- published: 02 Mar 2012
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Aberdeen
Coordinates: 57°09′09″N 2°06′36″W / 57.1526°N 2.1100°W / 57.1526; -2.1100
Aberdeen
i/æbərˈdiːn/ (Scots: Aiberdeen 
listen (help·info); Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dheathain [ˈopər ˈʝɛhɪn]) is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 29th most populous city, with an official population estimate of 220,420.
Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands. During the mid-18th to mid-20th centuries, Aberdeen's buildings incorporated locally quarried grey granite, whose mica deposits sparkle like silver. The city has a long, sandy coastline. Since the discovery of North Sea oil in the 1970s, other nicknames have been the Oil Capital of Europe or the Energy Capital of Europe. The area around Aberdeen has been settled since at least 8,000 years ago, when prehistoric villages lay around the mouths of the rivers Dee and Don.
Aberdeen received Royal Burgh status from King David I (1124–53), transforming the city economically. The city's two universities, the University of Aberdeen, founded in 1495, and The Robert Gordon University, which was awarded university status in 1992, make Aberdeen the educational centre of the north-east. The traditional industries of fishing, paper-making, shipbuilding, and textiles have been overtaken by the oil industry and Aberdeen's seaport. Aberdeen Heliport is one of the busiest commercial heliports in the world and the seaport is the largest in the north-east of Scotland.
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Anglesey
Anglesey /ˈæŋɡəlsi/ (Welsh: Ynys Môn) [ˈənɨs ˈmoːn], is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales. Two bridges, spanning the Menai Strait, connect it to the mainland: the original Menai Suspension Bridge (carrying the A5), designed by Thomas Telford in 1826; and the more recently rebuilt Britannia Bridge (replacing the original designed by Robert Stephenson), which carries the A55 and the North Wales Coast Railway Line. Historian and author John Davies argues that it was during the tumultuous 10th century that the Norse name for Môn, Anglesey, came into existence; the name was later adopted into English after Anglo-Norman occupiers arrived to conquer the island during the Norman invasions of Gwynedd.
The name Anglesey was later used in the English language as a county name which included Holy Island and other nearby small islands. About half of the inhabitants can speak, read and write Welsh as well as English, and 70% have a knowledge of Welsh. Once the Welsh language was granted equal status in government with the Welsh Language Act of 1993, the representative constituency names for the island were changed to the Welsh name of the island, Ynys Môn (UK Parliament constituency) in the UK parliament, and Ynys Môn (Assembly constituency) in the National Assembly for Wales. With an area of 714 square kilometres (276 sq mi), Anglesey is the largest Welsh island, the sixth largest surrounding the island of Great Britain, and the largest island in the Irish Sea ahead of the Isle of Man.
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Argentina
Argentinai/ˌɑrdʒənˈtiːnə/, officially the Argentine Republic (Spanish: República Argentina [reˈpuβlika aɾxenˈtina]), is a country in South America, the continent's second largest by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth-largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations.
Argentina's continental area is between the Andes mountain range in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east. It borders Paraguay and Bolivia to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast, and Chile to the west and south. Argentine claims over Antarctica, as well as overlapping claims made by Chile and the United Kingdom, are suspended by the Antarctic Treaty of 1961. Argentina also claims the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which are administered by the United Kingdom as British Overseas Territories.
A recognised middle power, Argentina is Latin America's third-largest economy, with a "very high" rating on the Human development index. Within Latin America, Argentina has the fifth highest nominal GDP per capita and the highest in purchasing power terms. Analysts have argued that the country has a "foundation for future growth due to its market size, levels of foreign direct investment, and percentage of high-tech exports as share of total manufactured goods", and it is classed by investors as middle emerging economy. Argentina is a founding member of the United Nations, Mercosur, the Union of South American Nations, the Organization of Ibero-American States, the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization, and is one of the G-15 and G-20 major economies.
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Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) from the coast of Africa and 2,250 kilometres (1,400 mi) from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, of which the main island, Saint Helena, is around 1,300 kilometres (800 mi) to the southeast, and the territory also includes the "remotest populated archipelago" on earth, the sparsely populated Tristan da Cunha archipelago some thirty degrees farther south–about half the way to the Antarctic Circle.
The Island is named after the day of its recorded discovery, Ascension Day, and is located at 7°56′S 14°22′W / 7.933°S 14.367°W / -7.933; -14.367Coordinates: 7°56′S 14°22′W / 7.933°S 14.367°W / -7.933; -14.367, about as far south of the equator as tropical Venezuela is to its north. Historically, it has played a role as an important safe haven and coaling station to mariners and for commercial airliners during the days of international air travel by flying boats and during World War II was an important naval and air station, especially providing antisubmarine warfare bases in the Battle of the Atlantic and throughout the war. Ascension Island was garrisoned by the British Admiralty from 22 October 1815 to 1922.
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Asturias
Asturias (English /əˈstʊriəs/, /əˈstjʊəriəs/, /ɑːˈstʊərjəs/), officially the Principality of Asturias (Spanish: Principado de Asturias [pɾinθiˈpaðo ðe asˈtuɾjas]; Asturian: Principáu d'Asturies [pɾinθiˈpaw ðasˈtuɾjes]), is an autonomous community of Spain. It is coextensive with the province of Asturias, and contains nearly all of the territory that was part of the Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages. The autonomous community of Asturias is bordered by Cantabria to the east, by Castile and León to the south, by Galicia to the west, and by the Bay of Biscay to the north.
The most important cities are the communal capital, Oviedo (Uviéu), the seaport and largest city Gijón (Xixón), and the industrial town of Avilés. Other popular municipalities include Cangas de Onís (Cangues d'Onís), Cangas del Narcea, Gozón, Grado (Grau), Langreo (Llangréu), Laviana (Llaviana), Lena (Ḷḷena), Llanes, Mieres, Siero, Valdés, Vegadeo (A Veiga) and Villaviciosa (see also List of municipalities and comarcas in Asturias).
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Australia
Australia ( /əˈstreɪljə/), officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent as well as the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
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Blaenau Ffestiniog
Coordinates: 52°59′N 3°56′W / 52.99°N 3.93°W / 52.99; -3.93
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 5,000, including Llan Ffestiniog, which makes it the third largest town in Gwynedd unitary authority, behind Bangor and Caernarfon. Although the population reached 12,000 at the peak of the slate industry, the population fell due to a decrease in the demand for slate. Blaenau Ffestiniog at one time was the second largest town in North Wales, behind Wrexham. Today, the town relies heavily on tourism who come to see the many attractions within and around the town such as the Ffestiniog Railway.
Blaenau Ffestiniog hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1898. It is part of the traditional county of Merionethshire. Locals divide Blaenau Ffestiniog into "areas" - among these are Tanygrisiau, Rhiwbryfdir, Bethania, Dolrhedyn, Glanpwll, Cwmbowydd and Manod.[citation needed] In this sense Blaenau Ffestiniog is sometimes used to refer only to the centre of town.
The English pronunciation of Blaenau Ffestiniog suggested by the BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names is /ˈblaɪnaɪ fɛsˈtɪnjɒɡ/, but the first word is pronounced [ˈbləɨna] by local Welsh speakers and usually /ˈblaɪnə/ by non-Welsh-speakers.
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British Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories. It is located in Westminster, London. Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories. At its head is the Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II.
The parliament is bicameral, with an upper house, the House of Lords, and a lower house, the House of Commons. The Queen is the third component of the legislature. The House of Lords includes two different types of members: the Lords Spiritual (the senior bishops of the Church of England) and the Lords Temporal (members of the Peerage) whose members are not elected by the population at large, but are appointed by the Sovereign on advice of the Prime Minister. Prior to the opening of the Supreme Court in October 2009 the House of Lords also performed a judicial role through the Law Lords.
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Brittany
Brittany (French: Bretagne [bʁətaɲ] (
listen); Breton: Breizh, pronounced [brɛjs]; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a cultural region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain (as opposed to Great Britain). Brittany is considered as one of the six Celtic nations.
Brittany occupies the northwest peninsula of continental Europe in northwest France. It is bordered by the English Channel to the north, the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Bay of Biscay to the south. Its land area is 34,023 km² (13,136 sq mi). The historical province of Brittany is divided into five departments: Finistère in the west, Côtes-d'Armor in the north, Ille-et-Vilaine in the north east, Loire-Atlantique in the south east and Morbihan in the south on the Bay of Biscay.
In 1956, French regions were created by gathering departments between them. The Region of Brittany comprises, since then, four of the five Breton departments (80% of historical Brittany), while the remaining area of the old Brittany, the Loire-Atlantique department, around Nantes, forms part of the Pays de la Loire region. This territorial organisation is regularly contested. The Kingdom and the Duchy of Brittany, the province of Brittany, and the modern Region of Brittany cover the Western part of Armorica, as it was known during the period of Roman occupation.
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Canada
Canada ( /ˈkænədə/) is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Spanning over 9,900,000 km2 (3,800,000 sq mi), Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world.
The land that is now Canada has been inhabited for millennia by various Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French colonial expeditions explored, and later settled, along the region's 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 provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy; the Canada Act 1982 severed the vestiges of legal dependence on Britain.
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Cardiff
Cardiff (i/ˈkɑrdɪf/; Welsh: Caerdydd (info) Welsh pronunciation: [kairˈdiːð, kaˑɨrˈdɨːð]) is the capital and largest city in Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. The unitary authority area's mid 2010 population was estimated to be 341,054, while the population of the Larger Urban Zone was estimated at 861,400 in 2009. Cardiff is a significant tourism centre and the most popular visitor destination in Wales with 18.3 million visitors in 2010. In 2011, Cardiff was ranked 6th in the world in National Geographic's alternative tourist destinations.
The city of Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan (and later South Glamorgan). Cardiff is part of the Eurocities network of the largest European cities. The Cardiff Urban Area covers a slightly larger area outside of the county boundary, and includes the towns of Dinas Powys and Penarth. A small town until the early 19th century, its prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region contributed to its rise as a major city.
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Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire (Welsh: Sir Gaerfyrddin or Sir Gâr) is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the third largest in Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. The county town and administrative centre of Carmarthenshire is Carmarthen and the most populous settlement is the area in and around the town of Llanelli.
With its fertile land and agricultural produce, Carmarthenshire is known as the "Garden of Wales".
Carmarthenshire has its early roots in the region formerly known as Ystrad Tywi (Vale of [the river] Tywi) and part of the Principality of Deheubarth during the High Middle Ages, with the court at Dinefwr.
Following the Edwardian Conquest of Wales, the region was reorganized by the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 into Carmarthenshire.
Carmarthenshire has been spelt in other ways in the past, including:
Carmarthenshire became an administrative county with a county council taking over functions from the Quarter Sessions under the Local Government Act 1888. Under the Local Government Act 1972, the administrative county of Carmarthenshire was abolished on 1 April 1974 and the area of Carmarthenshire became three districts within the new county of Dyfed : Carmarthen, Dinefwr and Llanelli. Under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, Dyfed was abolished on 1 April 1996 and the three districts united to form a unitary authority which had the same boundaries as the original Carmarthenshire. In 2003, following a local campaign, the Clunderwen community council area was transferred to Pembrokeshire.
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Ceredigion
Ceredigion (Welsh pronunciation: [kɛrɛˈdɪɡjɔn]) is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire (Welsh: Sir Aberteifi), it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later. In extent the current county is more or less identical to the historic county.
In pre-Roman, and possibly Roman times, a part of southern Ceredigion was in the territory of the Demetae and possibly part of that of the Ordovices. According to Nennius, a 10th-century Welsh chronicler, Ceredig, son of the Welsh invader Cunedda, settled in the area in the 5th century. It remained a kingdom ruled by his descendants until it expanded and changed its name, first to Seisyllwg in the late 7th century and, after the union of Seisyllwg with the Kingdom of Dyfed, it was incorporated into Deheubarth in the mid 10th century.
In 1282, Edward I of England conquered the principality of Wales and divided the area into counties. The name Cardigan was an Anglicisation of the name for the historic kingdom of Ceredigion. One of thirteen traditional counties in Wales, Cardiganshire was also a vice-county. Cardiganshire was split into the five hundreds (administrative area) of Genau'r-Glyn, Ilar, Moyddyn, Penarth and Troedyraur. The area of the county became a district of Wales under the name Ceredigion in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 and, since 1996, has formed the county of Ceredigion.
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Cornwall
Cornwall ( /ˈkɔrnwɔːl/ or /ˈkɔrnwəl/;Cornish: Kernow [ˈkɛrnɔʊ]; Latin: Cornubia or Cornuvia) is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of 537,400 and covers an area of 3,563 km2 (1,376 sq mi). The administrative centre and only city is Truro.
The area now known as Cornwall was first inhabited in the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. It continued to be occupied by Neolithic and then Bronze Age peoples, and later (in the Iron Age) by Brythons with distinctive cultural relations to neighbouring Wales and Brittany. There is little evidence that Roman rule was effective west of Exeter and few Roman remains have been found. Cornwall was a division of the Dumnonii tribe—whose tribal centre was in the modern county of Devon—known as the Cornovii, separated from Wales after the Battle of Deorham, often coming into conflict with the expanding English kingdom of Wessex before King Athelstan in AD 936 set the boundary between English and Cornish at the Tamar. From the early Middle Ages, British language and culture was apparently shared by Brythons trading across both sides of the Channel, evidenced by the corresponding high medieval Breton kingdoms of Domnonee and Cornouaille and the Celtic Christianity common to both territories.
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Crown Dependencies
The Crown Dependencies are self-governing possessions of the British Crown, as opposed to overseas territories of the United Kingdom. They comprise the Channel Island Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.
Being independently administered jurisdictions, none forms part of the United Kingdom nor of the European Union.
"The Crown" is defined differently in each Crown Dependency. In Jersey, statements in the 21st century of the constitutional position by the Law Officers of the Crown define it as the "Crown in right of Jersey", with all Crown land in the Bailiwick of Jersey belonging to the Crown in right of Jersey and not to the Crown Estate of the United Kingdom. Legislation of the Isle of Man defines the "Crown in right of the Isle of Man" as being separate from the "Crown in right of the United Kingdom". In Guernsey, legislation refers to the "Crown in right of the Bailiwick", and the Law Officers of the Crown of Guernsey submitted that "The Crown in this context ordinarily means the Crown in right of the république of the Bailiwick of Guernsey" and that this comprises "the collective governmental and civic institutions, established by and under the authority of the Monarch, for the governance of these Islands, including the States of Guernsey and legislatures in the other Islands, the Royal Court and other courts, the Lieutenant Governor, Parish authorities, and the Crown acting in and through the Privy Council." This constitutional concept is also worded as the "Crown in right of the Bailiwick of Guernsey".
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Cumbria
Cumbria ( /ˈkʌmbriə/, locally [ˈkʊmbɾiə]) is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle and the only other major urban area is the town of Barrow-in-Furness on the south-western tip of the county. It consists of six districts, and in 2008 had a population of just under half a million. Cumbria is one of the most sparsely populated counties in the United Kingdom, with 73.4 people per km2 (190/sq mi). In comparison, the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, in the south, has a population density over twelve times this at 921/km2 (2,385.3/sq mi).
Cumbria, the third largest ceremonial county in England by area, is bounded to the north by the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders, to the west by the Irish Sea, to the south by Lancashire, to the southeast by North Yorkshire, and to the east by County Durham and Northumberland.
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Deheubarth
Deheubarth (literally, "south part") was a south-western petty kingdom or principality of medieval Wales.
Deheubarth was founded circa 920 by Hywel Dda ("Hywel the Good") out of the territories of Seisyllwg and Dyfed, both of which had come into his possession. Later on, the Kingdom of Brycheiniog would also be added to its territory. The chief seat of the rulers of Deheubarth and its traditional capital was at Dinefwr (although Carmarthen and Cardigan also served as the kingdom's capital for certain periods).
Deheubarth, like several other Welsh Petty kingdoms, continued to exist until the Norman Conquest of Wales, but constant power struggles meant that only for part of the time was it a separate entity with an independent ruler. It was annexed by Llywelyn ap Seisyll of Gwynedd in 1018, then by Rhydderch ab Iestyn of Morgannwg in 1023. Llywelyn ap Sisyll's son, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn again annexed Deheubarth and became ruler of most of Wales, but after his death the old Dinefwr dynasty regained power.
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Denbighshire
Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych) is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd (Bontnewydd-Llanelwy) Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years ago. There are several castles in the region- Denbigh Castle, Rhuddlan Castle, Ruthin Castle, Castell Dinas Bran and Bodelwyddan Castle.
The present principal area was formed on April 1, 1996, under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, from various parts of the county of Clwyd. It included the district of Rhuddlan (which was formed in 1974 entirely from Flintshire), the communities of Trefnant and Cefn Meiriadog from the district of Colwyn (which was entirely Denbighshire) and most of the Glyndŵr district. The part of the Glyndŵr district included the entirety of the former Edeyrnion Rural District, which was part of the administrative county of Merionethshire prior to 1974 – which covered the parishes of Betws Gwerfil Goch, Corwen, Gwyddelwern, Llangar, Llandrillo yn Edeirnion and Llansanffraid.
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Edinburgh
Edinburgh (i/ˈɛdɪnbʌrə/ ED-in-burr-ə; Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann) is the capital city of Scotland and the seat of the Scottish Parliament. It is the second largest city in Scotland and the seventh most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a 30 square miles (78 km2) rural area. Located in the south-east of Scotland, Edinburgh lies on the east coast of the Central Belt, along the Firth of Forth, near the North Sea.
The city was one of the historical major centres of the Enlightenment, led by the University of Edinburgh, helping to earn it the nickname Athens of the North. The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 in recognition of the unique character of the Medieval Old Town and the planned Georgian New Town. It covers both the Old and New Towns together with the Dean Village and the Calton Hill areas. There are over 4,500 listed buildings within the city. In May 2010, it had a total of 40 conservation areas covering 23% of the building stock and 23% of the population, the highest such ratios of any major city in the UK. In the 2011 mid-year population estimates, Edinburgh had a total resident population of 495,360.
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England
Englandi/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.
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Galicia (Spain)
Galicia (Englishi/ɡəˈlɪsiə/, /ɡəˈlɪʃə/; Galician: [ɡaˈliθja]; Spanish: [ɡaˈliθja]) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain, with the official status of a nationality of Spain.
Its component provinces are A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra. It is bordered by Portugal to the south, the Spanish autonomous communities of Castile and León and Asturias to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Bay of Biscay to the north. Besides its continental territory, Galicia includes Arousa Island, and the archipelagos of Cíes, Ons, Sálvora Island, Cortegada Island, Malveiras Islands, Sisargas Islands, and other minor isles and islets.
Galicia has roughly 2.79 million inhabitants as of 2011, with the largest concentration in two coastal areas, from Ferrol to A Coruña in the north-west, and from Vilagarcía to Vigo in the south-west. The capital is Santiago de Compostela, in the province of A Coruña. Vigo, in the province of Pontevedra, is the most populous municipality with 297,332 inhabitants and the second most populous city with 206,411 habitants; while A Coruña is the most populous city with 220,581 habitants and the second most populous municipality with 246,056 habitants in its municipality (INE 2009). Both cities are the cores of the two major metropolitan areas of Galicia.
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Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire (Welsh: Morgannwg [mɔrˈɡanʊɡ] or Welsh: Sir Forgannwg [ˈsiːr vɔrˈɡanʊɡ]) is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three preserved counties of West Glamorgan, Mid Glamorgan and South Glamorgan. The name also survives in that of the county borough of the Vale of Glamorgan.
Although initially a rural and pastoral area of little value, the area that became known as Glamorgan was a conflict point between the Norman lords and the Welsh princes, with the area being defined by a large concentration of castles. After falling under English rule in the 16th century, Glamorgan became a more stable county, and exploited its natural resources to become an important part of the Industrial Revolution. Glamorgan was the most populous and industrialised county in Wales and was once called the 'crucible of the Industrial Revolution', containing the world centres of three metallurgical industries, and its rich resources of coal.
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Gower Peninsula
Gower or the Gower Peninsula (Welsh: Gwyr or Penrhyn Gŵyr) is a peninsula in south Wales, jutting from the coast into the Bristol Channel, and administratively part of the City and County of Swansea. Locally it is known as "Gower" (not "the Gower"). In 1956 Gower became the first area in Britain to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
About 70 square miles (180 km2) in area, Gower is known for its coastline, popular with walkers and outdoor enthusiasts, especially surfers. Gower has many caves, including Paviland Cave and Minchin Hole Cave. The peninsula is bounded by the Loughor Estuary to the north and Swansea Bay to the east. Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers 188 km², including most of the peninsula west of Crofty, Three Crosses, Upper Killay, Blackpill and Bishopston. The highest point of Gower is The Beacon at Rhossili Down at 193m/633 ft overlooking Rhossili Bay. Pwll Du and the Bishopton Valley form a statutory Local Nature Reserve.
The interior of Gower consists mainly of farmland and common land. The population resides mainly in villages and small communities, though suburban development has made a number of communities in eastern Gower part of the Swansea Urban Area.
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Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain (Welsh: Prydain Fawr, Scottish Gaelic: Breatainn Mhòr, Cornish: Breten Veur) is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, the largest European island, and the largest of the British Isles. With a population of about 60.0 million people in mid-2009, it is the third most populous island in the world, after Java and Honshū. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1,000 smaller islands and islets. The island of Ireland lies to its west. Politically, Great Britain may also refer to the island itself together with a number of surrounding islands which comprise the territory of England, Scotland and Wales.
All of the island is territory of the sovereign state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and most of the United Kingdom's territory is in Great Britain. Most of England, Scotland, and Wales are on the island of Great Britain, as are their respective capital cities: London, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.
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Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey ( /ˈɡɜrnzi/ GURN-zee; French: Bailliage de Guernesey, IPA: [bajaʒ də ɡɛʁnəzɛ]), is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.
The Bailiwick of Guernsey embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, and Lihou. Furthermore, the Bailiwick includes Alderney and Sark, which each has its own parliament.
Although its defence is the responsibility of the United Kingdom, the Bailiwick of Guernsey is not part of the UK; and while it participates in the Common Travel Area, it is not part of the European Union.
The Bailiwick of Guernsey is included (along with the Bailiwick of Jersey) in the grouping known as the Channel Islands.
The name of Guernsey, as well as that of neighbouring Jersey, is of Old Norse origin. The second element of Guernsey (-ey) is the Old Norse for "island". Guern similar to Spanish "Cuerno", French "Coi(r)n", Dutch "Hoorn", Frisian "Hoarn", Swedish "Hörn", Swiss "Gorn" means "Corner". - Corner Island.
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Gwynedd
Gwynedd (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈɡwɨ̞nɛð]) is an area in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. As a local government area it is the second biggest in terms of geographical area and also one of the most sparsely populated. A large proportion of the population is Welsh-speaking. The name Gwynedd is also used for a preserved county, covering the two local government areas of Gwynedd and the Isle of Anglesey. Culturally and historically, the name can also be used for most of North Wales (for instance, the area covered by the Gwynedd Constabulary), corresponding to the approximate territory of the Kingdom of Gwynedd at its greatest extent.
Gwynedd is the home of Bangor University and includes the scenic Llŷn Peninsula, and most of the Snowdonia National Park.
Gwynedd was an independent kingdom from the end of the Roman period until the 13th Century when it was conquered and subjugated by England. The modern Gwynedd was one of eight Welsh counties originally created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, based on the principal territory of the former realm. It covered the entirety of the old counties of Anglesey, and Caernarfonshire along with all of Merionethshire apart from Edeirnion Rural District (which went to Clwyd), and also a few parishes in Denbighshire: Llanrwst, Llansanffraid Glan Conwy, Eglwysbach, Llanddoged, Llanrwst and Tir Ifan.
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Hebrides
The Hebrides ( /ˈhɛbrɨdiːz/; Scottish Gaelic: Innse Gall) comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive influences of Celtic, Norse and English-speaking peoples. This diversity is reflected in the names given to the islands, which are derived from the languages that have been spoken there in historic and perhaps prehistoric times.
A variety of artists have been inspired by their Hebridean experiences. Today the economy of the islands is dependent on crofting, fishing, tourism, the oil industry and renewable energy. The Hebrides lack biodiversity in comparison to mainland Britain, but these islands have much to offer the naturalist. Seals, for example, are present around the coasts in internationally important numbers.
The Hebrides have a diverse geology ranging in age from Precambrian strata that are amongst the oldest rocks in Europe to Tertiary igneous intrusions.
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Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (Asturian, Galician, Leonese, Mirandese, Portuguese and Spanish: Península Ibérica, Catalan: Península Ibèrica, Aragonese and Occitan: Peninsula Iberica, French: Péninsule Ibérique, Basque: Iberiar Penintsula), sometimes called Iberia, is a peninsula located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is the westernmost of the three major southern European peninsulas—the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas. It is bordered on the southeast and east by the Mediterranean Sea, and on the north, west and southwest by the Atlantic Ocean. The Pyrenees form the northeast edge of the peninsula, separating it from the rest of Europe. In the south, it approaches the northern coast of Africa. It is the second-largest peninsula in Europe, with an area of approximately 582,000 km2 (225,000 sq mi).
The English word Iberia was adapted from the use of the Ancient Greek word Ιβηρία (Ibēría) by the Greek geographers under the Roman Empire to refer to what is known today in English as the Iberian Peninsula. At that time the name did not describe a single political entity or a distinct population of people. Strabo's Iberia was delineated from Keltikē by the Pyrenees and included the entire land mass south-west (he named it "west") of there.
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Iberian peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (Asturian, Galician, Leonese, Mirandese, Portuguese and Spanish: Península Ibérica, Catalan: Península Ibèrica, Aragonese and Occitan: Peninsula Iberica, French: Péninsule Ibérique, Basque: Iberiar Penintsula), sometimes called Iberia, is a peninsula located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is the westernmost of the three major southern European peninsulas—the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas. It is bordered on the southeast and east by the Mediterranean Sea, and on the north, west and southwest by the Atlantic Ocean. The Pyrenees form the northeast edge of the peninsula, separating it from the rest of Europe. In the south, it approaches the northern coast of Africa. It is the second-largest peninsula in Europe, with an area of approximately 582,000 km2 (225,000 sq mi).
The English word Iberia was adapted from the use of the Ancient Greek word Ιβηρία (Ibēría) by the Greek geographers under the Roman Empire to refer to what is known today in English as the Iberian Peninsula. At that time the name did not describe a single political entity or a distinct population of people. Strabo's Iberia was delineated from Keltikē by the Pyrenees and included the entire land mass south-west (he named it "west") of there.
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Idaho
Idaho (i/ˈaɪdəhoʊ/) is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. Idaho is the 14th most expansive, the 39th most populous, and the 7th least densely populated of the 50 United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state.
Idaho is a mountainous state with an area larger than that of all of New England. It is landlocked, surrounded by the states of Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and the Canadian province of British Columbia. However, the network of dams and locks on the Columbia River and Snake River make the city of Lewiston the farthest inland seaport on the Pacific coast of the contiguous United States.
Idaho's nickname is the Gem State, because nearly every known type of gemstone has been found there. In addition, Idaho is one of only two places in the world where star garnets can be found (the other is the Himalaya Mountains, in India)[citation needed], and is the only place six-pointed star garnets have been found[citation needed]. Additionally Idaho is sometimes called the Potato State owing to its popular crop. The state motto is Esto Perpetua (Latin for "Let it be forever").
