s English)
- Social climbing: people try to appear as if
they belong to as high a class as possible 
“posh”
- Inverted snobbery: Middle class try to
adopt working-class values and habits, in
the belief that working class some way
“better” than middle one
- Egalitarian: Everyone has same opportunity
to be successful. (Accent is no longer the
reason to prohibit to hold the high-status
jobs)
- Stereotype: fixed idea or image of a
particular person or thing, often not true
- Conservatism: Reluctant to change
Some beliefs and values Traditional beliefs and values
1. Conservatism 1. Individual freedom
2. Being different 2. Self-reliance
3. The love of nature 3. Equality of Opportunities
4. The love of animals 4. Competition
5. Formality and informality 5. Material wealth
6. Public spiritedness and amateurism 6. Hard work
7. Privacy and sex
8. Others
1. Conservatism 1. Individual freedom
- Not behave traditionally BUT like symbols - Church – State: separated
of tradition & stability - Titles of nobility: fobbiden
- Ect: like old pubs, live in old house, read  Place for freedom, emphasis on individual
story about old-fashioned world  Attract immigrants
2. Being different 2. Self- reliance
- Conservatism + individualism = proud of - Learn to rely on themselves  risk losing freedom/
being diff respects from peers
- Ect: left-hand traffic, double-decker buses, - Financial & emotional independence since 18 or 21
Fahrenheit in weather forecast - If not truly self-reliant, pretend to be so
- Receive financial support  never be admired
3. The love of nature 3. Equality of opportunities
- Love countryside (= peace, quietness, good - Free to excessive political, religious, social controls
health, no crime, ideal house: thatched - No formal class system
cottage, pond with ducks, area of grass)  Life is a race for success (better chance for personal
- Growing plants (Royal Paddock Allotments success)
in London, rent for gardening) - Equal chance to enter the fair race and win
- Dislike new constructions (History
connected with the building of Channel
tunnel)
4. The love of animals 4. Competition
- St. Tiggywinkles, Busiest hospital for wild - Each person must compete with others --> succeed
animal - Childhood  retirement
- Bird watching is popular  bird tables - Encouraged = strong programs of competitive sports
- Pets have 5 freedom  energetic but constant strain
- May feel useless when retire
- Can’ compete successfully  won’t fit the American life
5. Formality and informality 5. Material wealth
- Playing public role  formality - American dream
- Private role  informality
- Ect: not address by title, not dressing
smartly when entertaining guests,… 
behaving casually = friendship
6. Public spiritedness and amateurism
- The cult of talented amateur
- This characteristic is on decline
- Tens of thousands of amateurs are actively
involved in charity work
7. Privacy and Sex
- Privacy (rude to ask personal ques, “How
do u do?”  not a ques, not normally
invite home)
- Sex (though opener & more positive way 
still private matter)
8. Others
- Housing (Like old house not flat, Privacy,
Individuality, Cosiness)
- Food (not focus food delicacy, conservative
ingredients, emphasize table manner,…)
- Drinking (local pubs: social contacts & no
violence; restricted at home)
IDENTITY - BELIEFS AND VALUES
- Abundant resources  land of plenty  seek for fortune
- Raise standard of living  better life
- Not successful  children don’t have opportunities
 True for many immigrants
- Wealth is an accepted measure of social status, abilities
and success
 Materialistic: an insulting word
6. Hard work
- Necessary and rewarding  should hold jobs & not live off
welfare payments
- Industry-based country: rich natural resources  material
possessions = hard work
- Information-based country: many no longer believe the
necessity of hard work to have material rewards
Freedom
- Centre of American value
- Shaped by Founding Father’s belief that all people are
equal and that the role of gov is to protect person’s
basic “inalienable” rsights.
- Ideals: unify America, links present to past
Individualism
- Freedom focus on Individual
- Understood = self-reliance + economic self-sufficiency
- Gov regulation has to resist in the spirit of individualism
Can-do spirit
- Is something American proud of
- Like to think they are natural-born to do-it-yourself
Volunteerism
- Show the can-do spirit in community and political life
- Helping people through privately initiated, rather than
gov-sponsored agencies
- Is pervasive, arising wherever social services do not
cover community needs
Mobility
- A sign of optimistic
- Moving from place to place is common and accepted
- Contributing to a degree of homogeneity to a society of
such cultural diversity and spaciousness
American dream
- The dream of land in which life should be better, richer
and fuller of every man with opportunities for each
according to his abilities and achievements
- Not open to all due to segregation and discrimination