Lecture 1.

Answer the following questions

1. What is Language and Country Studies?

Language and Country Studies is an ‘umbrella’ term under which we can
include everything that is connected with the language, way of life, system of
government, history, geography, holidays, customs of English speaking countries

2. Name the countries where English is the first official language.

- the UK,
- the USA,
- Canada,
- Australia,
- Ireland,
- New Zealand

3. How many are there countries in the world where English is the second official
language? Name a few.
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Indian Ocean
Territory, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar,
Grenada, Guam, Guernsey, Guyana, the Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jersey, Montserrat, Nauru, Pitcairn Islands,
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Singapore, South Africa, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks
and Caicos Islands

4. There are _____430___________ people who speak English as their first language.

5. In the United Kindom there are ____61 million)____________people who speak

English as their mother tongue.
6. In the United States there are _____292 million___________people who speak
English as their mother tongue.
7. In the Canada there are ______18.2 million__________people who speak English
as their mother tongue.
8. In the Australia there are ___15.5 million_____________people who speak
English as their mother tongue.
9. In the New Zealand there are ____3.6 million____________people who speak
English as their mother tongue.
10. In the Ireland there are _____3.8 million___________people who speak English
as their mother tongue.
11. There are __470 million ______________ people who speak English as their
second language. Why is it hard to estimate their quantity?
12. What are the fields of human’s life where English is used?
13. What is the significant difference between the dialect and the variant?

14. What English variant do you know? Where is it spoken? Give the examples.

1. Barney Rubble – ‘trouble’: “Are you making Barney Rubble again?”

2. Baked Bean – ‘Queen’: “Look who’s on TV, it’s the baked bean!”

3. Butcher’s Hook – ‘look’: “Let’s take a quick baker’s hook”

4. Rabbit and pork – ‘talk’: “We sat for a while and had a good old Rabbit and Pork”

5. Pirates of Penzance – ‘pants’: “I need some more Pirates of Penzance”

6. Pig’s ear – ‘beer’: “I think I owe you a pig’s ear”

7. Sausage and Mash – ‘cash’(money): “I forgot all my sausage and mash!”

8. Trouble and strife – ‘wife’: “I had an argument with the trouble and strife last night”

9. Dog and bone – ‘phone’: “What’s that ringing? Is it the dog and bone?”

10. Half-inch – ‘pinch’ (steal): “I think someone’s half-inched my wallet!”

15. What English dialect do you know? Where is it spoken?

–British English: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland. –American English: United

States (with African American English), Canada, The Caribbean. –African
English: West Africa, East Africa, South Africa. –Asia, Pacific: South- and
South-East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, The pacific islands.

16. What is Received Pronunciation? Where can we hear it?

What is Received Pronunciation? Where can we hear it? Is the accent traditionally regarded
as standard for British English. BBC English, Oxford English, Queen’s English

17. What is General American? Where can we hear it?

the variety of English spoken in the greater part of the US, particularly with
reference to the lack of regional characteristics.

18. What are the pidgins? Give the examples.

A pidgin /ˈpɪdʒɪn/, or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified means of
communication that develops between two or more groups that do not have a language in common:
typically, its vocabulary and grammar are taken from several languages (vocabulary – from one
language and grammar from other).