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Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides (Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan a-staigh, "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of Mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than 30 hectares (74 acres). The main commercial activities are tourism, crofting, fishing, and whisky distilling. In modern times the Inner Hebrides have formed part of two separate local government jurisdictions, one to the north and the other to the south. Combined, the islands have an area of approximately 412,850 hectares (1,594 sq mi), and had a population of 18,257 people in 2001. The population density is therefore a little over 4 persons per km2 (11 persons per square mile).
There are various important prehistoric structures, many of which pre-date the first written references to the islands by Roman and Greek authors. In the historic period the earliest known settlers were Picts to the north and Gaels in the southern kingdom of Dalriada prior to the islands becoming part of the Suðreyjar kingdom of the Norse, who ruled for over 400 years until sovereignty was transferred to Scotland by the Treaty of Perth in 1266. Control of the islands was then held by various clan chiefs, principal of whom were the MacLeans, MacLeods and MacDonalds. The Highland Clearances of the 19th century had a devastating effect on many communities and it is only in recent years that population levels have ceased to decline.
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Ireland
Coordinates: 53°20′N 08°00′W / 53.333°N 8°W / 53.333; -8
Ireland (pronounced [ˈaɪrlənd] ( listen); Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen); Ulster Scots: Airlann or Airlan) is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth. To its east is the larger island of Great Britain, from which it is separated by the Irish Sea.
Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers just under five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remainder and is located in the northeast of the island. The population of Ireland is approximately 6.4 million. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just under 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.
Relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain epitomise Ireland's geography with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable oceanic climate, which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the 17th century. Today, it is one of the most deforested areas in Europe. There are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland.
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Irish Free State
The Irish Free State (Irish: Saorstát Éireann) (6 December 1922–1937) was the state established as a dominion under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand. On the day the Irish Free State was established, it comprised the entire island of Ireland, but Northern Ireland almost immediately exercised its right under the treaty to remove itself from the new state. The Irish Free State effectively replaced both the self-proclaimed Irish Republic (founded 21 January 1919) and the Provisional Government of Southern Ireland. W. T. Cosgrave, the first President of the Irish Free State had led both of these "governments" since August 1922.
The Irish Free State came to an end in 1937, when the citizens voted by referendum to replace the 1922 constitution. It was succeeded by the sovereign, modern state of the Republic of Ireland.
The Easter Rising of 1916, and in particular the decision of the British military authorities to execute many of its leaders after courts martial, generated sympathy for the republican cause in Ireland. Republicans and some independent Nationalists who led opposition to the idea of compulsory military service for Irish men in the conscription crisis of early 1918. The Irish Parliamentary Party, who supported the Allied cause in World War I in response to the passing of the Third Home Rule Bill in 1914 was discredited by the crisis. In the December 1918 general election, a large majority of Irish seats in the Westminster parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland were won by Sinn Féin, with 73 of 105 constituencies returning Sinn Féin members. Sinn Féin was a previously non-violent separatist party founded by Arthur Griffith in 1905. Under Éamon de Valera's leadership from 1917, it had campaigned aggressively for an Irish republic.
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Isle of Anglesey
Anglesey /ˈæŋɡəlsi/ (Welsh: Ynys Môn) [ˈənɨs ˈmoːn], is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales. Two bridges, spanning the Menai Strait, connect it to the mainland: the original Menai Suspension Bridge (carrying the A5), designed by Thomas Telford in 1826; and the more recently rebuilt Britannia Bridge (replacing the original designed by Robert Stephenson), which carries the A55 and the North Wales Coast Railway Line. Historian and author John Davies argues that it was during the tumultuous 10th century that the Norse name for Môn, Anglesey, came into existence; the name was later adopted into English after Anglo-Norman occupiers arrived to conquer the island during the Norman invasions of Gwynedd.
The name Anglesey was later used in the English language as a county name which included Holy Island and other nearby small islands. About half of the inhabitants can speak, read and write Welsh as well as English, and 70% have a knowledge of Welsh. Once the Welsh language was granted equal status in government with the Welsh Language Act of 1993, the representative constituency names for the island were changed to the Welsh name of the island, Ynys Môn (UK Parliament constituency) in the UK parliament, and Ynys Môn (Assembly constituency) in the National Assembly for Wales. With an area of 714 square kilometres (276 sq mi), Anglesey is the largest Welsh island, the sixth largest surrounding the island of Great Britain, and the largest island in the Irish Sea ahead of the Isle of Man.
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Isle of Man
The Isle of Man ( /ˈmæn/; Manx: Ellan Vannin, pronounced [ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn]), otherwise known simply as Mann (Manx: Mannin, IPA: [ˈmanɪn]), is a self-governing Crown Dependency of the United Kingdom, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The island is not part of the United Kingdom, but its foreign relations and defence are the responsibility of the UK Government. Although the United Kingdom does not usually interfere in the island's domestic matters, its "good government" is ultimately the responsibility of the Crown (that is, in practice, the Government of the United Kingdom).
The island has been inhabited since before 6500 BC. Gaelic cultural influence began in the 5th century AD, and the Manx language, a branch of the Gaelic languages, gradually emerged. In the 9th century, the Norse began to settle there. A Norse-Gaelic culture arose and the island came under Norse control. In 1266, the island became part of Scotland as formalised by the Treaty of Perth. After a period of alternating rule by the kings of Scotland and England, the island came under the feudal overlordship of the English Crown in 1399. The lordship revested into the British Crown in 1764 but the island never became part of Great Britain or its successor the United Kingdom and retained its status as an internally self-governing Crown dependency.
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Jackson County, Ohio
Jackson County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 33,225, which is an increase of 1.8% from 32,641 in 2000. Its county seat is Jackson and is named for Andrew Jackson, a hero of the War of 1812 who was subsequently elected President of the United States.
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 421.53 square miles (1,091.8 km2), of which 420.30 square miles (1,088.6 km2) (or 99.71%) is land and 1.23 square miles (3.2 km2) (or 0.29%) is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 32,641 people, 12,619 households, and 9,136 families residing in the county. The population density was 78 people per square mile (30/km²). There were 13,909 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.89% White, 0.59% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, French: Bailliage de Jersey ( /ˈdʒɜrzi/, French: [ʒɛʁzɛ]; Jèrriais: Jèrri), is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and other rocks and reefs.
Jersey is a self-governing parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, with its own financial, legal and judicial systems.
The island of Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands. Although the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey are often referred to collectively as 'the Channel Islands', they are not a constitutional or political unit. Jersey has a separate relationship to the British Crown from the other Crown Dependencies of Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It is not part of the United Kingdom, and has an international identity separate from that of the UK but the United Kingdom is constitutionally responsible for the defence of Jersey. Jersey is not a part of the European Union but has a special relationship with it, being treated as part of the European Community for the purposes of free trade in goods.
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Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain (including both modern-day England and Wales) and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England and Wales. It had a land border with the Kingdom of Scotland to the north. At the start of the period its capital and chief royal residence was Winchester, but Westminster and Gloucester were accorded almost equal status, with Westminster gradually gaining preference.
England as a state began on 12 July 927 after a gathering of kings from throughout Britain at Eamont Bridge, Cumbria, but broadly traces its origins to the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain and the Heptarchy of petty states that followed and ultimately united. The Norman invasion of Wales from 1067–1283 (formalised with the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284) put Wales in England's control, and Wales came under English law with the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542. On 1 May 1707, England was united with Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain under the terms of the Acts of Union 1707. Though no longer a sovereign state, modern England continues as one of the countries of the United Kingdom.
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Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd (pronounced [ˈɡwɪnɛð]) was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the Deceangli which were collectively known as Venedotia in late Romano-British documents. Between the 5th and 13th centuries Gwynedd grew to include Ynys Môn (Anglesey) and all of north Wales between the River Dyfi in the south and River Dee (Welsh Dyfrdwy) in the northeast. The Irish sea (Môr Iwerddon) washes the coast of Gwynedd to the west and north and lands formerly part of the Kingdom of Powys border Gwynedd in the south-east.
Gwynedd's strength lay in part due to the region's mountainous geography which made it difficult for foreign invaders to campaign in the country and impose their will effectively.
Popular tradition attributed to Nennius, a 10th-century Welsh chronicler, traced Gwynedd's foundation to Cunedda. According to Nennius, Cunedda migrated with his sons and followers from Brythonic Lothian, in southern Scotland, in the 5th century.
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Llanybydder
Coordinates: 52°04′22″N 4°09′23″W / 52.07281°N 4.15645°W / 52.07281; -4.15645
Llanybydder (Welsh pronunciation: [ˌɬanəˈbəðɛr], sometimes formerly spelt Llanbydder) is a market town straddling the River Teifi in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, West Wales, with a population of 1,423, almost three quarters of whom are Welsh-speaking according to the United Kingdom Census 2001. The nearest university is the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, located in the nearest town, Lampeter (Llanbedr Pont Steffan). Mynydd Llanllwni (408 m) and Mynydd Pencarreg (415 m) are mountains to the east/south east of Llanybydder.
The name Llanybydder translates as "The church of St Peter".
There is evidence of an iron age settlement on the hill that overlooks the town. Highmead, once a country house, is now a centre of religious studies for the Muslim faith.
Llanybydder gained a connection to the national rail network on the Manchester and Milford Railway's in 1867, which was originally part of an ill-fated scheme to link Manchester to the deepwater port at Milford Haven. However, financial pressures led the route to be diverted, and it remained a cross country route, with passenger services running until flooding severely damaged the line south of Aberystwyth in December 1964. The cost of repairs to a little-used rural line was deemed prohibitive, and although a limited service continued running from Carmarthen to Tregaron for another few months this was the era of the Beeching Axe. The line was closed to passengers in February 1965.
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Malad City, Idaho
Malad City (also commonly known as Malad) is the only city in Oneida County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 2,095 at the 2010 census, down from 2,158 in 2000.
The city is named after the nearby Malad River, the name being French for "sickly". Malad City is located along Interstate 15 on the east side of the Malad Valley 13 miles (21 km) from the Utah/Idaho border.
Established in 1864, Malad is one of the oldest communities in the state of Idaho. The community received its name from Donald Mackenzie, a Scottish-Canadian trapper, who passed through the valley between 1818 and 1821 with a party of trappers. Some of his men became sick while camped here and, believing that the illness was caused by drinking water from the valley's principal stream, he named it "Malade" meaning sick or bad in the French language. Actually, the water had nothing to do with the men's illness, as it was later learned by the second party led by Jim Bridger between 1832 and 1835. The men had eaten some beaver that were nibbling on the poisonous roots of a certain tree that put a natural arsenic into their flesh. The beaver would have likely been immune to the poison because of long-term adaptation, but the trappers suffered from their feast.
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Mercia
Mercia ( /ˈmɜrsiə/, /ˈmɜrʃə/) was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands. The name is a Latinisation of the Old English Mierce or Myrce, meaning "border people".
Mercia's neighbours included Northumbria, Powys and the kingdoms of southern Wales, Wessex, Sussex, Essex and East Anglia.
The name Mercia is still in use today by a wide range of organisations, including military units, public, commercial and voluntary bodies; and occurs as a female given name.
Mercia's exact evolution from the Anglo-Saxon invasions is more obscure than that of Northumbria, Kent, or even Wessex. Also, Mercia developed an effective political structure and adopted Christianity later than the other kingdoms. Archaeological surveys show that Angles settled the lands north of the River Thames by the 6th century. The name Mercia is Old English for "boundary folk" (see Welsh Marches), and the traditional interpretation is that the kingdom originated along the frontier between the native Welsh and the Anglo-Saxon invaders. However, P. Hunter Blair argued an alternative interpretation: that they emerged along the frontier of Northumbria and the inhabitants of the Trent river valley.
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Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil (/ˈmɜrθər ˈtɪdvɪl/; Welsh: Merthyr Tudful [ˈmɛrθər ˈtɨːdvɨ̞l]) is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of Glamorgan. It is often referred to simply as 'Merthyr'. The current administrative area of the Merthyr County Borough consists of the northern part of the Taff Valley and the smaller neighbouring Taff Bargoed Valley.
According to legend, the town is named after Saint Tydfil, a daughter of King Brychan of Brycheiniog. According to her legend she was slain at Merthyr by pagans around 480; the place was subsequently named Merthyr Tydfil in her honour. Although the usual meaning of the word merthyr (from the Latin martyrium) in modern Welsh is 'martyr', it is probable that the meaning here is "church (in memory of a saint or on his/her grave)." Similar examples, all from south Wales, include Merthyr Cynog, Merthyr Dyfan and Merthyr Mawr. The Cornish and Breton language equivalents, in place names, are merther and merzher.
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New Zealand
New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa) is an island country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses ‒ that of the North and South Islands ‒ as well as numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans.
During its long isolation, New Zealand developed a distinctive biodiversity of both animal and plant life. Most notable are the large number of unique bird species, many of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and introduced mammals. With a mild maritime climate, the land was mostly covered in forest. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions caused by the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates clashing beneath the earth's surface.
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Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland (Irish: Tuaisceart Éireann pronounced [ˈt̪ˠuəʃcəɾˠt̪ˠ ˈeːɾʲən̪ˠ] ( listen), Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann or Norlin Airlan) is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west. As of 2001, its population was 1,685,000, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the population of the United Kingdom. Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, Northern Ireland is largely self-governing. According to the agreement, Northern Ireland co-operates with the rest of Ireland – from which it was partitioned in 1921 — on some policy areas, while other areas are reserved for the Government of the United Kingdom, though the Republic of Ireland "may put forward views and proposals".
Northern Ireland was for many years the site of a violent and bitter inter-communal conflict — the Troubles — which was caused by divisions between nationalists, who are predominantly Roman Catholic, and unionists, who are predominantly Protestant. Unionists want Northern Ireland to remain as a part of the United Kingdom, and generally see themselves as British, while nationalists wish for it to be politically reunited with the rest of Ireland, independent of British rule, and generally see themselves as Irish. Additionally, people from both sides of the community may describe themselves as Northern Irish. Since 1998, most of the paramilitary groups involved in the Troubles have ceased their armed campaigns.
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Offa's Dyke
Coordinates: 52°20′38″N 3°02′56″W / 52.344°N 3.049°W / 52.344; -3.049
Offa's Dyke (Welsh: Clawdd Offa) is a massive linear earthwork, roughly followed by some of the current border between England and Wales. In places, it is up to 65 feet (19.8 m) wide (including its flanking ditch) and 8 feet (2.4 m) high. In the 8th century it formed some kind of delineation between the Anglian kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys. Research in recent decades has dispelled many of the earlier theories and ideas about the earthwork.
It is generally accepted that much of the earthwork can be attributed to Offa, King of Mercia from 757 to 796. Its structure is not that of a mutual boundary between the Mercians on the one side and the people of Powys on the other. The earthwork was dug with the displaced soil piled into a bank on the Mercian (eastern) side. Where the earthwork encounters hills, it passes to the west of them, constantly providing an open view from Mercia into Wales. The dyke may have been constructed as a defensive earthwork, as well as a political statement of power and intent.
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Orkney
Orkney (Scottish Gaelic: Arcaibh) also known as the Orkney Islands (and sometimes "the Orkneys", a name which locals disparage), is an archipelago in northern Scotland, 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of the coast of Caithness. Orkney comprises approximately 70 islands of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, known as the "Mainland" has an area of 523.25 square kilometres (202.03 sq mi) making it the sixth largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. The largest settlement and administrative centre is Kirkwall.
The name "Orkney" dates back to the 1st century BC or earlier, and the islands have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years. Originally occupied by Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes and then by the Picts, Orkney was invaded and forcibly annexed by Norway in 875 and settled by the Norse. It was subsequently annexed to the Scottish Crown in 1472, following the failed payment of a dowry for James III's bride, Margaret of Denmark. Orkney contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe, and the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Outer Hebrides
Coordinates: 57°46′N 7°01′W / 57.76°N 7.02°W / 57.76; -7.02
The Outer Hebrides (Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan Siar, IPA: [nə ˈhelanən ˈʃiəɾ]) also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. They form part of the Hebrides, separated from the Scottish mainland and from the Inner Hebrides by the waters of the Minch, the Little Minch and the Sea of the Hebrides. Scottish Gaelic is the predominant spoken language, although in a few areas English speakers form a majority.
Most of the islands have a bedrock formed from ancient metamorphic rocks and the climate is mild and oceanic. The 15 inhabited islands have a total population of about 26,500 and there are more than 50 substantial uninhabited islands. From Barra Head to the Butt of Lewis is roughly 210 kilometres (130 mi).
There are various important prehistoric structures, many of which pre-date the first written references to the islands by Roman and Greek authors. The Western Isles became part of the Norse kingdom of the Suðreyjar, which lasted for over 400 years until sovereignty was transferred to Scotland by the Treaty of Perth in 1266. Control of the islands was then held by clan chiefs, principal of whom were the MacLeods, MacDonalds, Mackenzies and MacNeils. The Highland Clearances of the 19th century had a devastating effect on many communities and it is only in recent years that population levels have ceased to decline. Much of the land is now under local control and commercial activity is based on tourism, crofting, fishing, and weaving.
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Pas-de-Calais
Pas-de-Calais (French pronunciation: [pɑ d(ə) kalɛ]) is a department in northern France. Its name is the French equivalent of the Strait of Dover, which it borders.
Inhabited since prehistoric times, the Pas-de-Calais region was populated in turn by the Celtic Belgae, the Romans, the Germanic Franks and the Alemanni. During the fourth and fifth centuries, the Roman practice of coopting Germanic tribes to provide military and defense services along the route from Boulogne to Cologne created a Germanic-Romance linguistic border in the region that persisted until the eighth century.
Saxon colonization into the region from the fifth to the eighth centuries likely extended the linguistic border somewhat south and west so that by the ninth century most inhabitants north of the line between Béthune and Berck spoke a dialect of Middle Dutch, while the inhabitants to the south spoke Picard, a variety of Romance dialects.
This linguistic border is still evident today in the toponyms and patronyms of the region. Beginning in the ninth century, the linguistic border began a steady move to north and the east, and by the end of the 15th century Romance dialects had completely displaced those of Dutch.
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Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located at the southern end of South America, territory shared by Argentina and Chile, boasting some of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the mountain range to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean. To the west, it includes the territory of Valdivia through Tierra del Fuego archipelago.
The name Patagonia comes from the word patagón used by Magellan in 1520 to describe the native people that his expedition thought to be giants. It is now believed the Patagons were actually Tehuelches with an average height of 180 cm (~5′11″) compared to the 155 cm (~5′1″) average for Spaniards of the time.
The Argentine portion of Patagonia includes the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz, as well as the eastern portion of Tierra del Fuego archipelago and the southernmost department of Buenos Aires province: Patagones. The Argentine politico-economic Patagonic Region includes the Province of La Pampa.
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Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( /ˈpɛmbrʊkʃɪər/, /ˈpɛmbrʊkʃər/, or /ˈpɛmbroʊkʃɪər/; Welsh: Sir Benfro [ˈsiːr ˈbɛnvrɔ]) is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered.
The county is home to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only coastal national park of its kind in the United Kingdom and one of three national parks in Wales, the others being Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons national parks. Over the years Pembrokeshire's beaches have been awarded 41 Blue Flag Awards (13 in 2011), 47 Green Coast Awards (15 in 2011) and 106 Seaside Awards (31 in 2011. In 2011 it also had 39 beaches recommended by the Marine Conservation Society.
Much of Pembrokeshire, especially the south, has been English in language and culture for many centuries. The boundary between the English and Welsh speakers is known as the Landsker Line. South Pembrokeshire is known as Little England Beyond Wales.
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Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (
i/ˌpɛnsɨlˈveɪnjə/), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a US state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, and the Great Lakes Region. The state borders Delaware to the southeast, Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, Ontario, Canada to the northwest, New York to the north, and New Jersey to the east.
Pennsylvania is the 33rd most extensive, the 6th most populous, and the 9th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The state's four most populous cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Erie. The state capital is Harrisburg. Pennsylvania has 51 miles (82 km) of shoreline along Lake Erie and 57 miles (92 km) of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary.
Pennsylvania is 170 miles (274 km) north to south and 283 miles (455 km) east to west. Of a total 46,055 square miles (119,282 km2), 44,817 square miles (116,075 km2) are land, 490 square miles (1,269 km2) are inland waters, and 749 square miles (1,940 km2) are waters in Lake Erie. It is the 33rd largest state in the United States. Pennsylvania has 51 miles (82 km) of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles (92 km) of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary.
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Poland
Polandi/ˈpoʊlənd/ (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska; Kashubian: Pòlskô Repùblika; Silesian: Polsko Republika), is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi), making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. Poland has a population of over 38 million people, which makes it the 34th most populous country in the world and the sixth most populous member of the European Union, being its most populous post-communist member. Poland is a unitary state made up of 16 voivodeships. Poland is a member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Economic Area, International Energy Agency, Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Atomic Energy Agency, G6, Council of the Baltic Sea States, Visegrád Group, Weimar Triangle and Schengen Agreement.
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Powys
Powys ( /ˈpaʊ.ɪs/;Welsh: [ˈpowɪs]) is a principal area, local-government county and preserved county in Mid Wales.
Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.
It is bounded to the north by Gwynedd, Denbighshire and Wrexham; to the west by Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire; to the east by Shropshire and Herefordshire; and to the south by Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire and Neath Port Talbot.
Most of Powys is mountainous, with north-south transportation by car being difficult.
The majority of the Powys population is made up of villages and small towns. The largest towns are Newtown, Ystradgynlais, Brecon, and Welshpool with populations of 12,783, 9,004, 7,901 and 6,269 respectively (2001). Powys has the lowest population density of all the principal areas of Wales.
Just under a third of the residents have Welsh linguistic skills and Welsh speakers are concentrated mainly in the rural areas both in and around Machynlleth, Llanfyllin and Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant (where William Morgan first translated the whole Bible into Welsh in 1588) in Montgomeryshire (Welsh: Sir Drefaldwyn), and the industrial area of Ystradgynlais in the extreme south-west of Brecknockshire (Welsh: Sir Frycheiniog). Radnorshire (Welsh: Sir Faesyfed) was almost completely Anglicised by the end of the 18th century.
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Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn (in Welsh, Porth Madryn) is a city in the province of Chubut in the Argentine Patagonia. It is the head town of the Viedma Department, and has about 57,571 inhabitants according to the last census in 2001.
The town was founded on July 28, 1865, when 150 Welsh immigrants who came in the clipper Mimosa named the natural port Porth Madryn in honour of Sir Love Jones-Parry, whose estate in Wales was named "Madryn". The settlement grew as a result of the building of the Central Chubut Railway by Welsh, Spanish and Italian immigrants. This line, opened in 1888, linked it to Trelew via the lower Chubut River valley. Puerto Madryn is protected by the Golfo Nuevo, which is formed by Península Valdés and Punta Ninfas. It is an important centre for tourists visiting the natural attractions of the Península Valdés and the coast.
A new mall in the city centre has helped tourism significantly, making Puerto Madryn a more attractive place for both international and domestic tourists visiting Patagonia. It is twinned with Nefyn, a small town on the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales, result of its great link with Welsh culture since the Welsh settlement in Argentina. The first of a two-Test tour to Argentina by the Wales national rugby union team was played in 2006 in Puerto Madryn, a 27–25 win for Argentina. Puerto Madryn is home to two football clubs; Club Social y Atlético Guillermo Brown, who play in Nacional B and Deportivo Madryn that currently play in Torneo Argentino B.
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Republic of Ireland
Ireland (/ˈaɪərlənd/ or /ˈɑrlənd/; Irish: Éire, pronounced [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen)) is a sovereign state in Europe occupying about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. Its capital is Dublin. The population of the state was 4.59 million in 2011. It is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy, with an elected president serving as head of state. In the 1937 constitution, the name of the state is given as simply "Ireland". The Constitution of Ireland (Article 4) and the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 provides that the "Republic of Ireland" (Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann) is "the description of the state".
Ireland is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations. A developed country with the seventh highest Human Development Index, Ireland is also highly ranked for press freedom, economic freedom and democracy and political freedom.
The modern Irish state was established in 1922 as the Irish Free State, a dominion within the British Empire, following the Anglo-Irish Treaty which brought an end to the Irish War of Independence. The partition of Ireland had already been provided for in previous British legislation in 1921 in response to opposition to Irish Home Rule or independence by Unionists, who formed a majority in the north-eastern part of the country. Six of the nine counties in the northern province of Ulster were established under that legislation as Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, with which the Irish state shares its only land border. The state is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel to the south east, and the Irish Sea to the east.
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Rhondda Cynon Taf
Rhondda Cynon Taf (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈr̥ɔnða ˈkənɔn ˈtaːv]), or RCT, is a county borough in the South Wales Valleys of Wales. It consists of 3 valleys: the Rhondda Valley, Cynon Valley and Taff-Ely Valley. Results from the 2001 census showed 21.1% of its 233,700 residents were able to speak, read, write or understand the Welsh language.
The county borough borders Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly to the east, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan to the south, Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot to the west and Powys to the north. Its principal towns are - Aberdare, Llantrisant with Talbot Green and Pontypridd, with other key settlements/towns being - Ferndale, Hirwaun, Llanharan, Mountain Ash, Porth, Tonypandy, Tonyrefail and Treorchy. Rhondda Cynon Taf is the second-most populous local authority area in Wales.
See List of places in Rhondda Cynon Taf for a list of towns and villages. The most populous town in Rhondda Cynon Taf is Aberdare (Welsh: Aberdâr) with a population of 31,705 (2001 Census), followed by Pontypridd with 29,781.
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Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁiw ˈɡɾɐ̃dʒi du suw] (
listen); lit. "Great Southern River") is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index (HDI) in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine producing center in Brazil, the attraction is Italian gastronomy. Besides the European influence, the gaúchos, or inhabitants of Rio Grande do Sul, strongly cultivate the traditions of the Pampas — region of the border with Uruguay and Argentina — such as drinking mate (known as chimarrão drunk in special gourd cups), eating the typical barbecue, known as churrasco, and the traditional clothes are the bombachas (baggy trousers), boots and large hats. Although the majority of the population dresses non-traditionally, there is[citation needed][says who?] a widespread value for tradition and culture, which renders the image of "cultural zealots" sometimes attributed[by whom?] to the gaúchos.
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Scotland
Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba ([ˈalˠ̪apə] listen (help·info))) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland constitutes over 790 islands including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.
Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres. Edinburgh was the hub of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, which transformed Scotland into one of the commercial, intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Europe. Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, was once one of the world's leading industrial cities and now lies at the centre of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland, the title of Europe's oil capital.
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Shetland
Coordinates: 60°18′14″N 1°16′08″W / 60.3038°N 1.2689°W / 60.3038; -1.2689 Shetland (/ˈʃɛtlənd/) (from Middle Scots Ȝetland) is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some 80 km (50 mi) to the northeast of Orkney and 280 km (170 mi) southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total area is 1,468 km2 (567 sq mi) and the population totalled 22,210 in 2009. Comprising the Shetland constituency of the Scottish Parliament, Shetland is also one of the 32 council areas of Scotland; the islands' administrative centre and only burgh is Lerwick.
The largest island, known simply as "Mainland", has an area of 967 km2 (373 sq mi), making it the third-largest Scottish island and the fifth-largest of the British Isles. There are an additional 15 inhabited islands. The archipelago has an oceanic climate, a complex geology, a rugged coastline and many low, rolling hills.
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Stirling
Coordinates: 56°07′02″N 3°56′23″W / 56.117222°N 3.939722°W / 56.117222; -3.939722
Stirling (Gaelic: Sruighlea pronounced [ˈs̪t̪ruʝlə]) is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth. Historically it was strategically important as the "Gateway to the Highlands", with its position near the boundary between the Scottish Lowlands and Highlands, and its crossing of the Forth, the nearest to the river mouth.
Once the capital of Scotland, Stirling contains the Great Hall (restored 1999) and the Renaissance Palace (restoration completed 2011) within the Castle that rivalled any building in Europe at the time. Stirling also has its medieval parish church, The Church of the Holy Rude, where King James VI was crowned King of Scots on 29 July 1567. The Holy Rude still functions as living church with a service every Sunday.
Stirling is a centre for local government, higher education, retail, and light industry. Its population in 2008 was 33,710, for Stirling itself, the wider urban area including Bridge of Allan and Bannockburn has a population of 45,750. This makes it the smallest city in Scotland: indeed it is smaller than many of Scotland's larger towns.
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Swansea
Swansea ( /ˈswɒnzi/ SWONZ-ee; Welsh: Abertawe [abɛrˈtauɛ], "mouth of the Tawe") is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands. Swansea had a population of 169,880 in 2001 and is the second most populous city in Wales after Cardiff and the third most populous county in Wales after Cardiff and Rhondda Cynon Taf. During its 19th century industrial heyday, Swansea was one of the key centres of the world copper industry, earning the nickname 'Copperopolis'.
Archaeological finds are mostly confined to the Gower Peninsula, and include items from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. The Romans reached the area, as did the Vikings.
Swansea is thought to have originally developed as a Viking trading post. Some think that its name is derived from Sveinn's island (Old Norse: Sveinsey) – the reference to an island may refer to a bank at the mouth of the river Tawe, or perhaps an area of raised ground in marshes. An alternative explanation is that the name derives from the Norse name 'Sweyn' and 'ey', which can mean inlet. The name is pronounced Swans-y /ˈswɒnzi/), not Swan-sea. The Welsh name first appears in Welsh poems at the beginning of the 13th century, as "Aber Tawy".
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Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha ( /ˈtrɪstən də ˈkuːnə/) is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Saint Helena 2,430 kilometres (1,510 mi) to its north, and equatorial Ascension Island even farther removed.
Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying 2,816 kilometres (1,750 mi) from the nearest land, South Africa, and 3,360 kilometres (2,088 mi) from South America. The territory consists of the main island of Tristan da Cunha itself, which measures about 11.27 kilometres (7.0 mi) across and has an area of 98 square kilometres (37.8 sq mi), along with the uninhabited Nightingale Islands and the wildlife reserves of Inaccessible Island and Gough Island. It has a permanent population of 275 (2009 figures).
The islands were first sighted in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha, although rough seas prevented a landing. He named the main island after himself, Ilha de Tristão da Cunha, which was later anglicised to Tristan da Cunha Island.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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Wales
Walesi/ˈweɪlz/ (Welsh: Cymru;Welsh pronunciation: [ˈkəm.rɨ] ( listen)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain,bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km2 (8,023 sq mi). Wales has over 1,200 km (750 mi) of coastline, including its offshore islands; the largest, Anglesey (Ynys Môn), is also the largest island in the Irish Sea. Wales is largely mountainous, with its highest peaks in the north and central areas, especially in Snowdonia (Eryri), which contains Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit.
During the Iron Age and early medieval period, Wales was inhabited by the Celtic Britons. A distinct Welsh national identity emerged in the centuries after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations today. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was recognised as King of Wales in 1057. Llywelyn ap Gruffydd's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England's conquest of Wales. The castles and town walls erected to ensure its permanence are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to what was to become modern Wales, in the early 15th century. Wales was subsequently annexed by England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 since when, excluding those matters now devolved to Wales, English law has been the legal system of Wales and England. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over the century; Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and The Welsh Language Society in 1962. The National Assembly for Wales, created in 1999 following a referendum, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters.
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West Wales
Coordinates: 52°26′02″N 4°16′30″W / 52.434°N 4.275°W / 52.434; -4.275
West Wales (Welsh: Gorllewin Cymru) is the western area of Wales.
Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics. Other definitions include Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, but exclude Ceredigion. The 'West Wales and the Valleys' NUTS (The Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics) area includes more westerly parts of North Wales. The preserved county of Dyfed covers what is generally considered to be "West Wales", which between 1974 and 1996, was also a county with a county council and six district councils.
Historically, the term West Wales was applied to the Kingdom of Cornwall during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain and the period of the Heptarchy. The Old English word Wealas, meaning "foreigners" in the sense of Britons, gave its name to Wales, and was also applied to Cornwall, as "West Wealas" meaning Western foreigners.
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Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin "Nye" Bevan (pronounced /əˈnaɪrɪn/; Welsh: [aˈnəɨ.rin]; 15 November 1897 – 6 July 1960) was a Welsh Labour Party politician who was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1959 until his death in 1960. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people. He was a long-time Member of Parliament (MP), representing Ebbw Vale for 31 years, and became recognised as one of the leaders of the party’s left wing, and of left-wing British thought generally. His most famous accomplishment came when, as Minister of Health in the post-war Attlee government, he spearheaded the establishment of the National Health Service, which provides medical care free at point-of-need to all Britons.
Bevan was born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, in the South Wales Valleys and on the northern edge of the South Wales coalfield, the son of miner David Bevan and Phoebe née Prothero, a seamstress. Both Bevan's parents were Nonconformists; his father was a Baptist and his mother a Methodist. One of ten children, Bevan did poorly at school and his academic performance was so bad that his headmaster made him repeat a year. At age 13, Bevan left school and began working in the local Tytryst Colliery. David Bevan had been a supporter of the Liberal Party in his youth, but was converted to socialism by the writings of Robert Blatchford in the Clarion and joined the Independent Labour Party.
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Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, CBE (born 31 December 1937), best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television, and a composer. Considered to be one of the greatest living actors, Hopkins is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Other prominent film credits include The Lion in Winter, Magic, The Elephant Man, 84 Charing Cross Road, Dracula, Legends of the Fall, The Remains of the Day, Amistad, Nixon, The World's Fastest Indian, and Fracture. Hopkins was born and brought up in Wales. Retaining his British citizenship, he became a U.S. citizen on 12 April 2000. Hopkins' films have spanned a wide variety of genres, from family films to horror. As well as his Academy Award, Hopkins has also won three BAFTA Awards, two Emmys and the Cecil B. DeMille Golden Globe Award. Hopkins was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993 for services to the arts. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003, and was made a Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2008.
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Barry Cunliffe
Sir Barrington Windsor Cunliffe, CBE, known professionally as Barry Cunliffe (born 10 December 1939) is a former Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford, a position held from 1972 to 2007. He is now Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology.
Cunliffe's decision to become an archaeologist was sparked off at the age of nine by the discovery of Roman remains on his uncle's farm in Somerset. After studying at Portsmouth Northern Grammar School (now the Mayfield School) and reading archaeology and anthropology at the University of Cambridge, he became a lecturer at the University of Bristol in 1963. Fascinated by the Roman remains in nearby Bath he threw himself into a programme of excavation and publication.
In 1966 he became an unusually young professor when he took the chair at the newly-founded Department of Archaeology at the University of Southampton. There he became involved in the excavation (1961–68) of the Fishbourne Roman Palace in Sussex. Another site in southern England led him away from the Roman period. He began a long series of summer excavations (1969–88) of the Iron Age hill fort at Danebury, Hampshire and was subsequently involved in the Danebury Environs Programme (1989–95). His interest in Iron Age Britain and Europe generated a number of publications and he became an acknowledged authority on the Celts,
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Basques
The Basques (Basque: euskaldunak, Spanish: vascos, French: basques) as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country (Basque: Euskal Herria), a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.
The Basques are known in the local languages as:
The English word Basque comes from French Basque (pronounced /bask/), which itself comes from Gascon Basco (pronounced /ˈbasku/) and Spanish Vasco[citation needed] (pronounced /ˈbasko/). These, in turn, come from Latin Vasco (pronounced /wasko/), plural Vascones (see History section below). The Latin labial-velar approximant /w/ generally evolved into the bilabials /b/ and /β̞/ in Gascon and Spanish, probably under the influence of Basque and Aquitanian, a language related to old Basque and spoken in Gascony in Antiquity (similarly the Latin /w/ evolved into /v/ in French, Italian and other languages).
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Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these in any profound sense. He was born in Monmouthshire, into one of the most prominent aristocratic families in Britain.
Russell led the British "revolt against idealism" in the early 20th century. He is considered one of the founders of analytic philosophy along with his predecessor Gottlob Frege and his friend Ludwig Wittgenstein, and is widely held to be one of the 20th century's premier logicians. He co-authored, with A. N. Whitehead, Principia Mathematica, an attempt to ground mathematics on logic. His philosophical essay "On Denoting" has been considered a "paradigm of philosophy." His work has had a considerable influence on logic, mathematics, set theory, linguistics, computer science (see type theory and type system), and philosophy, especially philosophy of language, epistemology, and metaphysics.
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Black British
Black British is a term used to describe British people of black African descent, especially those of Afro-Caribbean background. The term has been used from the 1950s to refer to Black people from former British colonies in the West Indies (i.e. the New Commonwealth) and Africa, who are residents of the United Kingdom and consider themselves British. Others are also from former French-speaking colonies in Africa such as Senegal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (which was Belgian), and many of the Black Africans in Britain still speak French as well as their own native languages.
The term 'black' has historically had a number of applications as a racial and political label, and may be used in a wider socio-political context, to encompass a broader range of non-European ethnic minority populations in Britain, though this is a controversial and non-standard definition.
Black British is primarily used as an official category in UK national statistics ethnicity classifications, where it is sub-divided into 'Caribbean', 'African' and 'Other Black' groups.
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Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.[citation needed]
The main traditional language of Brittany is Breton (Brezhoneg) and is spoken in Western Brittany. Today Breton is spoken by approximately 365,000 people, of whom about 240,000 speak it fluently. Another linguistic minority is present in Brittany, namely speakers of the Gallo language; Gallo is only spoken in Eastern Brittany, where Breton has virtually never been. Breton is closely related to the Brythonic languages Cornish (closely) and Welsh (more distantly) while the Gallo language is a Romance language of the langue d'oil family. Bretons' native language is mainly French nowadays.
Brittany and its people are included as one of the six Celtic nations. Ethnically, along with the Cornish and Welsh, the Bretons are the last vestiges of the ancient British. The actual number of ethnic Bretons in Brittany and France as a whole is difficult to assess as the French government does not make such statistics. The present day population of Brittany based on a January 2007 estimate is 4,365,500.
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British people
British people (also referred to as the British, Britons, or informally as Brits or Britishers) are citizens or natives of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, of any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants.British nationality law governs modern British citizenship and nationality, which can be acquired, for instance, by birth in the UK or by descent from British nationals. When used in a historical context, the term British people refers to the ancient Britons, the indigenous inhabitants of Great Britain south of the Forth.
Although early assertions of being British date from the Late Middle Ages, the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 triggered a sense of British national identity. The notion of Britishness was forged during the Napoleonic Wars between Britain and the First French Empire, and developed further during the Victorian era. The complex history of the formation of the United Kingdom created a "particular sense of nationhood and belonging" in Great Britain; Britishness became "superimposed on much older identities", of English, Scots and Welsh cultures, whose distinctiveness still resist notions of a homogenised British identity. Because of longstanding ethno-sectarian divisions, British identity in Northern Ireland is controversial, but it is held with strong conviction by unionists.
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Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy indigenous to the Indian subcontinent and encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs, and practices largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, who is commonly known as the Buddha (meaning "the awakened one" in Sanskrit and Pāli). The Buddha lived and taught in the eastern part of Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. He is recognized by Buddhists as an awakened or enlightened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end ignorance (avidyā), craving (taṇhā), and suffering (dukkha), by recognizing dependent origination and sunyata, and attain Nirvana.
Two major branches of Buddhism are recognized: Theravada ("The School of the Elders") and Mahayana ("The Great Vehicle"). Theravada has a widespread following in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Mahayana is found throughout East Asia and includes the traditions of Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Shingon, Tiantai (Tendai) and Shinnyo-en. In some classifications, Vajrayana—practiced mainly in Tibet and Mongolia, and adjacent parts of China and Russia—is recognized as a third branch, while others classify it as a part of Mahayana. There are other categorisations of these three Vehicles or Yanas.
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Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones, CBE, ( /ˈziːtə/; born Catherine Zeta Jones; 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. She began her career on stage at an early age. After starring in a number of United Kingdom and United States television films and small roles in films, she came to prominence with roles in Hollywood movies such as the 1998 action film The Mask of Zorro and the 1999 crime thriller film Entrapment. Her breakthrough role was in the 2000 film Traffic, for which she earned her first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.
Zeta-Jones subsequently starred as Velma Kelly in the 2002 film adaptation of the musical Chicago, a critical and commercial success, and received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Later, she appeared in the 2003 romantic comedy film Intolerable Cruelty and 2004 crime comedy film Ocean's Twelve. Zeta-Jones starred in the 2005 sequel of the 1998 film, The Legend of Zorro. She also starred in the 2008 biopic romantic thriller Death Defying Acts. In 2010, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Desiree in A Little Night Music.
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Celtic nations
The Celtic nations are territories in Northern and Western Europe in which that area's own Celtic languages and some cultural traits have survived.
The term "nation" is used in its original sense to mean a people who share a common traditional identity and culture and are identified with a traditional territory or region. It is not synonymous with "sovereign state".
The six territories recognised as Celtic nations are Brittany (Breizh), Cornwall (Kernow), Ireland (Éire), the Isle of Man (Mannin), Scotland (Alba), and Wales (Cymru). Each of these regions has a Celtic language that is either still spoken or was spoken into modern times. In addition, areas of north-western Spain, particularly Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias, are sometimes identified as Celtic, due to the unique culture of the region. Unlike the others, however, no Celtic language has been spoken there in modern times. Before the expansions of the Roman Republic and Germanic tribes, a significant part of Europe was Celtic.
Each of the six nations has its own Celtic language. In Wales, Scotland, Brittany, and Ireland, these have been spoken continuously through time, while Cornwall and the Isle of Man have languages that were spoken into modern times but later died as spoken community languages. In both of the latter regions, however, revitalization movements have led to the adoption of these languages by adults and produced a number of native speakers.
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Cornish people
The Cornish (Cornish: Kernowyon) are a people associated with Cornwall, a county in the South West of England, in the United Kingdom, which is seen in some respects as distinct from the rest of England and having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the UK such as Wales as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe. It has been long argued that the Cornish represent a distinct ethnic group within the UK, which can trace its roots to the ancient Britons who inhabited southern and central Great Britain prior to the Roman conquest, and some in the county today continue to assert a distinct identity, separately or in addition to English or British identities. Cornish identity has been adopted by migrants into Cornwall, as well as by emigrant and descendant communities from Cornwall, the latter sometimes referred to as the Cornish diaspora. Although not included as an explicit option in the UK census, the numbers of those claiming Cornish ethnic and national identity are officially recognised and recorded.
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David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was a British Liberal politician and statesman. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the head of a wartime coalition government between the years 1916–22 and was the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1926–31.
During a long tenure of office, mainly as Chancellor of the Exchequer, he was a key figure in the introduction of many reforms which laid the foundations of the modern welfare state. He was the last Liberal to be Prime Minister, as his coalition premiership was supported more by Conservatives than by his own Liberals, and the subsequent split was a key factor in the decline of the Liberal Party as a serious political force. When he eventually became leader of the Liberal Party a decade later he was unable to lead it back to power.
He is best known as the highly energetic Prime Minister (1916–22) who guided the Empire through the First World War to victory over Germany and her allies. He was a major player at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 that reordered the world after the Great War. Lloyd George was a devout evangelical and an icon of 20th century liberalism as the founder of the welfare state. He is regarded as having made a greater impact on British public life than any other 20th century leader, thanks to his leadership of the war drive, his postwar role in reshaping Europe, and his introduction of Britain's social welfare system before the war.
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Deceangli
The Deceangli or Deceangi (Welsh: Tegeingl) were one of the Celtic tribes living in Britain, prior to the Roman invasion of the island. The tribe lived mainly in what is now north-east Wales, though it is uncertain whether their territory covered only the modern counties of Flintshire,Denbighshire and part of Cheshire in what is now present day England or whether it extended further west. The tribe occupied an area between the Clwyd and Dee rivers. They lived in hill forts running in a chain through the Clwydian Range and their tribal capital was Canovium.
Assaults on the Welsh tribes was made under the legate Publius Ostorius Scapula who attacked the Deceangli in 48 AD. They appear to have surrendered with little resistance, unlike the Silures and the Ordovices who put up a long and bitter resistance to Roman rule. No Roman town is known to have existed in the territory of this tribe, though the auxiliary fort of Canovium (Caerhun) was probably in their lands and may have had a civilian settlement around it.
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Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself. His public readings, particularly in America, won him great acclaim; his sonorous voice with a subtle Welsh lilt became almost as famous as his works. His best-known works include the "play for voices" Under Milk Wood and the celebrated villanelle for his dying father, "Do not go gentle into that good night". Appreciative critics have also noted the craftsmanship and compression of poems such as "In my Craft or Sullen Art", and the rhapsodic lyricism in "And death shall have no dominion" and "Fern Hill".
Dylan Thomas was born in the Uplands area of Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales, on 27 October 1914 just a few months after the Thomas family had bought the house. Uplands was, and still is, one of the more affluent areas of the city.
His father, David John Thomas (1876–1952), had attained a first-class honours degree in English at University College, Aberystwyth, and was dissatisfied with his position at the local grammar school as an English master who taught English literature. His mother, Florence Hannah Thomas (née Williams) (1882–1958), was a seamstress born in Swansea. Nancy, Thomas's sister, (Nancy Marles 1906–1953) was nine years older than he. Their father brought up both children to speak only English, even though he and his wife were both bilingual in English and Welsh. David was even known to give Welsh lessons at home.
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English people
The English (from Old English: Englisc) are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens. Their ethnonym is derived from the Angles, a Germanic people originally from Northern Germany who migrated to Britain.
Historically, the English population is descended from several genetically similar peoples—the earlier Britons (or Brythons), the Germanic tribes that settled in the area, including Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, collectively known as the Anglo-Saxons, who founded what was to become England (from the Old English Englaland), and the later Danes, Normans and other groups. Following the Act of Union in 1707, in which the Kingdom of England became part of the Kingdom of Great Britain, English customs and identity became closely aligned with British customs and identity.
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Francis Pryor
Francis Manning Marlborough Pryor MBE FSA (born 13 January 1945) is a British archaeologist who is famous for his role in the discovery of Flag Fen, a Bronze Age archaeological site near Peterborough, and for his frequent appearances on the Channel 4 television series Time Team.
He has now retired from full-time field archaeology, but still appears on television and writes books as well as being a working farmer. His specialities are in the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Pryor is the son of Barbara Helen Robertson & Robert Matthew Marlborough Pryor MBE TD (known as Matthew) & the grandson of Walter Marlborough Pryor DSO** DL JP, soldiers who served in both World Wars respectively. He was educated at Eton College with his first cousin William Pryor and studied archaeology at Trinity College, Cambridge, gaining a PhD in 1985.
He married Sylvia in 1969, and migrated with her to Toronto, Canada, on a landed immigrant scheme. There he started working at the Royal Ontario Museum as technician, working for Doug Tushingham who helped fund Pryor's first project in the United Kingdom. This was at North Elmham and the excavation was directed by Peter Wade-Martins who exposed Pryor to the benefit of opening large area excavations.
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George Everest
Colonel Sir George Everest ( /ˈiːvrɨst/; 4 July 1790 – 1 December 1866) was a Welsh surveyor, geographer and Surveyor-General of India from 1830 to 1843.
Sir George was largely responsible for completing the section of the Great Trigonometric Survey of India along the meridian arc from the south of India extending north to Nepal, a distance of approximately 2,400 kilometres (1,491 mi). The survey was started by William Lambton in 1806 and lasted several decades.
In 1865, Mount Everest was named in his honour despite his objections[citation needed]. It was surveyed by his successor, Andrew Waugh.
He was born in the Manor of Gwernvale at Crickhowell in Powys, in 1790. He was baptised at Greenwich.
Commissioned into the Royal Artillery, in 1818, Lt Everest was appointed as assistant to Colonel William Lambton, who had started the Great Trigonometrical Survey of the sub-continent in 1806. On Lambton's death in 1823, he succeeded to the post of superintendent of the survey and in 1830 was appointed Surveyor-General of India. Everest retired in 1843 and returned to live in the United Kingdom, where he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was knighted in 1861 and in 1862 he was elected Vice-President of the Royal Geographical Society. He died in London in 1866 and is buried in St Andrew's Church, Hove, near Brighton. His niece, Mary Everest, married mathematician George Boole.
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Germanic language
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European (IE) language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic (also known as Common Germanic), which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe. Proto-Germanic, along with all of its descendants, is characterized by a number of unique linguistic features, most famously the consonant change known as Grimm's law. Early varieties of Germanic enter history with the Germanic peoples moving south from northern Europe in the 2nd century BC, to settle in north-central Europe.
The most widely spoken Germanic languages are English and German, with approximately 300–400 million and over 100 million native speakers respectively. They belong to the West Germanic family. The West Germanic group also includes other major languages, such as Dutch with 23 million and Afrikaans with over 6 million native speakers;. The North Germanic languages include Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, and Faroese, which have a combined total of about 20 million speakers. The SIL Ethnologue lists 53 different Germanic languages.
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Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European (IE) language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic (also known as Common Germanic), which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe. Proto-Germanic, along with all of its descendants, is characterized by a number of unique linguistic features, most famously the consonant change known as Grimm's law. Early varieties of Germanic enter history with the Germanic peoples moving south from northern Europe in the 2nd century BC, to settle in north-central Europe.
The most widely spoken Germanic languages are English and German, with approximately 300–400 million and over 100 million native speakers respectively. They belong to the West Germanic family. The West Germanic group also includes other major languages, such as Dutch with 23 million and Afrikaans with over 6 million native speakers;. The North Germanic languages include Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, and Faroese, which have a combined total of about 20 million speakers. The SIL Ethnologue lists 53 different Germanic languages.
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Gibraltarian people
The Gibraltarians (colloquially Llanitos) are a cultural group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterranean sea.
Gibraltarians are a racial and cultural fusion of the many immigrants who came to the Rock of Gibraltar over three hundred years. They are the descendants of economic migrants who came to Gibraltar following its capture by Britain in 1704. All but 70 of the existing population of 4,000 fled to the surrounding Campo de Gibraltar. The few Spaniards who remained left in 1727 when Gibraltar was subjected to its second Spanish siege.
Most Gibraltarian surnames are typically of Mediterranean extraction. The exact breakdown is as follows:
Genoese and Catalans (who arrived in the fleet with Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt, possibly some two hundred in all), became the core of Gibraltar's first civilian population under Habsburg Gibraltar. Sephardic Jews from Tetouan in Morocco, who had previously been suppliers to the English territory of Tangier, started supplying fresh produce to Gibraltar from 1704.
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Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forager society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species.
Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were hunter-gatherers until around 10,000 years ago. Following the invention of agriculture hunter-gatherers have been displaced by farming or pastoralist groups in most parts of the world. Only a few contemporary societies are classified as hunter-gatherers, and many supplement, sometimes extensively, their foraging activity with farming and/or keeping animals.
The earliest humans probably lived primarily on scavenging, not actual hunting. Early humans in the Lower Paleolithic lived in mixed habitats which allowed them to collect seafood, eggs, nuts, and fruits besides scavenging. Rather than killing large animals themselves for meat, they used carcasses of large animals killed by other predators or carcasses from animals that died by natural causes.
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Irish people
The Irish people (Irish: Muintir na hÉireann or na hÉireannaigh; Ulster-Scots: Airisch or Airish fowk) are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years (according to archaeological studies, see Prehistoric Ireland). The Irish people's earliest ancestors are recorded in legends – they are claimed to be descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians.Lebor Gabála Érenn, a book of Irish mythology tells that Tuatha Dé Dananns were Scythian descendants.
The main groups that interacted with the Irish in the Middle Ages include the Picts, Scots, and the Vikings. Due to this contact, Icelanders are noted for having some Irish descent. The Anglo-Norman invasion of the High Middle Ages, the English plantations and the subsequent English rule of the country introduced the Normans and Flemish into Ireland. Welsh, Picts, Bretons, and small parties of Gauls and even Anglo-Saxons are known in Ireland from much earlier times.
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Kelly Jones
Kelly Jones (born 3 June 1974) is a Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist and the lead singer of the band Stereophonics. Influenced by classic rock bands such as The Who, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and the Sex Pistols, Jones is noted for his strong, gravelly voice, which has been described as "whisky". As a lyricist, Jones is influenced by Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Otis Redding.
Jones lived in the village of Cwmaman, near Aberdare, where he became friends with neighbours, Stuart Cable and Richard Jones and they formed a covers band together. Showing a talent for writing in his youth, he considered being a scriptwriter before being a musician and studied film at college. The BBC showed an interest in some of his early work but, as the band progressed from a cover band to writing their original material, he decided to use his narrative side more towards writing lyrics. Jones also flirted with the idea of boxing as a career and was a successful boxer at youth level. Much of his early life is documented in the Stereophonics debut album, including his account of his teen years on a market stall. These are documented in More Life in a Tramps Vest from the Stereophonics first album released in 1997, Word Gets Around.
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King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians. The sparse historical background of Arthur is gleaned from various sources, including the Annales Cambriae, the Historia Brittonum, and the writings of Gildas. Arthur's name also occurs in early poetic sources such as Y Gododdin.
The legendary Arthur developed as a figure of international interest largely through the popularity of Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful and imaginative 12th-century Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain). Some Welsh and Breton tales and poems relating the story of Arthur date from earlier than this work; in these works, Arthur appears either as a great warrior defending Britain from human and supernatural enemies or as a magical figure of folklore, sometimes associated with the Welsh Otherworld, Annwn. How much of Geoffrey's Historia (completed in 1138) was adapted from such earlier sources, rather than invented by Geoffrey himself, is unknown.
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List of Welsh people
This is a list of Welsh people (Welsh: rhestr Cymry); an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales.
Historian John Davies argues that the origin of the Welsh nation can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic or other Celtic languages seem to have been spoken in Wales since much earlier.
This list is for people of Welsh heritage and descent, and for those otherwise perceived as Welsh; through either birth or adoption. Only those meeting notability criteria are included on this list.
Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland
Tony Morgan winner of Bronze medal in 1998 commonwealth games.
This list includes league, female and uncapped players
For Welsh writers, see:
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Manx people
The Manx (Manx: Manninee) are an ethnic group coming from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea in northern Europe. They are often described as a Celtic people, though they have had a mixed background including Norse and English influences.
According to the 2006 interim census, the Isle of Man is home to 80,058 people, of whom 26,218 reside in the island's capital Douglas. Most of the population is born in the British Isles, with 47.6% born in the Isle of Man, 37.2% born in England, 3.4% in Scotland, 2.1% in Northern Ireland, 2.1% in the Republic of Ireland, 1.2% in Wales and 0.3% born in the Channel Islands, with 6.1% of people being born elsewhere in the world.
Manx people living in the UK were commonly grouped by the 2001 census under "White British". As well as major immigration from England, the Isle of Man has had many Irish residents, and to a lesser degree, Scottish and Welsh people. The extremely high proportion of foreigners to natives has mostly corrupted local culture and vernacular speech, replacing it with a generic northern english culture and accent.[citation needed]
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Mary Jones (Bible)
The story of Mary Jones and her Bible inspired the founding of the British and Foreign Bible Society. Mary Jones (16 December 1784 – 28 December 1864) was a Welsh Protestant Christian girl who, at age fifteen, walked twenty-five miles across the countryside to buy a copy of the Welsh Bible from Thomas Charles because she did not have one. Charles then used her story in proposing to the Religious Tract Society that it set up a new organisation to supply Wales with Bibles. The account was first set out in print in 1882 by the British and Foreign Bible Society, the author simply being credited as M.E.R.
Beibl i bawb o bobl y byd (Roughly: "A Bible for all the world's people")
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Mercia
Mercia ( /ˈmɜrsiə/, /ˈmɜrʃə/) was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands. The name is a Latinisation of the Old English Mierce or Myrce, meaning "border people".
Mercia's neighbours included Northumbria, Powys and the kingdoms of southern Wales, Wessex, Sussex, Essex and East Anglia.
The name Mercia is still in use today by a wide range of organisations, including military units, public, commercial and voluntary bodies; and occurs as a female given name.
Mercia's exact evolution from the Anglo-Saxon invasions is more obscure than that of Northumbria, Kent, or even Wessex. Also, Mercia developed an effective political structure and adopted Christianity later than the other kingdoms. Archaeological surveys show that Angles settled the lands north of the River Thames by the 6th century. The name Mercia is Old English for "boundary folk" (see Welsh Marches), and the traditional interpretation is that the kingdom originated along the frontier between the native Welsh and the Anglo-Saxon invaders. However, P. Hunter Blair argued an alternative interpretation: that they emerged along the frontier of Northumbria and the inhabitants of the Trent river valley.
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Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen, OBE (born 5 February 1969), is a Welsh stage and screen actor. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Sheen made his professional debut in 1991, starring opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre. He worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s and made notable stage appearances in Romeo and Juliet (1992), Don’t Fool With Love (1993), Peer Gynt (1994), The Seagull (1995), The Homecoming (1997) and Henry V (1997). His performances in Amadeus at the Old Vic and Look Back in Anger at the National Theatre were nominated for Olivier Awards in 1998 and 1999, respectively.
In the 2000s, while continuing to make sporadic stage appearances, Sheen became known primarily as a screen actor. In 2003, he was nominated for a third Olivier Award for his performance in Caligula at the Donmar Warehouse and had a breakthrough performance as the British politician Tony Blair in the television film The Deal. He received a BAFTA Award nomination in 2004 for his work in the ITV drama Dirty Filthy Love. In 2006, Sheen starred as the troubled comic actor Kenneth Williams in BBC Four's Fantabulosa! and came to the attention of an international audience when he reprised his role as Blair in The Queen. Both performances were BAFTA Award-nominated. Sheen received a fourth Olivier Award nomination in 2006 for portraying the broadcaster David Frost in Frost/Nixon at the Donmar Warehouse and he later revisited the role of Frost in the 2008 film adaptation of the play. In 2009, Sheen appeared in two fantasy films, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and starred as the outspoken football manager Brian Clough in The Damned United.
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Ordovices
The Ordovices were one of the Celtic tribes living in Great Britain, before the Roman invasion of Britain. Its tribal lands were located in present day Wales and England between the Silures to the south and the Deceangli to the north-east. The Ordovices were conquered by the Roman governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola in the campaign of AD 77/78.
The Celtic name ordo-wik- could have a meaning in some way related to the word for "hammer"; Irish 'Ord', Welsh 'Gordd' (with a G- prothetic) and Breton 'Horzh' (with a H- prothetic), all of which mean "hammer."
The Ordovices farmed and kept sheep and built fortified strongholds and hillforts. They were among the few British tribes that resisted the Roman invasion. The resistance was mainly organized by the Celtic leader Caratacus, exiled in their lands after the defeat of his tribe in the Battle of the Medway. Caratacus became the warlord of the Ordovices and neighbouring Silures, and a Roman public enemy in the decade of 50. Following the Battle of Caer Caradoc, where governor Publius Ostorius Scapula defeated Caratacus, the Ordovices stopped being a threat to Rome, probably due to heavy losses.
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Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndŵr (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈoʊain ɡlɨ̞nˈduːr]), or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower (c. 1349 or 1359 – c. 1416), was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales. He instigated a fierce and long-running but ultimately unsuccessful revolt against the English rule of Wales.
Glyndŵr was a descendant of the Princes of Powys from his father Gruffydd Fychan II, hereditary Tywysog of Powys Fadog and Lord of Glyndyfrdwy, and of those of Deheubarth through his mother Elen ferch Tomas ap Llywelyn. On 16 September 1400, Glyndŵr instigated the Welsh Revolt against the rule of Henry IV of England. Although successful in terms of uniting the Welsh against their oppressors, the uprising eventually ran out of pace due to key home ground lost whilst chasing the English army towards London — Glyndŵr was last seen in 1412 and was never captured nor tempted by royal pardons and never betrayed. His final years are a mystery.
Glyndŵr has remained a notable figure in the popular culture of both Wales and England, portrayed in Shakespeare's play Henry IV, Part 1 (as Owen Glendower) as a wild and exotic man ruled by magic and emotion ("at my nativity, The front of heaven was full of fiery shapes, Of burning cressets, and at my birth The frame and huge foundation of the earth Shaked like a coward." — Henry IV, Part 1, Act 3, scene 1). In the late 19th century the Cymru Fydd movement recreated him as the father of Welsh nationalism, revising the historical image of him and joining him in popular memory as a national hero on par with King Arthur.
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Rhodri Morgan
Hywel Rhodri Morgan (born 29 September 1939) is a Welsh Labour politician who, as First Secretary for Wales, and subsequently First Minister, was leader of the Welsh Assembly Government from 2000 to 2009. A former leader of Welsh Labour, he was the Assembly Member for Cardiff West from 1999 to 2011. He is the longest serving Welsh First Minister to date, being in office continuously for 9 years and 10 months. He was elected chancellor of Swansea University on 24 October 2011.
Born in Cardiff, Hywel Rhodri Morgan is the son of Professor T. J. Morgan and the brother of the historian, Prys Morgan.
Morgan was educated at Whitchurch Grammar School (merged with Whitchurch County Secondary School to become the comprehensive Whitchurch High School in 1972) in Whitchurch, Cardiff; St John's College, Oxford studying PPE; and Harvard University, where he gained an MA in Government.
In 1967, he married former Labour MP for Cardiff North Julie Morgan. The couple live in Michaelston-le-Pit (a village situated outside their constituencies), and are supporters of the British Humanist Association. They have a son and two daughters.
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Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE (10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role (without ever winning), and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. He remains closely associated in the public consciousness with his second wife, actress Elizabeth Taylor; the couple's turbulent relationship was rarely out of the news.
Richard Burton was born Richard Walter Jenkins in the village of Pontrhydyfen, Neath Port Talbot, Wales. He grew up in a working class, Welsh-speaking household, the twelfth of thirteen children. His father, Richard Walter Jenkins, was a short, robust coal miner, a "twelve-pints-a-day man" who sometimes went off on drinking and gambling sprees for weeks. Burton later claimed, by family telling, that "He looked very much like me...That is, he was pockmarked, devious, and smiled a great deal when he was in trouble. He was, also, a man of extraordinary eloquence, tremendous passion, great violence."
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Robert Owen
Robert Owen (14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.
Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars: First, no one was responsible for his [] will and his [] own actions because his whole character is formed independently of himself; people are products of their heredity and environment, hence his support for education and labour reform, rendering him a pioneer in human capital investment. Second, all religions are based on the same ridiculous imagination, that make man a weak, imbecile animal; a furious bigot and fanatic; or a miserable hypocrite; (though in his later years he embraced Spiritualism). Third, support for the putting-out system instead of the factory system[citation needed].
Robert Owen was born in Newtown, a small market town in Montgomeryshire, Mid Wales, in 1771. He was the sixth of seven children. His father, also named Robert Owen, had a small business as a saddler and ironmonger. Owen's mother was a Miss Williams, and came from one of the prosperous farming families. Here young Owen received almost all his school education, which ended at the age of ten. In 1787, after serving in a draper's shop for some years, he settled in London. He travelled to Manchester, and obtained employment at Satterfield's Drapery in St. Ann's Square (a plaque currently marks the site). By the time he was 21 he was a mill manager in Manchester at the Chorlton Twist Mills. His entrepreneurial spirit, management skill and progressive moral views were emerging by the early 1790s. In 1793, he was elected as a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, where the ideas of reformers and philosophers of the Enlightenment were discussed. He also became a committee member of the Manchester Board of Health which was set up to promote improvements in the health and working conditions of factory workers.
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Romanichal
The Romanichals (also Romnichals) are a Romani sub-group in the United Kingdom and other parts of the English-speaking world.
Romanichals are thought to have arrived in Britain in the 16th century. They are closely related to the Welsh Kale and Romani groups in continental Europe.
The word "Romanichal" is derived from Romani chal, where chal is Angloromani for "child".
Romanichal are found across the United Kingdom, particularly England, Lowland Scotland and Wales. The Romanichal diaspora emigrated from the UK, to other parts of the English-speaking world. There are now more people of Romanichal descent in the United States than Britain, based on some estimates.
They are also found in smaller numbers in South Africa, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
The Romani people in England are thought to have spoken the Romani language until the nineteenth century, when it was replaced by English and Angloromani, a creole language that combines the syntax and grammar of English with the Romani lexicon. All Romanichals also speak English.
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Ruth Jones
Ruth Jones (born 22 September 1966) is a Welsh TV actress and writer. She co-starred in and co-wrote the award-winning British TV comedy Gavin & Stacey (2007-2010), and has appeared in many television comedies and dramas, such as Jimmy McGovern's The Street with Timothy Spall (2009), and starring as Hattie Jacques in Hattie for BBC4 (2011) and as Stella in Stella for Sky 1 (2012).
She was co-founder of Tidy Productions (2008), which she runs with TV producer, David Peet.
Ruth Alexandra Elizabeth Jones was born on 22 September 1966 in Bridgend in South Wales. Her father was a legal executive for British Steel, Port Talbot, and her mother was a psychiatrist. She has two older brothers and a younger sister. When she was a child, her family moved to Porthcawl where she attended the same school as Rob Brydon. After graduating from Warwick University with a drama degree she spent a year at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff.
After graduation Jones found it difficult to get acting work, and considered training as a solicitor. However she then received her first professional role in pantomime in Cardiff. She was also helped by Rob Brydon, who invited her to join an improv group in Bath; the group also included Julia Davis, with whom Jones would later appear in Nighty Night.
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Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE (born Ryan Joseph Wilson on 29 November 1973) is a Welsh footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season. He established himself as a left winger during the 1990s, and continuing in this position well into the 2000s, though he has been increasingly used in a deeper playmaking role in his latter years. Giggs is known for his tireless running, ball possession and ability to create goalscoring opportunities for those around him.
Giggs is the most decorated player in English football history. He also holds the club record for competitive appearances. During his time at United, he has won 12 Premier League winner's medals, four FA Cup winner's medals, three League Cup winner's medals and two Champions League winner's medals. He has two runner-up medals from the Champions League, three FA Cup finals and two League Cup finals, as well as being part of the team five times when it finished second in the Premier League. In recent years, Giggs has captained the team on numerous occasions, particularly in the 2007–08 season when regular captain Gary Neville was ruled out with various injuries.
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Saint David
Saint David (c. 500–589) (Welsh: Dewi Sant) was a Welsh Bishop during the 6th century; he was later regarded as a saint and as the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and a relatively large amount of information is known about his life. However, his birth date is still uncertain, as suggestions range from 462 to 512. The Annales Cambriae has his death at 601, which would move his birth date forward.
Many of the traditional tales about David are found in the Buchedd Dewi, a hagiography written by Rhygyfarch in the late 11th century. Rhygyfarch claimed it was based on documents found in the cathedral archives. Modern historians are sceptical of some of its claims: one of Rhygyfarch's aims was to establish some independence for the Welsh church, which had refused the Roman rite until the 8th century and now, following the Norman invasion of England in 1066, was to seek a metropolitan status equal to that of Canterbury.
He became renowned as a teacher and preacher, founding monastic settlements and churches in Wales, Dumnonia and Brittany in a period when neighbouring tribal regions (that were to be overrun by Anglo-Saxon or Frankish tribes over the following three hundred years) were still mostly pagan.[citation needed] He rose to a bishopric and presided over two synods as well as going on pilgrimages to Jerusalem (where he was anointed as an archbishop by the Patriarch) and Rome. St David's Cathedral stands on the site of the monastery he founded in the 'Glyn Rhosyn' valley in Pembrokeshire.
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Scottish people
The Scottish people (Scots Gaelic: Albannaich), or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse. Later the Normans also had some influence.
In modern use, "Scottish people" or "Scots" is used to refer to anyone whose linguistic, cultural, family ancestral or genetic origins are from within Scotland. The Latin word Scotti originally applied to a particular, 5th century, Goidelic tribe that inhabited Ireland. Though sometimes considered archaic or pejorative, the term Scotch has also been used for the Scottish people, though this usage is current primarily outside Scotland.
There are people of Scottish descent in many countries other than Scotland. Emigration, influenced by factors such as the Highland and Lowland Clearances, Scottish participation in the British Empire, and latterly industrial decline and unemployment, resulted in Scottish people being found throughout the world. Large populations of Scottish people settled the new-world lands of North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. There is a Scottish presence at a particularly high rate in Canada, which has the second largest population of descended Scots ancestry, after the United States. They took with them their Scottish languages and culture.
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Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward,OBE (born 7 June 1940), known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer. Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records.
Jones has had thirty-six Top 40 hits in the United Kingdom and nineteen in the United States; some of his notable songs include "It's Not Unusual", "What's New Pussycat", "Delilah", "Green, Green Grass of Home", "She's a Lady" and "Kiss".
Having been awarded an OBE in 1999, Jones received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for "services to music" in 2006. Jones has received numerous other awards throughout his career, including the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1966, two Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 2000, and an MTV Video Music Award. Aside from his musical career, Jones is currently a coach and mentor on television show The Voice UK.
Tom Jones was born at 57 Kingsland Terrace, Treforest, Pontypridd in South Wales. His parents were Thomas Woodward (died 5 October 1981), a coal miner, and Freda Jones (died 7 February 2003). His family was mainly of English descent, both of his paternal grandparents having been born in England and his maternal grandmother, Ada Jones from Pontypridd, having English parents.
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Ulster Scots people
The Ulster Scots (Ulster-Scots: tha Ulstèr-Scotch [fowk]) are an ethnic group that has lived on the island of Ireland since the 17th Century, and are predominantly citizens of the United Kingdom. Their ancestors were Scots from the Scottish Lowlands and English people from counties close to Scotland, many being from the "Border Reivers" culture. These people migrated to the island of Ireland in large numbers with the Plantation of Ulster, a planned process of colonisation which took place under the auspices of James VI of Scotland and I of England on land often confiscated from the Irish nobility, most extensively in the Province of Ulster. The term "Ulster-Scots" refers to both these colonists of the 17th century and, less commonly, to the Gallowglass who began to arrive from what is now northwest Scotland centuries earlier.
Ulster-Scots were largely descended from colonists from Galloway, Ayrshire, and the Scottish Borders Country, although some descend from people further north in the Scottish Lowlands and the Highlands. Ulster-Scots emigrated in significant numbers to the United States and all corners of the then-worldwide British Empire — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa — and to a lesser extent to Argentina and Chile. Scotch-Irish is a traditional term for Ulster Scots who later emigrated to what is now the United States; "Scots-Irish" is a more recent form of the American term, and is not to be confused with Irish-Scots, i.e., recent Irish immigrants to Scotland.
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Ulster-Scots
The Ulster Scots (Ulster-Scots: tha Ulstèr-Scotch [fowk]) are an ethnic group that has lived on the island of Ireland since the 17th Century, and are predominantly citizens of the United Kingdom. Their ancestors were Scots from the Scottish Lowlands and English people from counties close to Scotland, many being from the "Border Reivers" culture. These people migrated to the island of Ireland in large numbers with the Plantation of Ulster, a planned process of colonisation which took place under the auspices of James VI of Scotland and I of England on land often confiscated from the Irish nobility, most extensively in the Province of Ulster. The term "Ulster-Scots" refers to both these colonists of the 17th century and, less commonly, to the Gallowglass who began to arrive from what is now northwest Scotland centuries earlier.
Ulster-Scots were largely descended from colonists from Galloway, Ayrshire, and the Scottish Borders Country, although some descend from people further north in the Scottish Lowlands and the Highlands. Ulster-Scots emigrated in significant numbers to the United States and all corners of the then-worldwide British Empire — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa — and to a lesser extent to Argentina and Chile. Scotch-Irish is a traditional term for Ulster Scots who later emigrated to what is now the United States; "Scots-Irish" is a more recent form of the American term, and is not to be confused with Irish-Scots, i.e., recent Irish immigrants to Scotland.
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Walha
Walhaz (ᚹᚨᛚᚺᚨᛉ) is a reconstructed Proto-Germanic word, meaning "foreigner", "stranger", "Roman", "Romance-speaker", or "Celtic-speaker". The term was used by the ancient Germanic peoples to describe inhabitants of the former Roman Empire, who were largely romanised and spoke Latin or Celtic languages. The adjectival form is attested in Old Norse valskr, meaning "French", Old High German walhisk, meaning "Romance", Modern German welsch, used in Switzerland for Romance-speakers, Old English welisċ, wælisċ, wilisċ, meaning "Romano-British", and Modern English Welsh. The form of these words imply that they are descended from a Proto-Germanic form *walhiska-.
It is attested in the Roman Iron Age Tjurkö Bracteate inscription as walhakurne "Roman/Gallic grain", apparently a kenning for "gold" (referring to the "bracteate" itself).
Walh is almost certainly derived from the name of the tribe which was known to the Romans as Volcae (in the writings of Julius Caesar) and to the Greeks as Ouólkai (Strabo and Ptolemy). This tribe occupied territory neighbouring that of the Germanic people and seem to have been referred to by the Old Germanic name *Walhaz (plural *Walhôz, adjectival form *walhiska-). It is assumed that this term specifically referred to the Celtic Volcae, because application of the first Germanic sound change to that word produces the form *Walh-. Subsequently, this term Walhôz was applied rather indiscriminately to the southern neighbours of the Germanic people, as evidenced in geographic names such as Walchgau and Walchensee in Bavaria. These southern neighbours, however, were then already completely romanised. Thus, Germanic speakers generalized this name first to all Celts, and later to all Romans. The Old High German Walh became Walch in Middle High German, and adjectival OHG walhisk became MHG welsch, e.g. in the Romance of Alexander by Rudolf von Ems-–resulting in Welsche in Early New High German and Modern German as the exonym for all Romanic speakers.
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Welsh American
Welsh Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Wales. In the 2008 U.S. Census community survey, an estimated 1.98 million Americans had Welsh ancestry, 0.6% of the total U.S. population. This compares with a population of 3 million in Wales. However, 3.8% of Americans bear a Welsh surname. Moreover, a particularly large proportion of the African American population have Welsh names. History shows that there is little evidence that the Welsh were among the slave-owning classes at this time, as most immigrants were poor.
There have been at least eight U.S. Presidents with Welsh ancestry including Thomas Jefferson,Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, James Garfield, Calvin Coolidge, Richard Nixon and Barack Obama. Confederate President Jefferson Davis and U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey were also of Welsh heritage.
The proportion of the population with a name of Welsh origin ranges from 9.5% in South Carolina to 1.1% in North Dakota. Typically names of Welsh origin are concentrated in the mid Atlantic states, the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama and in Appalachia, West Virginia and Tennessee. By contrast there are relatively fewer Welsh names in New England, the northern mid West, and the South West.
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Welsh Australian
Welsh Australians are citizens of Australia whose ancestry originates in the northwest European country of Wales.
According to the 2006 Australian census 25,317 Australian residents were born in Wales, while 113,242 (0.44%) claimed Welsh ancestry, either alone or with another ancestry.
The name Jones, which is often considered distinctively Welsh, is one of most-common surnames in Australia, accounting for over 1% of Australians, which suggests a higher rate of Welsh ancestry than indicated by self-identification.
A 1996 study gives the total ethnic strength of Welsh Australians as 243,400. This is made up by 44,100 of un-mixed origin and 683,700 of mixed origin. This would make the Welsh the fifth largest Anglo-Celtic group in Australia after the English, Irish Scottish and Cornish.
It is believed that the eastern coast of Australia reminded Captain James Cook of the coast of South Wales (especially the Vale of Glamorgan coast, which he knew), hence the name he gave to it, "New South Wales". The first European colony in Australia was in New South Wales, beginning with the First Fleet of 1788. Welsh people numbered amongst these first settlers, and continued to arrive in the new colony through the British policy of penal transportation that was implemented for many criminal acts.
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Welsh Italians
Welsh Italians are an ethnic minority of Italian descent living in Wales. Welsh Italians refer to people who are born in Wales and of Italian descent. It can also refer to people of mixed Welsh and Italian descents. Most Italian immigration to Wales took place in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with the largest number of migrants settling in Glamorgan and Newport.
Italian immigrants to Wales, mainly originating in the Apennine Mountains and in particular the town of Bardi, established a network of cafés, ice cream parlours and fish and chip shops in Wales from the 1890s onwards. In the Rhondda Valley they became known as 'Bracchis' after an early café owner. The brothers Frank and Aldo Berni, who started in business in Merthyr Tydfil, went on to found the Berni Inn chain.
During the Second World War, Welsh-Italians without British citizenship were declared enemy aliens and a number were interned on the Isle of Man or in Canada. 53 Welsh Italians lost their lives in the sinking of the Arandora Star in 1940.
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Y Wladfa
Y Wladfa (English: The Colony), or more fully Y Wladfa Gymreig (English: The Welsh Colony), also historically and occasionally Y Wladychfa and Y Wladychfa Gymreig, is a Welsh settlement in Argentina, which began in 1865 and occurred mainly along the coast of Chubut Province in the far southern region of Patagonia. In the 19th and early 20th century the Argentine government encouraged the immigration of Europeans to populate the country outside the Buenos Aires region; between 1856 and 1875 no fewer than 34 settlements of immigrants of various nationalities were established between Santa Fe and Entre Ríos. In addition to the main colony in Chubut, a smaller colony was set up in Santa Fe by 44 Welsh people who left Chubut, and another group settled at Coronel Suárez in southern Buenos Aires Province. In the early 21st century, around 50,000 Patagonians are of Welsh descent. The Welsh-Argentine community is centred around Gaiman, Trelew and Trevelin. From Chubut's own estimate, the number of Welsh speakers is about 1,500, while other estimates put the number at 5,000.
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Yemeni British
Yemenis in the United Kingdom include citizens and non-citizen immigrants in the United Kingdom of Yemeni ancestry, as well as their descendants. Yemenis have been present in the UK since the 1860s, and are probably the longest-established Muslim group in the country, although currently much smaller than some other British Muslim groups.
The 2001 UK Census recorded 12,508 Yemeni born people in the UK, and by most recent estimates (including British born people of Yemeni descent), the community numbers around 70,000 to 80,000 people.
2 Glynrhondda Street in Cardiff, Wales was used as a Mosque by Yemeni sailors who travelled between Aden and the Cardiff Docks. It is commonly accepted as the first Muslim mosque in the United Kingdom.
Yemenis are present across the entire UK, however cities with large and notable Yemeni populations are:
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Interviewing the Welsh People
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:58
- Updated: 03 Sep 2012
Join us as we get to know the people of the seaside village of Aberystwyth.
http://wn.com/Interviewing_the_Welsh_People
Join us as we get to know the people of the seaside village of Aberystwyth.
Speak Properly Welsh People: A Needlessly pointless sketch By Elro
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:48
- Updated: 26 Nov 2012
Pointless, unless you understand the way Welsh people speak you might not get this remotely, you might not get it anyway because I'm a twat.
http://wn.com/Speak_Properly_Welsh_People_A_Needlessly_pointless_sketch_By_Elro
Pointless, unless you understand the way Welsh people speak you might not get this remotely, you might not get it anyway because I'm a twat.
- published: 28 Nov 2009
- views: 14409
- author: comedyilr
Pini - Ep03 - Do Welsh people have sex with sheep?
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:01
- Updated: 23 Nov 2012
Watch it all on : tiny.cc To celebrate the English webpage for PINI - here's a special no subtitles version of episode 3 - Houmous
http://wn.com/Pini_Ep03_Do_Welsh_people_have_sex_with_sheep?
Watch it all on : tiny.cc To celebrate the English webpage for PINI - here's a special no subtitles version of episode 3 - Houmous
- published: 27 Jan 2011
- views: 9647
- author: Pini ben tovim
welsh people
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:48
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
welsh people
http://wn.com/welsh_people
welsh people
- published: 25 Jan 2011
- views: 7880
- author: ufomartino9000s
Welsh People On Drugs
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:51
- Updated: 30 Nov 2012
what ketamin dose to welsh people lol
http://wn.com/Welsh_People_On_Drugs
what ketamin dose to welsh people lol
- published: 11 Oct 2010
- views: 8193
- author: anniecoombs
Welsh People Have Souls!
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:15
- Updated: 13 Sep 2012
Welsh people have souls too ya know. I met a fiery young woman who felt very passionate about this topic...
http://wn.com/Welsh_People_Have_Souls!
Welsh people have souls too ya know. I met a fiery young woman who felt very passionate about this topic...
- published: 23 Jan 2012
- views: 721
- author: rachelbinotv
Welsh People!
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:31
- Updated: 03 Sep 2012
WELSH PEOPLEEEE yes that's right welsh people
http://wn.com/Welsh_People!
WELSH PEOPLEEEE yes that's right welsh people
- published: 11 Dec 2009
- views: 1698
- author: MinorMusicLover
how to annoy people - i met the welsh people
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:59
- Updated: 31 Aug 2012
me playing S&D;
http://wn.com/how_to_annoy_people_i_met_the_welsh_people
me playing S&D;
- published: 13 Feb 2011
- views: 259
- author: FLOYDYBOY Brad
Misonceptions about Welsh people
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:57
- Updated: 30 Jun 2012
Attempting to educate the world about 21st century Wales. Here's the link to my music channel: www.youtube.com F x
http://wn.com/Misonceptions_about_Welsh_people
Attempting to educate the world about 21st century Wales. Here's the link to my music channel: www.youtube.com F x
- published: 29 Jun 2012
- views: 100
- author: El Milko
Guns dont kill people Welsh people do. FUNNY
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:25
- Updated: 23 Aug 2012
Here is a Joke video by The Snipe and Dizzy, Hope u enjoy ... :-)
http://wn.com/Guns_dont_kill_people_Welsh_people_do_FUNNY
Here is a Joke video by The Snipe and Dizzy, Hope u enjoy ... :-)
- published: 13 Apr 2011
- views: 1542
- author: DjDizzyWales
Famous Welsh people
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:01
- Updated: 26 Jul 2012
Shot for Gwynedd Council in the summer of 08 by Gweledigaeth productions film crew. For more info www.gweledigaeth.com
http://wn.com/Famous_Welsh_people
Shot for Gwynedd Council in the summer of 08 by Gweledigaeth productions film crew. For more info www.gweledigaeth.com
- published: 17 Jun 2009
- views: 1368
- author: gweledigaeth
Stephen Hawking Vs Angry Welsh People On Xbox Live : Episode 17
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:13
- Updated: 14 Nov 2012
Stephen Hawking Vs Angry Welsh People On Xbox Live : Episode 17 don't be offended by anything Stephen says in the video it is all done as a joke things are only said to get a reaction..!! we love EVERYBODY :) "Two World Wars & A World Cup" TWITTER - twitter.com intro music - Razat -...
http://wn.com/Stephen_Hawking_Vs_Angry_Welsh_People_On_Xbox_Live_Episode_17
Stephen Hawking Vs Angry Welsh People On Xbox Live : Episode 17 don't be offended by anything Stephen says in the video it is all done as a joke things are only said to get a reaction..!! we love EVERYBODY :) "Two World Wars & A World Cup" TWITTER - twitter.com intro music - Razat -...
- published: 13 Oct 2012
- views: 532
- author: djmog1b8s
Welsh People - Wiki Article
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 34:50
- Updated: 17 Oct 2012
This article is about the ethnic group and nation. For information about residents in Wales, see Demography of Wales. Welsh People - Wiki Article - wikiplays.org Original @ http All Information Derived from Wikipedia using Creative Commons License: en.wikipedia.org Author: Unknown Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:Creative Commons ASA 3.0, Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License., GNU Free Documentation License, Creative Commons License 2.5 Generic, Creative Commons License 2.0 Generic, Creative Commons License 1.0 Generic, This work is in the public domain in the United States. Author: Seth Whales Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:This image is ineligible for copyright and therefore is in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship., This work is in the Public Domain., This work is in the public domain in the United States. Author: Unknown Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:Creative Commons ASA 3.0, Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License., GNU Free Documentation License, Creative Commons License Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported This work is in the public domain in the United States...
http://wn.com/Welsh_People_Wiki_Article
This article is about the ethnic group and nation. For information about residents in Wales, see Demography of Wales. Welsh People - Wiki Article - wikiplays.org Original @ http All Information Derived from Wikipedia using Creative Commons License: en.wikipedia.org Author: Unknown Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:Creative Commons ASA 3.0, Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License., GNU Free Documentation License, Creative Commons License 2.5 Generic, Creative Commons License 2.0 Generic, Creative Commons License 1.0 Generic, This work is in the public domain in the United States. Author: Seth Whales Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:This image is ineligible for copyright and therefore is in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship., This work is in the Public Domain., This work is in the public domain in the United States. Author: Unknown Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:Creative Commons ASA 3.0, Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License., GNU Free Documentation License, Creative Commons License Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported This work is in the public domain in the United States...
- published: 17 Oct 2012
- views: 15
- author: WikiPlays
WELSH WATER ROBBING THE PEOPLE OF WALES
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:00
- Updated: 15 Jun 2012
YEP WHAT ARSEHOLE DECIDED THAT THE RATEABLE VALUE OF A SUB-DIVIDED PROPERTY OUGHT TO BE GREATER THAN THAT OF A HOUSE CHARGE. MOST ESPECIALLY WHEN ALL YOU GET IS GRIEF FROM THE OTHER TENANTS HUH????? COS THE COUNCIL WILL MAKE MORE IN RENT AND SO WILL HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS, AND PRIVATE LANDLORDS, THEN THE TV LICENCING AUTHORITY CAN SCREW THE TENANTS BLIND AND SO CAN 'DWR CYMRU' YEAH WELSH FOR WELSH WATER. ME I SAY FREE WATER FOR THE WELSH PEOPLE, LET'S BE HAVING THOSE ROOF WATER COLLECTIONS SYSTEMS, MR. RUDDY MORGAN, RHODRI OR JONATHAN.
http://wn.com/WELSH_WATER_ROBBING_THE_PEOPLE_OF_WALES
YEP WHAT ARSEHOLE DECIDED THAT THE RATEABLE VALUE OF A SUB-DIVIDED PROPERTY OUGHT TO BE GREATER THAN THAT OF A HOUSE CHARGE. MOST ESPECIALLY WHEN ALL YOU GET IS GRIEF FROM THE OTHER TENANTS HUH????? COS THE COUNCIL WILL MAKE MORE IN RENT AND SO WILL HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS, AND PRIVATE LANDLORDS, THEN THE TV LICENCING AUTHORITY CAN SCREW THE TENANTS BLIND AND SO CAN 'DWR CYMRU' YEAH WELSH FOR WELSH WATER. ME I SAY FREE WATER FOR THE WELSH PEOPLE, LET'S BE HAVING THOSE ROOF WATER COLLECTIONS SYSTEMS, MR. RUDDY MORGAN, RHODRI OR JONATHAN.
- published: 07 Aug 2007
- views: 596
- author: iamcrazydave
Welsh People in America
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:41
- Updated: 20 Mar 2012
I want to let everyone in Wales know that there is a good web site in America, (Americymru), with welsh speaking people living in America in it, it is a good little site just like Facebook that you can chat and communicate even in welsh with them in America and also people from Wales on there,
http://wn.com/Welsh_People_in_America
I want to let everyone in Wales know that there is a good web site in America, (Americymru), with welsh speaking people living in America in it, it is a good little site just like Facebook that you can chat and communicate even in welsh with them in America and also people from Wales on there,
- published: 10 Mar 2009
- views: 1235
- author: Clive Worth
French & Welsh People Held to Ransom By Their Own Government
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:43
- Updated: 27 Jul 2012
The media is completely and utterly missing the point of what is going on here. As usual. The debate goes as far as "people don't want to work longer" and thats the end of the analysis. It is completely and utterly unreasonable of the government to expect people to work after 60 years old. It is totally unneccessary, it is nothing more than the government treating the people like resources which must be milked until they are completely spent. The arguments given are that the popualtion is aging and that people need to work longer to support the reitred generation. If there was ever a total admission of governement incompetence this is it. Yet the competence of government is never ever questioned in the media. People having to work longer to support the retired? What about the retired people who have worked all their life paying towards a pension, these people have paid their dues, why do they need other people to pay for them? It is the most blantant addmission possible that government takes the money you pay towards your pension and spends it on the day to day running of the governement instead of saving and investing it so it can grow. The government is robbing every single taxpayer everyday, they are taking your money under faulse pretences. If there was ever a case for people having the option to opt out of the governement pension system and pay into their own pensions this is it. As it stands at the moment someone else gets the money you pay towards your own state ...
http://wn.com/French_Welsh_People_Held_to_Ransom_By_Their_Own_Government
The media is completely and utterly missing the point of what is going on here. As usual. The debate goes as far as "people don't want to work longer" and thats the end of the analysis. It is completely and utterly unreasonable of the government to expect people to work after 60 years old. It is totally unneccessary, it is nothing more than the government treating the people like resources which must be milked until they are completely spent. The arguments given are that the popualtion is aging and that people need to work longer to support the reitred generation. If there was ever a total admission of governement incompetence this is it. Yet the competence of government is never ever questioned in the media. People having to work longer to support the retired? What about the retired people who have worked all their life paying towards a pension, these people have paid their dues, why do they need other people to pay for them? It is the most blantant addmission possible that government takes the money you pay towards your pension and spends it on the day to day running of the governement instead of saving and investing it so it can grow. The government is robbing every single taxpayer everyday, they are taking your money under faulse pretences. If there was ever a case for people having the option to opt out of the governement pension system and pay into their own pensions this is it. As it stands at the moment someone else gets the money you pay towards your own state ...
- published: 18 Oct 2010
- views: 173
- author: independence4wales
Abi&Beckie; Vlog 2 - We Love Welsh People!!!
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:11
- Updated: 02 Sep 2012
We have now dedicated this day to all you lovely welsh people. So if you're welsh, feel the love!! So as usual, comment like subscribe, plus we can do shout outs, so email or twitter abi which is @Abi_Storm and ask away :D
http://wn.com/Abi&Beckie;_Vlog_2_We_Love_Welsh_People!!!
We have now dedicated this day to all you lovely welsh people. So if you're welsh, feel the love!! So as usual, comment like subscribe, plus we can do shout outs, so email or twitter abi which is @Abi_Storm and ask away :D
- published: 25 Apr 2012
- views: 112
- author: Abi Storm
More than a thousand young people contact new all-Wales helpline 'meic'
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:55
- Updated: 11 Jun 2012
'meic' is the first helpline of its kind in the UK and was funded by more than £450000 from the Welsh Assembly Government in its first year of operation. It gives children and young people the opportunity to get help on issues important to them if they feel they are not being heard, or if their opinion is not being taken into account on matters that affect them. Visit the 'meic' website for more information: www.meiccymru.org
http://wn.com/More_than_a_thousand_young_people_contact_new_all-Wales_helpline_'meic'
'meic' is the first helpline of its kind in the UK and was funded by more than £450000 from the Welsh Assembly Government in its first year of operation. It gives children and young people the opportunity to get help on issues important to them if they feel they are not being heard, or if their opinion is not being taken into account on matters that affect them. Visit the 'meic' website for more information: www.meiccymru.org
- published: 10 Aug 2010
- views: 833
- author: welshgovernment
QT: Why should Welsh give damn about London Olympics? (17May12)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:34
- Updated: 20 May 2012
Why should the Welsh people give a damn about the LONDON Olympics. The answer ism, they should not, not that you heard that come from any of the sycophant panel. Recorded from BBC Question Time, 17 May 2012.
http://wn.com/QT_Why_should_Welsh_give_damn_about_London_Olympics?_17May12
Why should the Welsh people give a damn about the LONDON Olympics. The answer ism, they should not, not that you heard that come from any of the sycophant panel. Recorded from BBC Question Time, 17 May 2012.
- published: 19 May 2012
- views: 476
- author: liarpoliticians
The English are Germans The Welsh are real Britons
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:44
- Updated: 29 Nov 2012
The English are Germans and the Welsh are real Britons.
http://wn.com/The_English_are_Germans_The_Welsh_are_real_Britons
The English are Germans and the Welsh are real Britons.
- published: 21 Dec 2007
- views: 200200
- author: numpty1972
The welsh attempting the cinnamon challenge
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:29
- Updated: 16 Oct 2012
2 gals 1 cinnamon challenge
http://wn.com/The_welsh_attempting_the_cinnamon_challenge
2 gals 1 cinnamon challenge
- published: 25 Feb 2012
- views: 1548
- author: charlotte davies
PlaidTV - Cymraeg / Welsh Language broadcast
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:52
- Updated: 28 Nov 2012
PlaidTV
http://wn.com/PlaidTV_Cymraeg_Welsh_Language_broadcast
PlaidTV
- published: 27 Mar 2008
- views: 178166
- author: plaidtv
Irvine Welsh reads from TRAINSPOTTING on PWF
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:19
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Irvine Welsh reads from TRAINSPOTTING on PWF (prague writers´festival)
http://wn.com/Irvine_Welsh_reads_from_TRAINSPOTTING_on_PWF
Irvine Welsh reads from TRAINSPOTTING on PWF (prague writers´festival)
- published: 29 Dec 2006
- views: 27411
- author: writersFESTIVAL
photo: AP / Lefteris Pitarakis
30 Nov 2012
- For historians, it represents a treasure trove of boundless rewards and an opportunity to revisit some of the most enduring myths about Britain's colonial past ... "But these documents show they discussed it ... He estimated they could number anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people ... It's far too easy to bury bad news ... 1096 Source. .._.." target="_blank" class="a_keyword_link">. ;"> ... Programmes The Stream Witness Inside Story Listening Post People & Power Fault Lines Fabulous Picture Show....(size: 22.4Kb)
photo: UN / Eric Kanalstein
29 Nov 2012
Just before she leapt from her roof into the streets of Kabul, Farima thought of the wedding that would never happen and the man she would never marry. Her fiance would be pleased to see her die, she later recalled thinking. It would offer relief to them both. Farima, 17, had resisted her engagement to Zabiullah since it was ordained by her grandfather when she was 9 ... "People told me I was crazy to go to a court," Farima said ... ....(size: 12.8Kb)
photo: US NARA
30 Nov 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. Staring at the quote on the small granite monument which read ... Martin Luther King, Jr ... King was gunned down ... They behaviorally induce people to escape into cycles of dissatisfaction, where one is needy and dependent ... People lose their grasp on reality and rationality, along with their sense of being and purpose, which is now grounded only in materialism and the consumerist "Now." But Dr ... Dr....(size: 6.5Kb)
photo: UN / Shareef Sarhan
30 Nov 2012
Israel has dismissed the UN vote to upgrade the status of the Palestinian territories as "negative political theatre" that will "hurt peace". Government spokesman Mark Regev said the move had taken Palestinians and Israelis out of a negotiating process ... It's going to hurt peace," Mr Regev told the BBC. 'New ball-game' ... Crowds of people waving flags gathered around large screens carrying the live feed ... ....(size: 8.5Kb)
photo: UN
30 Nov 2012
UNITED NATIONS -- The UN voted overwhelmingly Thursday to recognize a Palestinian state, a long-sought victory for the Palestinians and an embarrassing diplomatic defeat for the United States. The resolution upgrading the Palestinians' status to a nonmember observer state at the UN was approved in the 193-member world body by a vote of 138-9, with 41 abstentions ... The Palestinians still face enormous limitations ... U.S ... 0. Click to rate ... St ... ....(size: 9.3Kb)
Water Issues Affecting Properties in Porth and Tonypandy (Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council)
noodls01 Dec 2012
Welsh Water have a team on site repairing the damaged main and it is anticipated that water supplies should begin returning to normal by late afternoon / early evening ... Welsh Water apologise for the inconvenience caused ... Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is currently working with Welsh Water and those affected to minimise the disruption caused, ......(size: 2.2Kb)
noodls
01 Dec 2012
Two Blaenau Gwent coffee shops are opening their doors to 3VTV, the county borough's online TV channel, and a project which helps people get online. The events, in Abertillery and Tredegar, will see people invited to drop in and watch 3VTV on an IPad over a cuppa ... It is funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government's Communities 2.0 initiative....(size: 3.4Kb)
noodls
01 Dec 2012
SOLDIERS of the Royal Welsh are to exercise their right to march through the centre of Swansea next week following their latest tour of Afghanistan ... The 1st Battalion Royal Welsh will also be remembering comrades Captain Stephen Healey, aged 29, and Corporal Michael Thacker, aged 27, who died during the tour, when they march on Tuesday (December 4)....(size: 3.6Kb)
noodls
01 Dec 2012
Aberystwyth University's BA (Hons) Film and Television Studies degree programme and its equivalent course which is taught through the medium of Welsh, have both been awarded the Creative Skillset Tick following a rigorous assessment process by experts working in the Creative Industries....(size: 3.7Kb)
noodls
01 Dec 2012
... with its efforts in the south of the county to sort out problems associated with the expansion of the X2 service. The backlog of service requests is gradually being cleared, but has been affected by the recent flooding events, and we are therefore asking people to bear with us....(size: 1.8Kb)
noodls
01 Dec 2012
The council's waste and recycling section has teamed up with Tidy Towns to reduce fly-tipping and encourage people to recycle ... Cllr Evans added. "We hope the amnesty will encourage people to do the right thing and dispose of their waste in a responsible manner." ... Tidy Towns is a Welsh Government-funded initiative delivered in partnership by Carmarthenshire County Council and Keep Wales Tidy ... (noodl. 16802810) ....(size: 2.5Kb)
noodls
01 Dec 2012
Arsenal v Swansea. Barclays Premier League. Saturday, December 01, 2012, 15.00. WATCH NOW Szczesny exclusive Wojciech looks ahead to Saturday's game against Swansea. By Rob Kelly. Wojciech Szczesny expects Swansea to provide Arsenal with a major challenge at Emirates Stadium on Saturday ... Szczesny has been impressed with the Welsh club, and says Arsène Wenger's side will have to be at their best to beat them on Saturday ... (noodl....(size: 3.1Kb)
noodls
01 Dec 2012
The Welshman is clearly enjoying his football under manager Dean Saunders and his appetite to succeed is visible to see by all ... . "I'm happy to be contributing to the team," he said ... With eight goals already this term, Cotterill has revealed that he is already close to his mid season target, a feat which he hopes that will earn him Welsh International recognition once again. "I want ten goals by Christmas," said Cotterill ... (noodl....(size: 3.7Kb)
noodls
01 Dec 2012
The consultation sets out proposals for the introduction of fixed penalty notices as an alternative option for addressing the issue of persistent unauthorised absences ... Education Minister, Leighton Andrews, said. ... "The Welsh Government, through its Behaviour and Attendance Action Plan, has put in place a number of measures to improve attendance in our schools and latest figures show attendance rates are moving in the right direction....(size: 3.3Kb)
noodls
01 Dec 2012
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news. Andre Villas-Boas told Luka Modric to stop talking about Gareth Bale. Published 2012/11/30 03.19 by Brendan Simpson. Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has slammed former Spurs star Luka Modric for telling Gareth Bale to join Real Madrid ... Villas-Boas also insisted the Welsh winger would not be leaving Tottenham any time soon, no matter how badly Modric wants him at Real Madrid ... distributed by....(size: 2.9Kb)
noodls
01 Dec 2012
OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME. Arsenal v Swansea. Barclays Premier League. Saturday, December 01, 2012, 15.00. By Nick Ames. Thomas Vermaelen saw positives and negatives in Arsenal's recent draws at Aston Villa and Everton ... We have the quality to beat anybody, so a point at Goodison Park was a bit disappointing ... Vermaelen respects the Welsh side's pedigree, but is confident that the Gunners can do the job ... Click here to subscribe ... #AFCvSCFC....(size: 3.4Kb)
noodls
01 Dec 2012
30.11.12. Seventh seed Toby Penty will face England team-mate Jamie Bonsels tomorrow in the quarter-final of the men's singles at the Yonex Welsh International at Cardiff's Sophia Gardens. Penty beat Russia's Anton Ivanov 21-15 21-12 in the first round then toppled Welshman Daniel Font 21-18 21-15 ... In the women's singles qualifier Chloe Birch showed her England team-mates the way ... distributed by....(size: 2.6Kb)
noodls
01 Dec 2012
A Welsh PGA professional has helped put his club on the map by reaching his fourth national final in six years. Parc Golf Academy has seen its profile rise thanks to the success of Richard Dinsdale who teams up with amateur partner Craig Jones in the Virgin Atlantic PGA National Pro-Am Championship in Mexico next month ... Craig was unbelievably delighted to get there ... So from that point of view, it's great to get to another final....(size: 4.8Kb)
This article is about the ethnic group and nation. For information about residents in Wales, see Demography of Wales.
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| 1st row: Anthony Hopkins • Tom Jones • Dylan Thomas • George Everest • Ryan Giggs • Robert Owen • Michael Sheen 2nd row: Mary Jones • William Jones • Kelly Jones • Bertrand Russell • Gwyneth Jones • Aneurin Bevan • Owain Glyndŵr |
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Bretons, Cornish, Manx, English, Scottish, Ulster-Scots, Irish |
The Welsh people (Welsh: Cymry) are an ethnic group and nation native to Wales and associated with the Welsh language. Welsh people historically spoke the Welsh language; however, in recent years English has predominated in most of Wales.
John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain,[11] although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have been spoken in Wales far longer. The term Welsh people applies to people from Wales and people of Welsh ancestry perceiving themselves or being perceived as sharing a cultural heritage and shared ancestral origins.[12] Today Wales is a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of people living in Wales are British citizens.
An analysis of the geography of Welsh surnames commissioned by the Welsh Government found that 718,000 people, or nearly 35% of the Welsh population, have a family name of Welsh origin, compared with 5.3% in the rest of the United Kingdom, 4.7% in New Zealand, 4.1% in Australia, and 3.8% in the United States, with an estimated 16.3 million people in the countries studied having Welsh ancestry.[13]
Contents |
History[link]
See also: History of Wales and genetic history of the British Isles
During their time in Britain, the ancient Romans encountered tribes in present-day Wales that they called the Ordovices, the Demetae, the Silures and the Deceangli.[14] The people of what is now Wales were not distinguished from the rest of the peoples of southern Britain; all were called Britons and spoke the common British language, a Brythonic Celtic tongue.[15] Celtic language and culture seems to have arrived in Britain during the Iron Age, though some archaeologists argue that there is no evidence for large-scale Iron Age migrations into Great Britain.[16] The claim has also been made that Indo-European languages may have been introduced to the British Isles as early as the early Neolithic (or even earlier), with Goidelic and Brythonic languages developing indigenously.[16][17] Others hold that the close similarity between the Goidelic and Brythonic branches, and their sharing of Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age terminology with their continental relatives, point to a more recent introduction of Indo-European languages (or close communication), with Proto-Celtic itself unlikely to have existed before the end of the 2nd millennium BC at the earliest.[18] The genetic evidence in this case would show that the change to Celtic languages in Britain may have occurred as a cultural shift rather than through migration as was previously supposed.
Some current genetic research supports the idea that people living in the British Isles are likely mainly descended from the indigenous European Paleolithic (Old Stone Age hunter gatherers) population (about 80%), with a smaller Neolithic (New Stone Age farmers) input (about 20%).[19] Paleolithic Europeans seem to have been a homogeneous population, possibly due to a population bottleneck (or near-extinction event) on the Iberian peninsula, where a small human population is thought to have survived the glaciation, and expanded into Europe during the Mesolithic. The assumed genetic imprint of Neolithic incomers is seen as a cline, with stronger Neolithic representation in the east of Europe and stronger Paleolithic representation in the west of Europe.[19][20] Most in Wales today regard themselves as modern Celts, claiming a heritage back to the Iron Age tribes, which themselves, based on modern genetic analysis, would appear to have had a predominantly Paleolithic and Neolithic indigenous ancestry. When the Roman legions departed Britain around 400, a Romano-British culture remained in the areas the Romans had settled, and the pre-Roman cultures in others.[21]
In two recently published books, Blood of the Isles, by Brian Sykes and The Origins of the British, by Stephen Oppenheimer, both authors state that according to genetic evidence, most Welsh people, like most Britons, descend from the Iberian Peninsula, as a result of different migrations that took place during the Mesolithic and the Neolithic eras, and which laid the foundations for the present-day populations in the British Isles, indicating an ancient relationship among the populations of Atlantic Europe.[22][23][24] According to Stephen Oppenheimer 96% of lineages in Llangefni in north Wales derive from Iberia. Genetic research on the Y-chromosome has shown that the Welsh, like the Irish, share a large proportion of their ancestry with the Basques of Northern Spain and South Western France, although the Welsh have a greater presumed Neolithic input than both the Irish and the Basques.[25] Genetic marker R1b averages from 83–89% amongst the Welsh.[25][26]
The people in what is now Wales continued to speak Brythonic languages with additions from Latin, as did some other Celts in areas of Great Britain. The surviving poem Y Gododdin is in early Welsh and refers to the Brythonic kingdom of Gododdin with a capital at Din Eidyn (Edinburgh) and extending from the area of Stirling to the Tyne.[27] John Davies places the change from Brythonic to Welsh between 400 and 700.[28] Offa's Dyke was erected in the mid-8th century, forming a barrier between Wales and Mercia.[29]
Gene scientists at the University College of London (UCL) have claimed that the Welsh are the "true" Britons and are remnants of the Celts that were pushed out by Anglo-Saxon invaders after the Roman withdrawal in the fifth century. The genetic tests suggested that between 50% and 100% of the indigenous population of what was to become England was wiped out. In 2001, research for a BBC programme on the Vikings suggested a possible strong link between the Celts and Basques, dating back tens of thousands of years. The UCL research suggested a migration on a huge scale during the Anglo-Saxon period.[30]
"It appears England is made up of an ethnic cleansing event from people coming across from the continent after the Romans left," said Dr Mark Thomas, of the Centre for Genetic Anthropology at UCL. "Our findings completely overturn the modern view of the origins of the English."[30]
The process whereby the indigenous population of 'Wales' came to think of themselves as Welsh is not clear. There is plenty of evidence of the use of the term Brythoniaid (Britons); by contrast, the earliest use of the word Kymry (referring not to the people but to the land—and possibly to northern Britain in addition to modern day territory of Wales) is found in a poem dated to about 633. The name of the region in northern England now known as Cumbria is derived from the same root.[31] Only gradually did Cymru (the land) and Cymry (the people) come to supplant Brython. Although the Welsh language was certainly used at the time, Gwyn A. Williams argues that even at the time of the erection of Offa's Dyke, the people to its west saw themselves as Roman, citing the number of Latin inscriptions still being made into the 8th century.[32] However, it is unclear whether such inscriptions reveal a general or normative use of Latin as a marker of identity or its selective use by the early Christian Church.
The word Cymry is believed to be derived from the Brythonic combrogi, meaning fellow-countrymen,[28] and thus Cymru carries a sense of "land of fellow-countrymen", "our country"—and, of course, notions of fraternity. The name "Wales", however, comes from the Germanic walha, a term meaning "stranger" or "foreigner" which was applied particularly to peoples who had been Romanised.[33]
There are two words in modern Welsh for the English and this reflects the idea held by some that the modern English derive from various Germanic tribes (although there is little evidence for the extinction of the pre-Germanic inhabitants of England, and the idea ignores both the Scandinavian settlers in England and the Roman and Norman-French influences on English language, culture and identity): Saeson (singular: Sais), meaning originally Saxon; and: Eingl, denoting:-Angles,; meaning Englishmen in modern Welsh. The Welsh word for the English language is Saesneg, while the Welsh word for England is Lloegr.
There was immigration to Wales after the Norman Conquest, several Normans encouraged immigration to their new lands; the Landsker Line dividing the Pembrokeshire "Englishry" and "Welshry" is still detectable today.[34] The terms Englishry and Welshry are used similarly about Gower.[35]
The population of Wales increased from 587,128 in 1801 to 1,162,139 in 1851 and had reached 2,420,921 by 1911.[36] Part of this increase can be attributed to the demographic transition seen in most industrialising countries during the Industrial Revolution, as death-rates dropped and birth-rates remained steady. However, there was also a large-scale migration of people into Wales during the industrial revolution. The English were the most numerous group, but there were also considerable numbers of Irish and smaller numbers of other ethnic groups,[37][38] including Italians migrated to South Wales.[39] Wales received other immigration from various parts of the British Commonwealth of Nations in the 20th century, and African-Caribbean and Asian communities add to the ethno-cultural mix, particularly in urban Wales. Many of these self-identify as Welsh.[40] Recently, parts of Wales have seen an increased number of immigrants from recent EU accession countries such as Poland.
21st century identity[link]
2001 census[link]
It is uncertain how many people in Wales consider themselves to be of Welsh ethnicity, because the 2001 UK census did not offer 'Welsh' as an option; respondents had to use a box marked "Other". 96% of the population of Wales thus described themselves as being White British.[41] Controversy surrounding the method of determining ethnicity began as early as 2000, when it was revealed that respondents in Scotland and Northern Ireland would be able to check a box describing themselves as of Scottish or of Irish ethnicity, an option not available for Welsh or English respondents.[42][43] Prior to the census, Plaid Cymru backed a petition calling for the inclusion of a Welsh tick-box and for the National Assembly to have primary law-making powers and its own National Statistics Office.[42]
With an absence of a Welsh tick-box, the only other tick-box available was 'white-British,' 'Irish', or 'other'.[42] The Scottish parliament insisted that a Scottish ethnicity tick-box be included in the census in Scotland, and with this inclusion as many as 88.11% claimed Scottish ethnicity.[44] Critics expected a higher proportion of respondents describing themselves as of Welsh ethnicity, similar to Scottish results, had a Welsh tickbox been made available. Additional criticism was levelled at the timing of the census, which was taken in the middle of the Foot and Mouth crisis of 2001, a fact organizers said did not impact the results.[41] However, the Foot and Mouth crisis did delay UK General Elections, the first time since the Second World War any event postponed an election.
In the census, as many as 14 per cent of the population took the 'extra step' to write in that they were of Welsh ethnicity.[45][dead link] Of these, Gwynedd recorded the highest percentage of those identifying as of Welsh ethnicity (at 27%), followed by Carmarthenshire (23 per cent), Ceredigion (22 per cent) and the Isle of Anglesey (19 per cent).[45] For respondents between 16 and 74 years of age, those claiming Welsh ethnicity were predominately in professional and managerial occupations.[45]
2011 census[link]
In advance of the 2011 UK Census, the O.N.S. launched a census consultation exercise. They received replies from 28 different Welsh organisations and a large proportion of these referred to Welsh ethnicity, language or identity.[46]
For the first time ever in British census history the 2011 Census gave the opportunity for people to describe their identity as Welsh or English. A 'dress rehearsal' of the Census was carried out on the Welsh island of Anglesey because of its rural nature and its high numbers of Welsh speakers.[46]
The Census, taken on 27 March 2011, asked a number of questions relating to nationality and national identity, including What is your country of birth? ('Wales' was one of the options), How would you describe your national identity? (for the first time 'Welsh' and 'English' were included as options), What is your ethnic group? ('White Welsh/English/Scottish/Northern Irish/British' was an option) and Can you understand, speak, read or write Welsh?.[47]
Surveys[link]
According to the 2001/02 Labour Force Survey, 87 per cent of Wales-born residents claimed Welsh ethnic identity.[48][dead link] Respondents in the local authority areas of Gwynedd, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, and Merthyr Tydfil each returned results of between 91 and 93 per cent claiming Welsh ethnicity, of those born in Wales.[48] Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taff, returned results 88–91 per cent of Wales-born respondents claiming Welsh ethnicity.[48] Powys, Anglesey, Denbighshire, Caerphilly, and the Vale of Glamorgan returned results of 86–88 per cent of respondents born in Wales claiming Welsh ethnicity.[48] Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Cardiff, Newport, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent, Conwy, Flintshire, and Wrexham returned results of 78–86 per cent of those born in Wales claiming Welsh ethnicity.[48]
According to the survey, when factoring non-Wales born residents, 67 per cent of those surveyed claimed Welsh identity and an additional 7% ticked Welsh and another option, such as Welsh- British, giving a total of 74% overall. This reflects a residential population which includes 30 per cent born outside of Wales. The survey, from the Office for National Statistics, identified the remaining 33 per cent of respondents as 'Not Welsh'.[48]
A survey carried out by the Centre for Research into Elections and Social Trends at Oxford University, found that only 17.9 per cent of respondents would claim to be Welsh and not British. 20.2 per cent said they were more Welsh than British, while the most popular answer (39 per cent) claimed to be equally Welsh and British.[49]
Surveys indicate that younger people are more likely to self identify as Welsh.
Culture[link]
See also: Culture of Wales
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Language[link]
Main articles: Welsh language and history of the Welsh language
According to the 2001 census the number of Welsh speakers in Wales increased for the first time in 100 years, with 20.5% in a population of over 2.9 million claiming fluency in Welsh, or one in five.[41] Additionally, 28% of the population of Wales claimed to understand Welsh.[41] The census revealed that the increase was most significant in urban areas; such as Cardiff (Caerdydd) with an increase from 6.6% in 1991 to 10.9% in 2001, and Rhondda Cynon Taf with an increase from 9% in 1991 to 12.3% in 2001.[41] However, the number of Welsh speakers declined in Gwynedd from 72.1% in 1991 to 68.7%, and in Ceredigion from 59.1% in 1991 to 51.8%.[41] Ceredigion in particular experienced the greatest fluctuation with the a 19.5% influx of new residents since 1991.[41]
The decline in Welsh speakers in much of rural Wales is attributable to non Welsh speaking residents moving to North Wales, driving up property rates above what locals may afford, according to former Gwynedd county councillor Seimon Glyn of Plaid Cymru, whose controversial comments in 2001 focused attention on the issue.[41] As many as a third of all properties in Gwynedd are bought by persons from out of the country.[50] The issue of locals being priced out of the local housing market is common to many rural communities throughout Britain, but in Wales the added dimension of language further complicated the issue, as many new residents did not learn the Welsh language.[51]
A Plaid Cymru taskforce headed by Dafydd Wigley recommended land should be allocated for affordable local housing, and called for grants for locals to buy houses, and recommended council tax on holiday homes should double.[52]
However, the same census shows that 25 percent of residents were born outside Wales. The number of Welsh speakers in other places in Britain is uncertain, but numbers are high in the main cities and there are speakers along the Welsh-English border.
Even among the Welsh speakers, very few people speak only Welsh, with nearly all being bilingual in English. However, a large number of Welsh speakers are more comfortable expressing themselves in Welsh than in English and vice versa, usually depending on the area spoken. Many prefer to speak English in South Wales or the urbanised areas and Welsh in the North or in rural areas. A speaker's choice of language can vary according to the subject domain (known in linguistics as code-switching).
Thanks to the work of the Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin (Welsh Nursery School Movement), recent census data reveals a reversal in decades of linguistic decline: there are now more Welsh speakers under five years of age than over 60. For many young people in Wales, the acquisition of Welsh is a gateway to better careers and increased cultural opportunity: Wales's third greatest revenue earner is media products and Cardiff boasts a world-class animation industry.
Although Welsh is a minority language, and thus threatened by the dominance of English, support for the language grew during the second half of the 20th century, along with the rise of Welsh nationalism in the form of groups such as the political party Plaid Cymru and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society). The language is used in the bilingual Welsh Assembly and entered on its records, with English translation. Technically it is not supposed to be used in the British Parliament as it is referred to as a "foreign language" and is effectively banned as disruptive behaviour,[53] but several Speakers (most notably George Thomas, 1st Viscount Tonypandy, himself born in Wales, close by Tonypandy) spoke Welsh in longer English-language speeches.[citation needed]
Welsh as a first language is largely concentrated in the less urban north and west of Wales, principally Gwynedd, inland Denbighshire, northern and south-western Powys, the Isle of Anglesey, Carmarthenshire, North Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and parts of western Glamorgan, although first-language and other fluent speakers can be found throughout Wales. However, Cardiff is now home to an urban Welsh speaking population (both from other parts of Wales and from the growing Welsh medium schools of Cardiff itself) due to the centralisation and concentration of national resources and organisations in the capital.
Speaking Welsh is an important part of Welsh identity. Welsh people actively distinguish between 'Cymry Cymraeg' (Welsh-speaking Welsh), Cymry di-Gymraeg (non Welsh speaking Welsh) and Saeson (English). Parts of the culture are however strongly connected to the language — notably the Eisteddfodic tradition, poetry and aspects of folk music and dance. However, Wales has a strong tradition of poetry in the English language.
Religion[link]
See also: Religion in Wales
Most Welsh people of faith are affiliated with the Church in Wales or other Christian denominations such as the Presbyterian Church of Wales, or Catholicism, although there is even a Russian Orthodox chapel in the semi-rural town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. In particular, Wales has a long tradition of nonconformism and Methodism. Other religions Welsh people may be affiliated with include Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and Sikhism, with most non-Christian people in Wales found in Cardiff[citation needed].
The 2001 Census showed that slightly less than 10% of the Welsh population are regular church or chapel goers (a slightly smaller proportion than in England or Scotland), although about 70% of the population see themselves as some form of Christian. Judaism has quite a long history in Wales, with a Jewish community recorded in Swansea from around 1730. In August 1911, during a period of public order and industrial disputes, Jewish shops across the South Wales coalfield were damaged by mobs. Since that time the Jewish population of that area, which reached a peak of 4,000–5,000 in 1913, has declined with only Cardiff retaining a sizeable Jewish population, of about 2000 in the 2001 Census. The largest non-Christian faith in Wales is Islam, with about 22,000 members in 2001 served by about 40 mosques, following the first mosque established in Cardiff in 1860. A college for training clerics has been established at Llanybydder in West Wales. Islam arrived in Wales in the mid 19th century, and it is thought that Cardiff's Yemeni community is Britain's oldest Muslim community, established when the city was one of the world's largest coal-exporting ports. Hinduism and Buddhism each have about 5,000 adherents in Wales, with the rural county of Ceredigion being the centre of Welsh Buddhism. Govinda's temple and restaurant, run by the Hare Krishnas in Swansea, is a focal point for many Welsh Hindus. There are about 2,000 Sikhs in Wales, with the first purpose-built gurdwara opened in the Riverside area of Cardiff in 1989. In 2001 some 7,000 people classified themselves as following "other religions" including a reconstructed form of Druidism, which was the pre-Christian religion of Wales (not to be confused with the Druids of the Gorsedd at the National Eisteddfod of Wales). Approximately one sixth of the population, some 500,000 people, profess no religious faith whatsoever.
The sabbatarian temperance movement was also historically strong among the Welsh, the sale of alcohol being prohibited on Sundays in Wales by the Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881 – the first legislation specifically issued for Wales since the Middle Ages. From the early 1960s, local council areas were permitted to hold referendums every seven years to determine whether they should be "wet" or "dry" on Sundays: most of the industrialised areas in the east and south went "wet" immediately, and by the 1980s the last district, Dwyfor in the northwest, went wet, since then there have been no more Sunday-closing referendums.
National symbols[link]
Main article: National symbols of Wales
- The Flag of Wales (Y Ddraig Goch) incorporates the red dragon, a popular symbol of Wales and the Welsh people, along with the Tudor colours of green and white. It was used by Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, after which it was carried in state to St. Paul's Cathedral. The red dragon was then included in the Tudor royal arms to signify their Welsh descent. It was officially recognised as the Welsh national flag in 1959. Since the British Union Flag does not have any Welsh representation, the Flag of Wales has become very popular.
- The Flag of Saint David is sometimes used as an alternative to the national flag, and is flown on Saint David's Day.
- The dragon, part of the national flag design, is also a popular Welsh symbol. The oldest recorded use of the dragon to symbolise Wales is from the Historia Brittonum, written around 820, but it is popularly supposed to have been the battle standard of King Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders. Following the annexation of Wales by England, the dragon was used as a supporter in the English monarch's coat of arms.
- The daffodil and the leek are also symbols of Wales. The origins of the leek can be traced to the 16th century, while the daffodil became popular in the 19th century, encouraged by David Lloyd-George.[54] This may be due to confusion of the Welsh for leek, cenhinen, and that for daffodil, cenhinen Bedr or St. Peter's leek. Both are worn as symbols by the Welsh on Saint David's Day, March 1.
- The Prince of Wales's Feathers, the heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales, is sometimes adapted by Welsh bodies for use in Wales. The symbolism is explained on the article for Edward, the Black Prince, who was the first Prince of Wales to bear the emblem. The Welsh Rugby Union uses such a design for its own badge.
Welsh emigration[link]
Migration from Wales to the rest of Britain has been occurring throughout its history. Particularly during the Industrial Revolution hundreds of thousands of Welsh people migrated internally to the big cities of England and Scotland or to work in the coal mines of the north of England. As a result, much of the British population today have ancestry from Wales. The same can be said for the English, Scottish and Irish workers who migrated to Welsh cities such as Merthyr Tydfil or ports such as Pembroke in the Industrial Revolution. As a result, some English, Irish and Scottish have Welsh surnames ("Evans", "Jenkins" "Owen" etc.) and some Welsh have English, Scottish and Irish surnames — as a result, it is relatively rare in South Wales or English-speaking areas to find a person with exclusively Welsh ancestry.
Some thousands of Welsh settlers moved to other parts of Europe, but the number was sparse and concentrated to certain areas. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a small wave of contract miners from Wales arrived into Northern France, and the centre of Welsh-French populations are in coal mining towns of the French department Pas-de-Calais. Welsh settlers from Wales (and later Patagonian Welsh) arrived in Newfoundland, Canada in the early 1900s; many had founded towns in the province's Labrador coast region. In 1852 Thomas Benbow Phillips of Tregaron established a settlement of about 100 Welsh people in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.
Internationally Welsh people have emigrated, in relatively small numbers (in proportion to population Irish emigration to the United States of America (USA) may have been 26 times greater than Welsh emigration),[55] to many countries, including the USA (in particular, Pennsylvania), Canada and Y Wladfa in Patagonia, Argentina.[56][57][58] Jackson County, Ohio was sometimes referred to as Little Wales and the Welsh language was commonly heard or spoken among locals by the mid 20th century.[citation needed] Malad City in Idaho, which began as a Welsh Mormon Settlement, lays claim to having more people of Welsh descent per capita than anywhere outside of Wales itself.[59] Malad's local High School is known as the "Malad Dragons" and flies the Welsh Flag as its school colours.[60] Welsh people have also settled as far as New Zealand and Australia.[55][61]
Around 1.75 million Americans report themselves to have Welsh ancestry, as did 467,000 Canadians in Canada's 2006 census.[2][4] This compares with 2.9 million people living in Wales (as of the 2001 census).[62]
There is no known evidence which would objectively support the legend that the Mandan, a Native American tribe of the central United States, are Welsh emigrants who reached North America under Prince Madog in 1170.[63]
The Ukrainian city of Donetsk was founded in 1869 by a Welsh businessman, John Hughes, (an engineer from Merthyr Tydfil) who constructed a steel plant and several coal mines in the region; the town was thus named Yuzovka (Юзовка) in recognition of his role in its founding ("Yuz" being a Russian or Ukrainian approximation of Hughes).[64]
See also[link]
- Culture of Wales
- List of Welsh people
- Modern Celts
- Welsh American
- Welsh Canadian
- Welsh Australian
- Welsh History in Chicago
- Welsh immigration
- Welsh Italians
- Y Wladfa
References[link]
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- ^ Davies (2008) p. 189
- ^ a b "Nineteenth Century Arrivals in Australia: ''University of Wales, Lampeter'' website. Retrieved 3 August 2006". Lamp.ac.uk. http://www.lamp.ac.uk/oz/hughes/welsh19.html. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ Welsh in Pennsylvania by Matthew S. Magda (1986), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. From Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Retrieved 3 August 2006.
- ^ Welsh: Multicultural Canada. Retrieved 3 August 2006.[dead link]
- ^ "South America — Patagonia: ''BBC — Wales History.'' Retrieved 3 August 2006". BBC. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070613174806/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/cag/pages/cag-patagonia.shtml. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ "Tiny US town's big Welsh heritage: ''BBC News,'' 20 July 2005. Retrieved 3 August 2006". BBC News. 20 July 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/4699459.stm. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ "Welsh History, The Welsh in North America, Utah". Ligtel.com. http://www.ligtel.com/~wales/waleshistory.html. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ "Welsh immigration from ''Te Ara, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand''. Retrieved 3 August 2003". Teara.govt.nz. 13 October 2009. http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/NewZealandPeoples/Welsh/1/en. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ "Estimated from population of Wales from 2001 census (2,903,085Census 2001 Wales". Statistics.gov.uk. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/pyramids/pages/w.asp. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ "Was there an Indian tribe descended from Welsh explorers to America?". Straight Dope. 8 September 2006. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/060908.html. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/halloffame/historical_figures/john_hughes.shtml
Further reading[link]
- John Davies, A History of Wales, published 1990 by Penguin, ISBN 0-14-014581-8
- Norman Davies, The Isles, published 1991 by Papermac, ISBN 0-333-69283-7
- Gwyn A Williams, The Welsh in their History, published 1982 by Croom Helm, ISBN 0-7099-3651-6
- J.F. del Giorgio, The Oldest Europeans, published 2005 by A.J. Place, ISBN 980-6898-00-1
- Adrian Hastings, The Construction of Nationhood: Ethnicity, Religion, and Nationalism, published in 1997 by Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-62544-0
External links[link]
| Find more about Welsh people on Wikipedia's sister projects: | |
 |
Definitions and translations from Wiktionary |
 |
Images and media from Commons |
 |
Learning resources from Wikiversity |
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News stories from Wikinews |
 |
Quotations from Wikiquote |
 |
Source texts from Wikisource |
 |
Textbooks from Wikibooks |
- BBC Wales: Welsh Comings and Goings: The history of migration in and out of Wales
- BBC News report: The Numbers of Welsh (and Cornish)
- BBC News report: Genes link Celts to Basques
- BBC: The Welsh in Patagonia
- Glaniad – Welsh Settlements in Patagonia
- data-wales.co.uk: Emigration from Wales to America
- data-wales.co.uk: Why do so many Black Americans have Welsh names?
- Genetic data (1)
- Genetic data (2)
- Link2Wales: Encyclopedia of the alternative music scene in Wales
- A Y chromosome census of the British Isles
- data from paper displayed on map of British Isles[dead link]
- 418,000 write in 'Welsh' on 2001 Census form
- Gathering the Jewels – Welsh Heritage and Culture
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_people
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This is a list of Welsh people (Welsh: rhestr Cymry); an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales.
Historian John Davies argues that the origin of the Welsh nation can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic or other Celtic languages seem to have been spoken in Wales since much earlier.[1][2]
This list is for people of Welsh heritage and descent, and for those otherwise perceived as Welsh; through either birth or adoption. Only those meeting notability criteria are included on this list.
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Contents
|
Actors[link]
- Keith Allen (born 1953)
- Stanley Baker (1927–1976)
- David Bower (born 1969)
- Rob Brydon (born 1965)
- Richard Burton (1925–1984)
- Timothy Dalton (born 1946)
- Josie D'Arby (born 1973) (also presenter)
- Gareth David-Lloyd (born 1981)
- Richard Davies (born 1926)
- Ryan Davies (1937–1977)
- Windsor Davies (born 1930)
- Sophie Dee (born 1984)
- Robert East (born 1943)
- Aimee-Ffion Edwards (born 1987)
- Maudie Edwards (1906–1991)
- Peg Entwistle (1908–1932)
- Clifford Evans (1912–1985)
- Huw Garmon (born 1966)
- Colin George (born 1929)
- Hugh Griffith (1912–1980)
- Kenneth Griffith (1921–2006)
- Ioan Gruffudd (born 1973)
- Edmund Gwenn (1875–1958)
- Mike Gwilym (born 1949)
- Robert Gwilym (born 1956)
- Lyn Harding (1867–1952)
- Doris Hare (1905–2000)
- Georgia Henshaw (born 1993)
- Donald Houston (1923–1991)
- Glyn Houston (born 1926)
- Sir Anthony Hopkins (born 1937)
- Aneirin Hughes (born 1958)
- Gareth Hughes (1894–1965)
- Isabel Ice (born 1982)
- Rhys Ifans (born 1968)
- Emrys James (1928–1989)
- Gary Jones (born 1958)
- Glynis Johns (born 1923)
- Mervyn Johns (1899–1992)
- Margaret John (1926–2011)
- Ruth Jones (born 1967)
- Desmond Llewelyn (1914–1999)
- Philip Madoc (1934–2012)
- Ruth Madoc (born 1943)
- Steven Meo (born 1977)
- Ray Milland (1907–1986)
- Eve Myles (born 1978)
- Kai Owen (born 1975)
- Joanna Page (born 1978)
- Siân Phillips (born 1934)
- Tom Price (born 1980)
- Ian Puleston-Davies (born 1959)
- Jonathan Pryce (born 1947)
- Angharad Rees (born 1949)
- Roger Rees (born 1944)
- Iwan Rheon (born 1985)
- Steffan Rhodri (born 1967)
- John Rhys-Davies (born 1944)
- Ieuan Rhys (born 1961)
- Matthew Rhys (born 1974)
- Rachel Roberts (1927–1980)
- Matt Ryan (born 1981)
- Michael Sheen (born 1969)
- Sarah Siddons (1755–1831)
- Victor Spinetti (born 1933)
- Gareth Thomas (born 1945)
- Talfryn Thomas (1922–1982)
- William Thomas
- Tim Vincent (born 1972) (also presenter)
- Melanie Walters
- Naunton Wayne (1901–1970)
- Andy Whitfield (1972–2011)
- Emlyn Williams (1905–1987) (also dramatist)
- Ieuan Rhys (born 1961)
- Ieuan Rhys Williams (born 1909)
- Peter Wingfield (born 1962)
- Owain Yeoman (born 1978)
- Catherine Zeta-Jones (born 1969)
Architects[link]
- William Edwards (1719–1789)
- Alwyn Sheppard Fidler (1909–1990)
- John St. Bodfan Gruffydd (1910–2004)
- Inigo Jones (1573–1652) (born in London to Welsh parents)
- John Jones (1810–1869)
- Owen Jones (1809–1874)) (born in London of Welsh descent)
- Ernest Morgan (1881–1954)
- John Nash (1753–1835) (born in London to Welsh parents)
- Malcolm Parry (currently active)
- John Prichard (1817–1886)
- Percy Thomas (1883–1969)
- Clough Williams-Ellis (1883–1978)
Artists[link]
- Thomas Nathaniel Davies (1922–1996), painter and sculptor
- Nick Evans (1907–2004), painter
- Laura Ford (born 1961), sculptor
- John Gibson (1790–1866), sculptor
- Nina Hamnett (1890–1956), painter
- Alfred Janes (1911–1999), painter
- Augustus John (1878–1961), painter
- Gwen John (1876–1939), painter
- David Jones (1895–1974), artist and poet
- Martyn Jones painter
- Thomas Jones (1742–1803), painter
- Mervyn Levy (1915–1996), painter, art dealer, writer and critic
- Michael Gustavius Payne (born 1969), painter
- Ceri Richards (1903–1971), painter
- Andrew Vicari (born 1938), painter
- Kyffin Williams (1918–2006), painter
- Richard Wilson (1714–1782), painter
Designers[link]
- Laura Ashley (1925–1985)
- Jeff Banks (born 1943)
- Martin Davies (born 1957)
- David Emanuel (born 1952)
- Timothy Everest (born 1961)
- Julien Macdonald (born 1971)
- Tommy Nutter (1943–1992)
- Jayne Pierson (born 1969/1970)
- Mary Quant (born 1934)
Entrepreneurs[link]
- Richard ap Meryk, (or ap Meurig), Anglicised to Richard Amerike (or Ameryk) (c. 1445–1503), after whom America is reputed to be named
- James Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley (1883–1968), newspaper publisher
- William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose (1879–1954), newspaper publisher
- David Davies Llandinam (1818–1890), industrialist
- Griffith J. Griffith (1850–1919), mining millionaire
- John Josiah Guest (1785–1852), ironmaster
- Sir William Thomas Lewis (1837–1914), coalowner
- Sir Terry Matthews OBE FIEE FREng (hc) (born 1943), telecommunications billionaire, owner of Celtic Manor Resort
- Michael Moritz (born 1962), investor
- Charles Stewart Rolls (1877–1910), motor car manufacturer and aviator
- Sir Howard Stringer (born 1942), businessman
- David Sullivan (born 1949), publisher
- David Alfred Thomas (1856–1918), industrialist
Explorers[link]
- John Evans (1770–1799)
- George Everest (1790–1866)
- Perce Blackborow (1896–1949)
- Henry Morton Stanley (1841–1904)
Film Directors[link]
- Kevin Allen (born 1962)
- Marc Evans (born 1963)
- Peter Greenaway (born 1942)
- Craig Handley (born 1977)
- Richard Marquand (1938–1987) (Star Wars Episode VI – Return of the Jedi)
- Julian Richards (born 1968)
- Sara Sugarman (born 1962)
Humorists[link]
- Max Boyce (born 1945), entertainer
- Tommy Cooper (1922–1984), comedian and magician
- Ryan Davies (1937–1977), comedian and singer
- Lee Dainton (born 1973), (Dirty Sanchez television series)
- Rhod Gilbert (born 1968), comedian and BBC Radio Wales personality
- Griff Rhys Jones (born 1953), comic writer, actor and presenter
- Ruth Jones (born 1967), comic writer (Gavin & Stacey), actress and radio presenter
- Terry Jones (born 1942), comedian (Monty Python series), author, film director
- Gladys Morgan (1898–1983), comedienne
- Tessie O'Shea (1913–1997), stand-up comedienne
- Matthew Pritchard, (Dirty Sanchez television series)
- Harry Secombe (1921–2001), comedian, actor, singer and television presenter
- Paul Whitehouse (born 1958), writer and actor
- Ronnie Williams (1939–1997), actor and comedian
Inventors[link]
Main article: List of Welsh inventors
- William Frost (1848–1935), amateur aviator
- Adam Powell (born 1976), creator of Neopets
- Walter Clopton Wingfield (1833–1912), inventor of lawn tennis
- Edwin Stevens (1905–1995), designed the world's first wearable electronic hearing aid
- Philip Vaughan (???? – ????), first design for a ball bearing in 1794
- William Henry Preece (1834–1913)
- William Robert Grove (1811–1896)
- John Jones (1645–1709)
- Thomas Williams of Llanidan (1737–1802)
- William Davies Evans (1790–1872)
Journalists and broadcasters[link]
- James Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley (1883–1968), newspaper publisher
- William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose (1879–1954), newspaper publisher
- Huw Beynon (born 1988) sports journalist and broadcaster for 3News in New Zealand
- Jeremy Bowen (born 1960), journalist and broadcaster
- Derek Brockway (born 1967), chief meteorologist for BBC Wales Today
- Toby Charles soccer commentator for hit PBS television show Soccer Made in Germany from 1976–1983.
- Hugh Cudlipp (born Cardiff 1913, died 1998), editorial director of Mirror Group, a giant of twentieth century journalism
- Russell Davies (born 1946) radio presenter
- Josie D'Arby (born 1972), radio broadcaster and television presenter
- Huw Edwards (born 1943), journalist and co-anchor of BBC News at Ten
- Sara Edwards (born 1961), broadcast journalist and television presenter
- Dewi Griffiths (born 1931), presenter of BBC Radio Wales' 'A String of Pearls'
- Guto Harri (born 1966), BBC political correspondent
- John Humphrys (born 1943), journalist and broadcaster
- Gareth Jones (1905–1935), first to publicise the existence of the Holodomor in the Western world.
- Gareth Jones a.k.a. Gaz Top (born 1961) presenter and broadcaster
- Gethin Jones (born 1978), presenter
- Steve Jones (born 1977), presenter
- Martyn Lewis, (born 1945) presenter
- Siân Lloyd (born 1958), meteorologist, television presenter
- Sian Lloyd, BBC Cymru Wales television news presenter,
- Johnny Morris OBE (1919–1999), television presenter of BBC's 'Animal Magic'
- Jamie Owen (born 1967), broadcast journalist and co-anchor for BBC Wales Today
- Allison Pearson (born 1960), journalist and author
- Wynford Vaughan-Thomas (1908–1987), noted BBC World War II reporter and journalist
- Huw Wheldon (1916–1986), journalist and broadcaster
- Sian Williams (born 1964), BBC news and current affairs presenter
- Iolo Williams (born 1962), wildlife expert and presenter
Military men and women[link]
- Malcolm Douglas-Pennant, 6th Baron Penrhyn (1908–2003) awarded MBE after the invasion of Sicily in World War II
- Hugh Evan-Thomas (1862–1928), Royal Navy Vice-Admiral
- Ellis Humphrey Evans "Hedd Wyn", celebrated poet, died in the Third Battle of Ypres during World War I
- T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) (1888–1935), soldier
- Hubert William Lewis VC (1896–1977)
- John Wallace Linton VC, Royal Navy Commander
- Dafydd ap Llewelyn ap Hywel, better known as Dafydd Gam (c. 1380–1415), prominent opponent of Owain Glyndŵr
- Owain Lawgoch or Yvain de Galles (c. 1300–1378), mercenary and titular Prince of Wales
- Sir Thomas Picton, (1758–1815), Lieutenant General
- Morys Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare KBE, served in WWII, later active politician and Privy Councillor
- Simon Weston (born 1961), soldier and broadcaster
- John Williams VC (1857–1932), born "John Fielding"
- Roger Williams (~1537–1595), soldier
- William Charles Fuller VC (1884–1974), first Welshman to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the Great War.
Monarchs and princes[link]
- Cadwallon ap Cadfan (died 633), King of Gwynedd
- Cunedda (fl. 400–450), King of Gwynedd
- Dafydd ap Gruffudd (died 1283), Prince of Wales
- Edward II of England (1284–1327), born in Caernarfon Castle
- Gwenllian of Wales (1282–1337), daughter of Llywelyn the Last
- Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, (1097–1137), Princess-consort of Deheubarth
- Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1035–1137), King of Gwynedd
- Henry V of England (1386–1422), born in Monmouth
- Henry VII of England (1457–1509), first king of the Tudor dynasty
- Hywel Dda (887–950), Prince of Deheubarth
- Idwal Iwrch ap Cadwaladr (c.650–720), King of Gwynedd
- Llywelyn the Great (1173–1240), Prince of Wales
- Llywelyn the Last (c. 1225–1282), Prince of Wales
- Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor (m.1236), Prince of Powys Fadog
- Maelgwn Gwynedd (c. 490 – 547), Prince of Gwynedd
- Owain Glyndŵr (1359–1416), Prince of Wales
- Owain Gwynedd (1100–1170), King of Gwynedd
- Rhodri Mawr (c. 820–878), King of Gwynedd and Deheubarth
- The Lord Rhys (1132–1197), Prince of Deheubarth
- Trahaearn ap Caradog (died 1081), King of Gwynedd
Musicians[link]
- Ivor Atkins (1869–1953), organist
- Dame Shirley Bassey (born 1937), singer
- Wally Bishop (1894–1966), Waldini, band leader and impresario
- James Dean Bradfield (born 1969), guitarist and lead singer (Manic Street Preachers)
- Delme Bryn-Jones (1934–2001), baritone
- Stuart Burrows (born 1933), tenor
- Stuart Cable (1970–2010), drummer (formerly with Stereophonics)
- John Cale (born 1942), musician (Velvet Underground)
- Charlotte Church (born 1986), singer
- Steffan Cravos (born 1975), rapper
- Chris Dale Heavy Metal Bassist with Tank and Sack Trick
- Henry Walford Davies (1869–1944), composer, Master of the King's Music
- Spencer Davis (born 1939), musician
- Marina Lambrini Diamandis (born 1985), singer-songwriter known by her stage name Marina and the Diamonds
- Aimée Ann Duffy (born 1984), singer and songwriter, stage name Duffy
- Geoff Eales, Jazz pianist
- Steve Eaves (born 1952), poet, singer and songwriter
- Dave Edmunds (born 1944), signer, songwriter, musician and Rockfield Studios pioneer
- David Spencer (born 1939), singer, stage name Ricky Valance
- Geraint Evans (1922–1992), opera singer
- Wynne Evans (born 1972), tenor
- Andy Fairweather-Low (born 1948), singer, formerly with Amen Corner
- Catrin Finch (born 1980), harpist
- Roger Glover (born 1945), musician (Deep Purple)
- Larry Goves (born 1980), composer
- Jemma Griffiths (born 1975), singer and songwriter
- Pete Ham (1947–1975), musician (Badfinger)
- Alun Hoddinott (born 1929), composer
- Mary Hopkin (born 1950), singer
- Owain Arwel Hughes (born 1942), orchestral conductor
- David Russell Hulme (born 1951), conductor
- Dafydd Iwan (born 1943), singer-songwriter
- Richard David James (born 1971), electronic musician commonly known as Aphex Twin
- Karl Jenkins (born 1944), composer
- Katherine Jenkins (born 1980), singer
- Aled Jones (born 1970), singer (former boy treble, now baritone/tenor) (also radio and TV presenter, actor)
- Daniel Jones (composer) (1912–1993), composer
- Della Jones (born 1946), singer
- Gwyneth Jones (born 1936), singer
- Kelly Jones (born 1974), lead singer and guitarist (Stereophonics)
- Tom Jones (born 1940), singer
- Martyn Joseph (born 1960), singer-songwriter
- Parry Jones (1891–1963), singer
- Peter Karrie (born 1946), singer
- Jon Lee (1968–2002), drummer with rock band Feeder
- Donna Lewis (born 1973), singer, musician
- Lustmord (born Brian Williams) is an electronic musician often credited for creating the dark ambient genre.
- William Mathias (1934–1992), composer
- Cerys Matthews (born 1969), singer,songwriter,documentary maker,broadcaster,author
- Elaine Morgan, singer
- Grant Nicholas (born 1967), guitarist, singer with rock band Feeder
- Ivor Novello (1893–1951), actor, composer, dramatist, producer and singer
- Tessie O'Shea (1913–1995), entertainer
- Donald Peers (1908–1973)), singer
- Mal Pope (born 1960), singer and songwriter
- Margaret Price (born 1941), singer
- Gruff Rhys (born 1970), lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist (Super Furry Animals)
- Timothy John Rishton (born ?), organist, author, lecturer and broadcaster
- Sasha (born 1969), DJ
- James Sauvage (1849–1922), singer
- Andy Scott-Lee (born 1980), singer (3SL)
- Lisa Scott-Lee (born 1975), singer (3SL and Steps)
- Harry Secombe (1921–2001), entertainer
- Rick Smith (born 1959), keyboards with British electronic group Underworld
- Henry Spinetti (born 1951), drummer
- Dorothy Squires (1915–1998), singer
- Alison Statton (born 1959), singer (Young Marble Giants)
- Meic Stevens (born 1942), singer and songwriter
- Shakin' Stevens (born 1948), singer
- Steve Strange (born 1959), singer
- Robert Tear (born 1939), tenor
- Bryn Terfel (born 1965), baritone opera singer
- Thighpaulsandra (born Tim Lewis), musician, composer
- John Thomas (1826–1913), harpist and composer
- Mansel Thomas (1909–1986), composer
- Bonnie Tyler (born 1951), singer
- Ian Watkins (born 1977), lead singer for Lostprophets
- Ian Watkins (born 1976), pop singer from Steps
- Grace Williams (1906–1977), composer
- Terry Williams (born 1948), drummer with Dire Straits
- Nicky Wire (born 1969), lyricist and bassist (Manic Street Preachers)
- David Wynne (1900–1983), composer
Bands[link]
- The Alarm (1977– ), alternative rock band from Rhyl
- Amen Corner (1966–1969 ), popular rock band from Cardiff
- Yr Anhrefn (1982–1995), punk rock band from Bangor
- Anweledig (1991– ), funk ska band from Blaenau Ffestiniog
- Attack! Attack! (2006– ), alternative rock band from Caerphilly and Aberdare
- The Automatic (2002– ), alternative rock band from Cowbridge
- Badfinger (1969–1975, 1978–1984), rock band from Swansea
- Y Bandana (2008–), alternative rock band from Caernarfon
- Bob Delyn a'r Ebillion (1988–), folk rock band
- Big Leaves (1988–2003), indie rock band from Waunfawr
- The Blackout (2003– ), post-hardcore rock band from Merthyr Tydfil
- Budgie (1967–1988, reformed 1995), heavy metal band from Cardiff
- Bullet for my Valentine (1998– ), metalcore band from Bridgend
- Brigyn (2004– ), vocal group from Gwynedd
- Calan (band) (2006–), folk band
- Catatonia (1992–2001), alternative rock band from Cardiff
- Colorama (2008– ), alternative folk band from Cardiff
- The Crocketts (1996–2002), rock group from Aberystwyth
- Crys (1976–) metal band from Resolven
- Y Cyrff (1983–1992), Welsh language rock band from Llanrwst
- Datblygu (1982–1995), experimental rock band
- Demented Are Go, (1982– ), psychobilly band from Cardiff
- Derwyddon Dr Gonzo (2005–), funk and ska band from Llanrug
- Dub War (1993–1999), metal band from Newport
- Ether (1996–1999), alternative rock band from Blackwood
- Feeder (1991–), rock band from Newport
- Ffa Coffi Pawb, rock band, precursor to the Super Furry Animals
- Y Ffyrc, group founded by former Catatonia members
- Funeral for a Friend (2001–), screamo/emo band
- Gene Loves Jezebel (1980–), gothic rock band
- Genod Droog (2005–2008), indie/hip-hop band
- Goldie Looking Chain (2000–), comedic rap band from Newport
- Gorky's Zygotic Mynci (1991–2006), alternative rock band from Carmarthen
- Iwcs a Doyle (1995–), acoustic band
- Kids in Glass Houses (2003–), pop punk band
- Llwybr Llaethog (1985–), experimental band from Blaenau
- Lostprophets (1997–), rock band from Pontypridd
- Mclusky (1996–2005), alternative rock band
- Man (1968–1976, 1983–present), progressive rock band
- Manic Street Preachers (1986–present), alternative rock band from Blackwood
- Y Niwl (2009–), surf music instrumental band from Gwynedd
- The Poppies (2003–2007), rock band from Aberystwyth
- Sibrydion (2004– ), indie rock band from Waunfawr
- Super Furry Animals (1993–), rock band from Cardiff
- Stereophonics (1992–), indie rock band from Cwmaman
- Skindred (1998–), reggae and rock band from Newport
- Tystion (1996–2002), hip-hop group from Carmarthen
Philanthropists[link]
- Gwendoline Davies (1882–1951)
- Margaret Davies (1884–1963)
- Albert Gubay (born 1928)
- Augusta Hall, Baroness Llanover (1802–1896)
- Edmund Meyrick (1636–1713)
- Hugh Owen (1804–1881)
- Robert Owen (1771–1858)
- Thomas Phillips (1760–1851)
- Eliezer Pugh (1814–1903)
- Edwin Stevens (1905–1995)
- Maria Jane Williams (c.1794–1873)
- John Wynne (1650–1714)
- Elihu Yale (1649–1721)
Philosophers[link]
- Richard Ithamar Aaron (1901–1987)
- Martin Wilding Davies (born 1957)
- Martyn Evans
- David James Jones (1886–1947)
- Henry Jones (1852–1922)
- John Robert Jones (1911–1970)
- Hywel Lewis (1910–1992)
- John Lewis (1889–1976)
- Gwilym Ellis Lane Owen (1922–1982)
- Dewi Zephaniah Phillips (1934–2006)
- Griffith Powell (1561–1620)
- John Cowper Powys (1872–1963)
- H. H. Price (1899–1984)
- Richard Price (1723–1791)
- Mark Rowlands (born 1962)
- Bertrand Russell (1872–1970)
- David Oswald Thomas (1924–2005)
- Thomas Vaughan (1621–1666)
- David Williams (1738–1816)
Politicians[link]
- William Abraham (1842–1922), Liberal–Labour and Labour, trade unionist and first working-class MP
- Leo Abse (1917–2008), Labour reformer of social legislation
- Leighton Andrews AM (born 1957), Labour, Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government
- Ifor Bach (fl. 1158) early Welsh leader
- Kenneth Baker (born 1934), Conservative
- Lorraine Barrett AM (born 1950), Labour
- John Batchelor (1820–1883), Liberal
- Aneurin Bevan (1897–1960), Labour, founder of the National Health Service
- Henry Bruce (1815–1895), Liberal
- Molly Scott Cato (born 1963), the Green Party's Economics Spokesperson
- Christine Chapman AM (born 1956), Labour
- Alun Davies AM (born 1964), Labour
- Andrew Davies AM (born 1952), Labour
- David Davies, 1st Baron Davies (1880–1944), Liberal
- Jocelyn Davies AM (born 1959), Plaid Cymru
- Julian Cayo-Evans (1937–1995), political activist and leader of the Free Wales Army
- S.O. Davies (1886–1972), Labour
- Dafydd Elis-Thomas (born 1946), Plaid Cymru, Former Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales
- Gwynfor Evans (1912–2005), Plaid Cymru's first Member of Parliament
- Nerys Evans AM (born 1980), Plaid Cymru
- Chris Franks AM (born 1951), Plaid Cymru
- John Frost (1784–1877), Chartist
- Julia Gillard (1961–), first female Prime Minister of Australia and leader of the Australian Labor Party
- Janice Gregory AM (born 1955), Labour
- Samuel Griffith (1845–1920), first Chief Justice of Australia
- Jim Griffiths (1890–1975), First Secretary of State for Wales
- John Griffiths AM (born 1956), Labour and Counsel General for Wales
- Lesley Griffiths AM (born 1960), Labour
- Benjamin Hall, 1st Baron Llanover (1802–1867), Whig, after whom "Big Ben" is reputedly named
- Edwina Hart AM (born 1957), Labour
- Michael Heseltine (born 1933), Conservative
- Geoffrey Howe (born 1926), Conservative, Foreign Secretary
- Billy Hughes (1862–1952), Prime Minister of Australia
- Cledwyn Hughes (Baron Cledwyn of Penrhos) (1916–2001), Labour
- Jane Hutt AM (born 1949), Labour
- Huw Irranca-Davies (born 1963), Labour, Labour
- Irene James AM (born 1952), Labour
- Bethan Jenkins AM (born 1981), Plaid Cymru
- Roy Jenkins (1920–2003), Labour, Chancellor of the Exchequer 1967–70, founder of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), President of the European Commission, 1976–81 and author
- Alun Ffred Jones AM (born 1949), Plaid Cymru
- Ann Jones AM (born 1953), Labour
- Carwyn Jones AM (born 1967), Labour, First Minister of Wales
- Elin Jones AM (born 1966), Plaid Cymru
- Baron Elwyn-Jones (1909–1989), Labour Lord Chancellor also barrister
- Ieuan Wyn Jones AM (born 1949), Plaid Cymru, Deputy First Minister of Wales
- William Jones (1809–1873), Chartist
- Neil Kinnock (born 1942), Leader of the Labour Party, 1983–92
- Peter Law (1948–2006), Labour, Independent
- Francis Lewis (1713–1803), signatory of the American Declaration of Independence
- Huw Lewis AM (born 1964), Labour
- Saunders Lewis (1893–1985), poet, dramatist, historian, literary critic, political activist, Welsh nationalist and a founder of what would become Plaid Cymru
- Val Lloyd AM, Labour
- David Lloyd-George (1863–1945), Liberal, Prime Minister 1916–22
- Sandy Mewies AM (born 1950), Labour
- Alun Michael (1948) Labour, first First Secretary for Wales 1999–2000
- Rhodri Morgan AM (born 1939), Labour, First Minister of Wales 2000–2009
- Paul Murphy, (born 1946), Labour, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 2002–05
- Lynne Neagle AM (born 1968), Labour
- Ifan ab Owen Edwards (1895–1970), founder of Urdd Gobaith Cymru
- Richard Lewis, better known as Dic Penderyn, (1808–1831), Chartist
- John Prescott (born 1938), Labour, Deputy Prime Minister 1997–2007
- Merlyn Rees (1920–2006), Labour, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 1974–1976, Home Secretary 1976–1979
- Henry Richard (1812–1888), Liberal
- Ivor Richard, Baron Richard, Labour, former Leader of the House of Lords, Lord Privy Seal and European Commissioner
- Edward V. Robertson, (1881–1963), US Senator
- Ted Rowlands (born 1943), Labour
- Joan Ruddock (born 1943), Labour
- Carl Sargeant AM (born 1968), Labour
- Karen Sinclair AM (born 1952), Labour
- George Thomas, (1909–1997), Labour, Speaker of the House of Commons
- Lewis Valentine (1893–1986), pastor, author, editor, Welsh nationalist and a founder of what would become Plaid Cymru
- Thomas Vaughan (c.1410–1483), also soldier and diplomat
- Dafydd Wigley (born 1943), former President of Plaid Cymru
- D. J. Williams (1885–1970), Welsh-language writer and a founder of what would become Plaid Cymru
- Morgan B. Williams (1831–1903), Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives
- William Williams (1634–1700), also lawyer
- Zephaniah Williams (1795–1874), Chartist
- Leanne Wood AM (born 1971), Plaid Cymru
- Alan Woods (born 1944) Trotskyist and writer
Religious figures[link]
- Saint Cadoc (born c. 497)
- Thomas Charles (1755–1814), Nonconformist minister
- David Davies (1741–1819) Clergyman and social historian
- Saint David (died 601?), patron saint of Wales
- Christmas Evans (1766–1838), Nonconformist minister
- Saints Philip Evans and John Lloyd, Roman Catholic priests and two of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
- Ann Griffiths (1776–1805), religious poet and hymn-writer
- Saint Richard Gwyn (c.1537–1584)
- Howell Harris (1714–1773), Methodist minister
- Saint Illtud (died mid-6th century)
- William Morgan (Bible translator) (1545–1604), bishop and Welsh translator of the Bible
- Evan Roberts (1878–1950), Methodist preacher in the Welsh Revival
- John Roberts (Ieuan Gwyllt) (1822–1877), Methodist preacher and hymn-writer
- Daniel Rowland (1713–1790), Methodist preacher in the Welsh Revival
- William Salesbury (c. 1520–1584?), Welsh translator of the New Testament
- Rowan Williams (born 1950), Archbishop of Canterbury appointed 2003
- William Williams Pantycelyn (1717–1791), hymn-writer
Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland
Scientists[link]
- Glyn Daniel (1914–1986), archaeologist, broadcaster
- Donald Watts Davies (1924–2000), "Father of the internet" — co-inventor of packet switching (and originator of the term)
- Hugh Davies (1793–1821), botanist, clergyman
- Huw Dixon, (born 1958), Economist.
- Lyn Evans, (born 1945), project leader of the CERN, Switzerland-based Large Hadron Collider
- Herbert George (1893–1939), chemist, lecturer
- William Robert Grove (1811–1896), physicist
- Gwilym Jenkins (1933–1982), statistician, systems engineer
- Alwyn Jones (born 1947), biophysicist
- Eifion Jones (1925–2004), marine botanist
- Steve Jones (born 1944), biologist, geneticist, author and television presenter
- Brian David Josephson (born 1940), Physicist, Nobel Laureate, inventor of the Josephson Junction
- Edward Lhuyd (1660–1709), naturalist, botanist, linguist, geographer and antiquary
- Ronald Lockley (1903–2000), naturalist, author
- Victor Erle Nash-Williams archaeologist
- Robert Recorde (1510–1558) mathematician and physician. Inventor of the `equals' sign in mathematics.
- Gareth Roberts (1940–2007), physicist
- Graham Sutton (1903–1877), meteorologist
- Llewellyn Hilleth Thomas (1903–1992), Physicist. Discoverer of the 'Thomas precession' in relativity theory
- Alfred Russell Wallace (1823–1913) biologist, co-discoverer of the theory of evolution by natural selection
- Phil Williams (1939–2003), astrophysicist, politician
Sportspeople[link]
Athletes[link]
- Jim Alford (born 1913), British Empire Games gold medallist
- John Ainsworth-Davies (1895–1976), gold medallist at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Steve Barry (born 1950), Commonwealth Games gold medallist
- Jamie Baulch (born 1973), 400m Sprinter, Commonwealth Games bronze and silver medallist and silver medallist at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Tim Benjamin (born 1982), Commonwealth Games silver medallist
- Steve Brace (born 1961), long-distance runner
- Guto Nyth Brân (1700–1737), runner
- Lesley Brannan (born 1976), hammer thrower
- Lynn Davies Olympic gold medallist
- Tenby Davies (1884–1932), world professional half-mile champion
- John Disley (born 1928), 3000 metres steeple chaser
- Dai Greene (born 1986)
- Tanni Grey-Thompson (born 1969), winner of 11 gold, four silver and one bronze Olympic medals
- Cecil Griffiths (1901–1945), gold medallist at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Venissa Head (born 1956), Commonwealth Games silver medallist
- Colin Jackson (born 1967), hurdler
- David Jacobs (1888–1976), gold medallist at the 1912 Summer Olympics
- Berwyn Jones (1940–2007), sprinter and rugby league footballer
- Steve Jones (born 1955), Commonwealth Games silver medallist and former marathon world record holder
- Christian Malcolm (born 1979), Sprinter
- Robert Mitchell (born 1980), high jumper
- Kay Morley-Brown (born 1963), Commonwealth Games gold medallist
- Catherine Murphy (born 1975), Olympic 400m runner
- Jonathon O'Dougherty, British National Ice Dance champion
- Carys Parry (born 1981), Commonwealth Games hammer silver medallist
- Berwyn Price (born 1951), Commonwealth Games gold and silver medallist, and Olympic 110 metre hurdler
- Tom Richards (1910–1985), silver medallist at the 1948 Summer Olympics
- Philippa Roles (born 1978), Commonwealth Games discus thrower
- Michelle Scutt (born 1960), Commonwealth Games silver medallist and bronze medallist at the 1980 Summer Olympics
- Steven Shalders (born 1981 in Bridgend), Commonwealth Games triple jumper
- Tony Simmons (born 1948), Olympic 10,000 metre runner
- Scott Simpson (born 1979), Commonwealth Games pole vaulter
- Iwan Thomas (born 1974), 400m Sprinter
- Reg Thomas (1907–1946), British Empire Games gold and silver medallist, and Olympic distance runner
- Angela Tooby (born 1960), Commonwealth Games bronze medallist
- Susan Tooby (born 1960), Olympic long distance runner
- Hayley Tullett (born 1975), Commonwealth Games silver and bronze medallist, and Olympic middle distance runner
- Kirsty Wade (born 1962), Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and Olympic middle distance runner
- Nigel Walker (born 1963), Olympic 110m high hurdler and Wales international rugby union player
- Nick Whitehead (1933–2002), Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and bronze medallist at the 1960 Summer Olympics
- J.J. Williams (born 1948), Commonwealth Games sprinter and Wales international rugby union player
- Rhys Williams (born 1984), Commonwealth Games bronze medallist
- Neil Winter (born 1973), Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and Olympic pole vaulter.
Badminton[link]
- Martyn Lewis (born 1982)
- Kelly Morgan (born 1975)
- Richard Vaughan (born 1978)
Baseball players[link]
- Jimmy Austin (1879 1965)
- Ted Lewis (1872–1936)
- Peter Morris (1854–1884)
[edit] British baseball players
- Ted Peterson (1916–2005)
- George Whitcombe (1902–1986)
Bowls[link]
- Janet Ackland
- Fred Leamon (1919–1981)
- Fred Parfitt (1869–1953)
- Robert Weale (born 1963)
Boxers[link]
- Jamie Arthur (born 1979)
- Eddie Avoth (born 1945)
- Albert Barnes (1913–1990)
- Bill Beynon (1891–1932)
- Dai Bowen (died 1912, in the sinking of the RMS Titanic)
- Joe Calzaghe (born 1972), undefeated former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF super middleweight and The Ring light heavyweight world champion
- Nathan Cleverly (born 1987), current European light heavyweight title holder.
- Jason Cook (born 1975)
- Brian Curvis (born 1937)
- Dai Dower (born 1933)
- Jim Driscoll (1880–1925), 'Peerless' Jim Driscoll, featherweight
- Joe Erskine (1934–1990)
- Tommy Farr (1914–1986)
- Colin Jones (born 1959)
- Enzo Maccarinelli (born 1980), former WBU cruiserweight title holder (7 Defences)
- Johnny Owen (1956–1980)
- David 'Bomber' Pearce (1959–2000)
- Nicky Piper (born 1966)
- Steve Robinson (born 1968), former WBO featherweight world title holder (7 Defences)
- Freddie Welsh (1886–1927)
- Jimmy Wilde (1892–1969)
- Howard Winstone (1939–2000)
Cricketers[link]
- Robert Croft (born 1970)
- Alan Jones (born 1938)
- Jeff Jones (born 1941)
- Simon Jones (born 1978)
- Tony Lewis (born 1938) England Captain 1972/73
- Steve Watkin (born 1964)
Cyclists[link]
- Jessica Allen (born 1989)
- Dale Appleby (born 1986)
- Yanto Barker (born 1980)
- Reg Braddick (1913–1999)
- Kara Chesworth (born 1972)
- Craig Cooke (born 1984)
- Nicole Cooke (born 1983)
- Katie Curtis (born 1988)
- Nina Davies (born 1974)
- Paul Esposti (born 1972)
- Alex Greenfield (born 1990)
- Clare Greenwood (born 1958)
- Sam Harrison (born 1992)
- Anneliese Heard (born 1981)
- Sally Hodge (born 1966)
- Megan Hughes (born 1977)
- Ellen Hunter (born 1968)
- Joby Ingram-Dodd (born 1980)
- Becky James (born 1991)
- Ian Jeremiah (born c. 1970)
- Louise Jones (born 1963)
- Luc Jones (born 1991)
- Sion Jones (born 1979)
- Colin Lewis (born 1942)
- Rhys Lloyd (born 1989)
- Anthony Malarczyk (born 1975)
- Jimmy Michael (1877–1904)
- Ruby Miller (born 1992)
- Jon Mould (born 1991)
- Alun Owen
- Rob Partridge (born 1986)
- Steve Paulding
- Matt Postle (born 1970)
- Roger Pratt (born 1944)
- Huw Pritchard (born 1976)
- Dave Rand
- Ross Reid (born 1987)
- Simon Richardson (born 1966)
- Luke Rowe (born 1990)
- Matthew Rowe (born 1988)
- Paul Sheppard (born 1978)
- Don Skene (born 1936)
- Eddie Smart (1946–2000)
- Geraint Thomas (born 1986)
- Chris Williams
- Julian Winn (born 1972)
- Will Wright (born 1973)
Equestrians[link]
- David Broome (born 1940)
- Richard Meade (born 1936)
Footballers[link]
- Mark Aizlewood (born 1959)
- Ivor Allchurch (1929–1997), Wales international
- Len Allchurch (born 1933)
- Dai Astley (1909–1989)
- Colin Baker (born 1934)
- Tom Baker (born 1936)
- Gareth Bale (born 1989)
- Tommy Bamford (1905–1967)
- Walley Barnes (1920–1975)
- Craig Bellamy (born 1979), striker and Wales international
- Nathan Blake (born 1972)
- Horace Blew (1873–1957)
- Paul Bodin (born 1964)
- Dave Bowen (1928–1995)
- Jason Bowen (born 1972)
- Mark Bowen (born 1963)
- Stan Bowsher (1899–1968)
- Terry Boyle (born 1958)
- Ronnie Burgess (1917–2005)
- Ollie Burton (born 1941)
- John Charles (1931–2004), the "Gentle Giant", Wales international
- Mel Charles (born 1935)
- Roy Clarke (1925–2006)
- Chris Coleman (born 1970)
- James Collins (born 1983)
- John Cornforth (born 1967)
- Vic Crowe (1932–2009)
- Alan Curtis (born 1954)
- Len Davies (1899–1945)
- Ron Davies (born 1942)
- Wyn Davies (born 1942)
- Mark Delaney (born 1976)
- Robert Earnshaw (born 1981)
- Trevor Edwards (born 1937)
- John Elsworthy (1931–2009)
- John Emanuel (born 1948)
- Mike England (born 1941
- Carl Fletcher (born 1980)
- Brian Flynn (born 1955)
- Trevor Ford (1923–2003)
- Roger Freestone (born 1968)
- Danny Gabbidon (born 1979)
- Ryan Giggs (born 1973), midfielder/winger, Wales international
- David Giles (born 1956)
- Brian Godfrey (born 1940)
- Arfon Griffiths (born 1941)
- Chris Gunter (born 1989)
- Carl Harris (born 1956)
- John Hartson (born 1975)
- Ron Hewitt (1928–2001)
- Terry Hennessey (born 1942)
- Wayne Hennessey (born 1987)
- Barrie Hole (born 1942)
- Mel Hopkins (1934–2010)
- Barry Horne (born 1962)
- Billy Hughes (born 1918)
- Mark Hughes (born 1963), former manager of Manchester City F.C. and Wales international
- Joe Jacobson (born 1986), left back (Oldham Athletic & U21 national team)[3]
- Leighton James (born 1953)
- Robbie James (1957–1998)
- Steve Jenkins (born 1972)
- Roy John (1911–1973)
- Bryn Jones (1912–1985)
- Cliff Jones (born 1935)
- Joey Jones (born 1955)
- Ken Jones (born 1936)
- Fred Keenor (1894–1972)
- Jack Kelsey (1929–1992)
- Andy King (born 1988)
- George Latham (1881–1939)
- Joe Ledley (born 1987)
- Ken Leek (1935–2007)
- Andy Legg (born 1966)
- Arthur Lever (1920–2004)
- John Lewis (born 1955)
- Steve Lowndes (born 1960)
- Billy Lucas (1918–1998)
- Chris Marustik (born 1961)
- Terry Medwin (born 1932)
- Andy Melville (born 1968)
- Billy Meredith (1874–1958)
- Jimmy Murphy (1910–1989)
- Lewin Nyatanga (born 1988)
- Eddie Parris (1911–1971), first black player to play for Wales
- Mark Pembridge (born 1970)
- Jason Perry (footballer) (born 1970)
- Leighton Phillips (born 1949)
- Ivor Powell (born 1916)
- Keith Pring (born 1943)
- Tony Pulis (born 1958) manager of Stoke City
- Aaron Ramsey (born 1990)
- Kevin Ratcliffe (born 1960)
- Gil Reece (born 1942)
- Mel Rees (1967–1993)
- Ronnie Rees (born 1944)
- Stan Richards (1917–1987)
- Sam Ricketts (born 1981)
- Carl Robinson (born 1976)
- John Robinson (born 1971)
- Peter Rodrigues (born 1944)
- Ehud Rogers (1909–1996)
- Ian Rush (born 1961), Liverpool F.C.'s record goal-scorer and Wales international
- Dean Saunders (born 1964)
- Robbie Savage (born 1974)
- Alf Sherwood (1923–1990)
- Gary Speed (1969–2011) Wales international footballer,
- Gary Sprake (born 1945)
- Fred Stansfield (born 1917)
- Derek Sullivan (1930–1983)
- Rod Thomas (born 1947)
- John Toshack (born 1949) Former Wales and Liverpool international and National Team manager.
- Neville Southall MBE (born 1959), goalkeeper, Wales' most capped player
- Byron Stevenson (1956–2007), Leeds United F.C., Birmingham City F.C. player and Wales international
- Kit Symons (born 1971)
- Derek Tapscott (1932–2008)
- Billy Thomas (born 1948)
- Nigel Vaughan (born 1959)
- Graham Vearncombe (1934–1993)
- Roy Vernon (1937–1993)
- Tony Villars (born 1952)
- Colin Webster (1932–2001)
- George Whitcombe (1902–1986)
- Harold Williams (born 1924)
- Stuart Williams (born 1930)
- Doug Witcomb (born 1918)
- Terry Yorath (born 1950)
Golfers[link]
- Paul Affleck (born 1966)
- Errie Ball (born 1910)
- Sion Bebb (born 1968)
- Becky Brewerton (born 1982)
- Karen Davies (born 1965)
- Rhys Davies (born 1985)
- Stephen Dodd (born 1966)
- Jamie Donaldson (born 1975)
- Bradley Dredge (born 1973)
- Brian Huggett (born 1936)
- Richard Johnson (born 1972)
- David Llewellyn (born 1951)
- Becky Morgan (born 1974)
- Mark Mouland (born 1961)
- David Park (born 1974)
- Philip Parkin (born 1961)
- Eleanor Pilgrim (born 1977)
- Mark Pilkington (golfer) (born 1978)
- Phillip Price (born 1966)
- Dai Rees (1913–1983)
- Dave Thomas (born 1934)
- Helen Wadsworth (born 1964)
- Ian Woosnam (born 1958), Ryder Cup player and former US Masters Champion
Motor Sports[link]
- Tom Cave (born 1991), rally driver
- Chaz Davies (born 1987), motorcycle racer
- Elfyn Evans (born 1989), rally driver
- Gwyndaf Evans (born 1959), rally driver
- Nicky Grist (born 1961), rally co-driver
- Gary Hocking (1937–1962), motorcycle racer
- Karl Jones (born 1959), BTCC driver
- Mark Jones (born 1979), motocross rider
- Cyril Kieft (1911–2004), racing car manufacturer and driver
- David Llewellin (born 1960), rally driver
- Jackie Lewis (born 1936), Formula One racing driver
- Hywel Lloyd (born 1985), Formula Three racing driver
- Ian Lougher (born 1963), motorcycle racer
- Charlie Martin (1913–1998), Grand Prix racing driver
- Phil Mills (born 1963), rally co-driver
- Phil Morris (born 1975), speedway rider
- J. G. Parry-Thomas (1884–1927), racing driver and one time Land Speed Record holder
- Tom Pryce (1949–1977), Formula One racing driver
- Alan Rees (born 1938), Formula One racing driver
- Gareth Rees (motorsport commentator) (born 1969), former racing driver and motorsport commentator
- David Richards (born 1952), former rally co-driver and team principal of the BAR and Benetton Formula One teams
- Jamie Smyth (born 1976), racing driver
- Malcolm Uphill (d. 1999), Grand Prix motorcycle road racer
- Freddie Williams (born 1926), former Speedway World Champion
-WEIGHTLIFTING OLYMPIC-
David Morgan (Born 1964) winner of 5 commonwealth games 1982 86 90 94 and 2002. The most games won by any athlete in any sport in history. Also 3 times Olympian 3 times masters world champion and holder of 3 world records
Tony Morgan winner of Bronze medal in 1998 commonwealth games.
Professional wrestlers[link]
- Aviv Maayan (born 1985)
- Mason Ryan (born 1982)
- Adrian Street (born 1940)
- Rob Terry
- Orig Williams (1931–2009)
Rowers[link]
- Katrina Jacks (c. 1986–2010)
- Tom James (born 1984)
- Tom Lucy (born 1988)
Rugby players[link]
Main article: List of Wales national rugby union players
This list includes league, female and uncapped players
- Lee Beach (born 1982), captained Wales' world cup winning sevens team (Dubai 2009)
- Billy Boston (born 1934), international (rugby league)
- Kevin Bowring former Wales national team coach
- Non Evans (born 1975), also competed for Wales at judo, weightlifting and freestyle wrestling.
- Trevor Foster (1916–2005), international (rugby league)
- Lewis Jones (born 1931), international (rugby league)
- Rob Lewis, (born 1987), Wales under 18, 19 and 20 and sevens player
- Mike Powell (born 1978)
- Mike Ruddock (born 1959), former Wales national team coach
- Clive Sullivan (born 1943), international (rugby league)
- Aled Thomas (born 1985), Wales under 17, 18, 19 and 21 and sevens player
- Gwyn Thomas, international (rugby league)
- Alex Walker (born 1986), former Newport Gwent Dragons player
- Frank Whitcombe, international (rugby league) Lance Todd trophy winner
- Lenny Woodard (born 1976), international (rugby union: non–test), (rugby league)
- Frank Young, international (rugby league)
Snooker players[link]
- Dominic Dale (born 1971)
- Ryan Day (born 1980)
- Terry Griffiths (born 1947)
- Darren Morgan (born 1966)
- Doug Mountjoy (born 1942)
- Ray Reardon (born 1932)
- Matthew Stevens (born 1977)
- Mark Williams (1975)
- Cliff Wilson (1934–1994)
Swimmers[link]
- Jazz Carlin (born 1990)
- David Davies (born 1985)
- Valerie Davies (1912–2001)
- Julie Gould (born 1989)
- Thomas Haffield (born 1988)
- Nyree Lewis (born 1980)
- Jemma Lowe (born 1990)
- Paul Radmilovic (swimmer and water-polo player) (1886–1968)
- David Roberts (born 1980)
- Irene Steer (1889–1947)
- Lowri Tynan (born 1987)
- Martyn Woodroffe (born 1950)
Trade union leaders[link]
- William Abraham (1842–1922)
- William Brace (1865–1947)
- Moss Evans (1925–2002)
- Jim Griffiths (1890–1975)
- Vernon Hartshorn (1872–1931)
- Arthur Horner (1894–1968)
- Clive Jenkins (1926–1999)
- Will Paynter (1903–1984)
- Thomas Richards (1859–1931)
- James Henry Thomas (1874–1949)
Writers[link]
For Welsh writers, see:
- List of Welsh writers
- List of Welsh language authors
- List of Welsh language poets (6th century to c.1600)
Other notables[link]
- Helen Adams (born 1978), runner-up in Big Brother 2 (2001).
- Sian Adey-Jones (born 1957), model, former Miss Wales
- Seymour Berry, 1st Baron Buckland, (1877–1928), industrialist
- E. G. Bowen (1900–1983), geographer
- Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam (d. 1454), Seren y Fenni (Star of Abergavenny)
- Rees Davies (1938–2005), historian
- John Dee (born 1527), alchemist
- Samuel Ifor Enoch (1914–2001), theologian
- John Gwenogvryn Evans (1852–1930), palaeographic expert.
- Timothy John Evans (1924–1950), hanged for the murder of wife and daughter, due to a miscarriage of justice, but posthumously pardoned
- Rosemarie Frankland (1943–2000), former Miss World
- Geoffrey of Monmouth (c.1100–1155), churchman and historian
- Peter Havard-Williams (1922–1995), librarian educator
- George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys (1648–1689), hanging judge
- Ernest Jones (1879–1958), psychoanalyst
- Walter Map (c.1137–1209), medieval raconteur
- Howard Marks (born 1945), international drug-smuggler and author
- Angus McBean (1904–1990), photographer
- Godfrey Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar (1831–1913), Member of Parliament, land-owner and benefactor
- Helen Morgan (born 1952), Miss World
- Henry Morgan (c.1635–1688), privateer
- John Nash (1752–1835), architect
- Dr William Price (1800–1893), eccentric physician
- Bartholomew Roberts (1682–1722), pirate (Black Bart or Barti Ddu)
- Arwel Richards (born 1982), columnist and businessman
- William Salesbury (c.1520 – c.1600), lexicographer, phonetician and comparative linguist
- John Tabatabai (born 1987), Professional poker player
- Imogen Thomas (born 1982), former Miss Wales and Big Brother contestant
- Robert Vaughan (c.1592 – 16 May 1667), antiquary
- Glyn Wise (born January 1988), Big Brother (TV series) 2006 runner-up.
- Bryn Williams (born 1977), chef
- Edward Williams (1747–1826) a.k.a. Iolo Morganwg, antiquarian
- John Tudno Williams (born 1938), theologian
- William Richard Williams (1896–1962), theologian
- Thomas Wynne (1627–1691), (surgeon), Quaker and friend of William Penn
See also[link]
- 100 Welsh Heroes
- Canadians of Welsh descent
- List of people by nationality
- List of Welsh Americans
- Welsh American
- Welsh Australian
- Welsh Chilean
- Welsh Italians
- Welsh peers
- Y Wladfa
References[link]
- ^ Davies, John (1994). A History of Wales. Penguin. p. 54. ISBN 0-14-014581-8.
- ^ "O'Donnell Lecture 2008 Appendix" (PDF). 2008. http://www.wales.ac.uk/Resources/Documents/Research/ODonnell.pdf. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- ^ Rowland, Paul (10 April 2007). "Bluebirds' star first British Jew footballer for 25 years". WalesOnline. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2007/04/10/bluebirds-star-first-british-jew-footballer-for-25-years-91466-18882090/. Retrieved 4 July 2008.
External links[link]
http://wn.com/List_of_Welsh_people
Related pages:
http://id.wn.com/Daftar tokoh Wales
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Welsh_people
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Stephen Hawking | |
|---|---|
 Stephen Hawking at NASA, 1980s |
|
| Born | Stephen William Hawking (1942-01-08) 8 January 1942 (age 70) Oxford, England, United Kingdom |
| Residence | United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Fields | |
| Institutions | |
| Alma mater | |
| Doctoral advisor | Dennis Sciama |
| Other academic advisors | Robert Berman |
| Known for | |
| Influences | |
| Notable awards |
|
| Spouse |
|
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA (born 8 January 1942) is a British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. His key scientific works to date have included providing, with Roger Penrose, theorems regarding gravitational singularities in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes should emit radiation, which is today known as Hawking radiation (or sometimes as Bekenstein–Hawking radiation).
He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and in 2009 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009. Subsequently, he became research director at the university's Centre for Theoretical Cosmology.
Hawking has a motor neurone disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a condition that has progressed over the years. He is now almost completely paralysed and communicates through a speech generating device. He has been married twice and has three children. Hawking has achieved success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general; these include A Brief History of Time, which stayed on the British Sunday Times best-sellers list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.
Contents |
Early life and education[link]
Stephen Hawking was born on 8 January 1942 to Frank Hawking, a research biologist, and Isobel Hawking.[1] He has two younger sisters, Philippa and Mary, and an adopted brother, Edward.[2] Although Hawking's parents were living in North London, he was born in Oxford as his parents felt it was safer to stay in Oxford for the later stages of the pregnancy. (London was under attack at the time by the Luftwaffe).[3]
When his father became head of the division of parasitology at the National Institute for Medical Research[1] in 1950, Hawking and his family moved to St Albans, Hertfordshire.[3] Hawking attended St Albans High School for Girls from 1950 to 1953 (At that time, boys could attend the girls' school until the age of 10).[2] and then from the age of 11, he attended St Albans School, where he was a good, but not exceptional, student.[3]
Inspired by his mathematics teacher, Hawking originally wanted to study the subject at university. However, Hawking's father wanted him to apply to University College, Oxford, where his father had attended. As University College did not have a mathematics fellow at that time, applications were not accepted from students who wished to study that discipline. Hawking therefore applied to read natural sciences with an emphasis in Physics. He was accepted and gained a scholarship.[3] While at Oxford, he coxed a rowing team, which, he stated, helped relieve his immense boredom at the university.[4] His physics tutor, Robert Berman, later said "It was only necessary for him to know that something could be done, and he could do it without looking to see how other people did it. ... his mind was completely different from all of his contemporaries".[3]
Hawking's unimpressive study habits resulted in a final examination score on the borderline between first and second class honours, making an "oral examination" necessary.[3] Berman said of the oral examination: "And of course the examiners then were intelligent enough to realize they were talking to someone far more clever than most of themselves".[3] After receiving his B.A. degree at Oxford in 1962, he left for graduate work at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.[3]
Career[link]
1962-1975[link]
Although Hawking started developing symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as soon as he arrived at Cambridge and did not distinguish himself in his first two years at Cambridge, he returned to working on his PhD after the disease had stabilised and with the help of his doctoral tutor, Dennis William Sciama.[5]
When Hawking began his graduate studies In the 1960s, there was much debate in the physics community about the opposing theories of the creation of the universe: big bang, and steady state.[5] Hawking and his Cambridge friend and colleague, Roger Penrose, showed in 1970 that if the universe obeys general relativity and if the universe fits any of the Friedmann models, then the universe must have begun as a singularity.[6] This work showed that, far from being mathematical curiosities which appear only in special cases, singularities are a fairly generic feature of general relativity.[7]
Hawking's work with Brandon Carter, Werner Israel and D. Robinson, strongly supported John Wheeler's no-hair theorem – that any black hole is fully described by the three properties of mass, angular momentum, and electric charge.[8] With Bardeen and Carter, he proposed the four laws of black hole mechanics, drawing an analogy with thermodynamics.[9] In 1974, he calculated that black holes should thermally create and emit subatomic particles, known today as Bekenstein-Hawking radiation, until they exhaust their energy and evaporate.[6]
Hawking was elected one of the youngest Fellows of the Royal Society in 1974,[10] and in the same year he accepted the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Scholar visiting professorship at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to work with his friend, Kip Thorne, who was a faculty member there.[11] He continues to have ties with Caltech, spending a month each year there since 1992.[12]
1975-present[link]
The mid to late 1970s were a period of growing fame and success for Hawking, his work was now much talked about, he was appearing in popular television documentaries and in 1979 he was made the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a post he held for 30 years until his retirement in 2009.[13][14] Hawking's inaugural lecture as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics had the title "Is the end in sight for Theoretical Physics" and promoted the idea that supergravity would help resolve many of the outstanding problems physicists were studying. [14]
In collaboration with Jim Hartle, Hawking developed a model in which the universe had no boundary in space-time, replacing the initial singularity of the classical Big Bang models with a region akin to the North Pole: one cannot travel north of the North Pole, as there is no boundary.[15] While originally the no-boundary proposal predicted a closed universe, discussions with Neil Turok led to the realisation that the no-boundary proposal is also consistent with a universe which is not closed.[16]
Along with Thomas Hertog at CERN, in 2006 Hawking proposed a theory of "top-down cosmology", which says that the universe had no unique initial state, and therefore it is inappropriate for physicists to attempt to formulate a theory that predicts the universe's current configuration from one particular initial state.[17] Top-down cosmology posits that in some sense, the present "selects" the past from a superposition of many possible histories. In doing so, the theory suggests a possible resolution of the fine-tuning question.[18]
Thorne–Hawking–Preskill bet[link]
Main article: Thorne–Hawking–Preskill bet
In 1997 Hawking made a public scientific wager with Thorne and John Preskill of Caltech concerning the black hole information paradox.[19] Thorne and Hawking argued that since general relativity made it impossible for black holes to radiate, and lose information, the mass-energy and information carried by Hawking Radiation must be "new", and must not originate from inside the black hole event horizon. Since this contradicted the idea under quantum mechanics of microcausality, quantum mechanics would need to be rewritten. Preskill argued the opposite, that since quantum mechanics suggests that the information emitted by a black hole relates to information that fell in at an earlier time, the view of black holes given by general relativity must be modified in some way.[20] The winner of the bet was to receive an encyclopedia of the loser's choice, from which information may be accessed.[19]
In 2004, Hawking announced that he was conceding the bet, and that he now believed that black hole horizons should fluctuate and leak information, in doing so providing Preskill with a copy of Total Baseball.[19] Comparing the useless information obtainable from a black hole to "burning an encyclopedia", Hawking commented, "I gave John an encyclopedia of baseball, but maybe I should just have given him the ashes".[19]
Recognition[link]
Acclaim[link]
On 19 December 2007, a statue of Hawking by artist Ian Walters was unveiled at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, University of Cambridge.[21] The Stephen W. Hawking Science Museum in San Salvador, El Salvador, is named in honour of Stephen Hawking, citing his scientific distinction and perseverance in dealing with adversity.[22] The Stephen Hawking Building in Cambridge opened on 17 April 2007. The building belongs to Gonville and Caius College and is used as an undergraduate accommodation and conference facility.[23]
Awards and honours[link]
- 1975 Eddington Medal[1]
- 1976 Hughes Medal of the Royal Society[1]
- 1979 Albert Einstein Medal[1]
- 1981 Franklin Medal[24]
- 1982 Commander of the Order of the British Empire[1]
- 1985 Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society[1]
- 1986 Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences[1]
- 1988 Wolf Prize in Physics[1]
- 1989 Companion of Honour[1]
- 1999 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize of the American Physical Society[25]
- 2003 Michelson Morley Award of Case Western Reserve University[1]
- 2006 Copley Medal of the Royal Society[26]
- 2008 Fonseca Prize of the University of Santiago de Compostela[27]
- 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States[28]
Personal life[link]
Hawking has stated that, having been diagnosed with ALS during an early stage of his graduate work, he did not see much point in obtaining a doctorate if he were to die soon after. Hawking later said that the real turning point was his 1965 marriage to Jane Wilde, a language student.[29] Jane cared for him until 1990 when the couple separated.[1] They had three children: Robert, Lucy, and Timothy.[1] Hawking married his personal care assistant, Elaine Mason, in 1995; [1] the couple divorced In October 2006[30] amid claims by former nurses that she had abused him.[31] In 1999, Jane Hawking published a memoir, Music to Move the Stars, detailing the marriage and its breakdown; in 2010 she published a revised version, Travelling to Infinity, My Life with Stephen.[32]
Hawking supports the children's charity SOS Children's Villages UK[33] and has stated that his view on how to live life is to "seek the greatest value of our action".[34] He strongly opposed the Iraq War, calling it "a war crime" and "based on two lies" at a demonstration in Trafalgar Square, where he participated in a public reading of the names of Iraqi war victims.[35][36]
Hawking has named his secondary school mathematics teacher Dikran Tahta as an inspiration.[37] He maintains his connection with St Albans School, giving his name to one of the four houses and to an extracurricular science lecture series.[38]
Illness[link]
Hawking has a motor neurone disease that is related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a condition that has progressed over the years. He is now almost completely paralysed and communicates through a speech generating device. Hawking's illness has progressed more slowly than typical cases of ALS: survival for more than 10 years after diagnosis is uncommon.[39][40]
Symptoms of the disorder first appeared while he was enrolled at University of Cambridge; he lost his balance and fell down a flight of stairs, hitting his head.[4] The diagnosis of motor neurone disease came when Hawking was 21, shortly before his first marriage, and doctors said he would not survive more than two or three years. By 1974, he was unable to feed himself or get out of bed. His speech became slurred so that he could be understood only by people who knew him well. During a visit to CERN in Geneva in 1985, Hawking contracted pneumonia, which in his condition was life-threatening as it further restricted his already limited respiratory capacity. He had an emergency tracheotomy, and as a result lost what remained of his ability to speak.[41] A speech generating device was built in Cambridge, using software from an American company, that enabled Hawking to write onto a computer with small movements of his body, and then have a voice synthesiser speak what he typed.[42]
The particular voice synthesiser hardware he uses, which has an American English accent, is no longer being produced. Asked why he has still kept the same voice after so many years, Hawking stated that he has not heard a voice he likes better and that he identifies with it even though the synthesiser is both large and fragile by current standards. Although a mid-2009 corporate press release said that he had chosen NeoSpeech's VoiceText speech synthesiser as his new voice,[43] a 30 December 2011 interview with Hawking's technician indicates that Hawking is still using an older synthesiser containing a card "which dates back to the 1980s" and that any upgrade would have to be the same voice, otherwise "it wouldn't be Stephen's voice any more".[44]
For lectures and media appearances, Hawking appears to speak fluently through his synthesiser; however when preparing answers his system produces words at a rate of about one per minute.[44] Hawking's setup uses a predictive text entry system, which requires only the first few characters in order to auto-complete the word, but as he is only able to use his cheek for data entry, constructing complete sentences takes time.[44] During a TED Conference talk, it took him seven minutes to provide a brief answer to a question.[45]
He describes himself as lucky, despite his disease. Its slow progression has allowed him time to make influential discoveries and has not hindered him from having, in his own words, "a very attractive family".[42]
In popular culture[link]
Main article: Stephen Hawking in popular culture
Hawking has played himself on numerous television shows and has been portrayed in many more. He has played himself on a Red Dwarf anniversary special, played a hologram of himself on the episode "Descent" of Star Trek: The Next Generation,[46] and appeared on the Discovery Channel special Alien Planet.[47] He has also played himself in several episodes of The Simpsons and Futurama, and has had an action figure made of his Simpsons likeness.[48] The 2004 BBC4 TV film Hawking dealt with his early life and the onset of his illness. He was portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. In 2008, Hawking was the subject of and featured in the documentary series Stephen Hawking, Master of the Universe for Channel 4. In September 2008, Hawking presided over the unveiling of the 'Chronophage' (time-eating) Corpus Clock at Corpus Christi College Cambridge.[49] His actual synthesiser voice was used on parts of the Pink Floyd song "Keep Talking" from the 1994 album The Division Bell, as well as on Turbonegro's "Intro: The Party Zone" on their 2005 album Party Animals, Wolfsheim's "Kein Zurück (Oliver Pinelli Mix)". On 5 April 2012 he appeared as a guest star in an episode of The Big Bang Theory.[50]
Space and spaceflight[link]
At the celebration of his 65th birthday on 8 January 2007, Hawking announced his plan to take a zero-gravity flight that year, with an intention to later take a sub-orbital spaceflight. Billionaire Richard Branson pledged to pay all expenses for a future flight on Virgin Galactic's space service, costing an estimated £100,000.[51] Stephen Hawking's zero-gravity flight in a "Vomit Comet" of Zero Gravity Corporation, during which he experienced weightlessness eight times, took place on 26 April 2007.[52] He became the first quadriplegic to float in zero gravity. The fee is normally US$3,750 for 10 to 15 plunges, but Hawking was not required to pay. Hawking was quoted before the flight saying:
Many people have asked me why I am taking this flight. I am doing it for many reasons. First of all, I believe that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, or other dangers. I think the human race has no future if it doesn't go into space. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space.[53]
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, he suggested that space was the Earth's long term hope.[54] He continued this theme at a 2008 Charlie Rose interview.[55]
Hawking has indicated that he is almost certain that alien life exists in other parts of the universe, "To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational. The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like".[56] He believes alien life not only certainly exists on planets but perhaps even in other places, like within stars or even floating in outer space. He has also warned that a few of these species might be intelligent and threaten Earth.[57] "If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," he said.[56] He has advocated that, rather than try to establish contact, humans should try to avoid contact with alien life forms.[56] At a George Washington University lecture in honour of NASA's fiftieth anniversary, Hawking discussed the existence of extraterrestrial life, believing that "primitive life is very common and intelligent life is fairly rare".[58]
Religious views[link]
In his early work, Hawking spoke of God in a metaphorical sense, such as in A Brief History of Time: "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason – for then we should know the mind of God."[59] In the same book he suggested the existence of God was unnecessary to explain the origin of the universe.[60] In the Channel 4 documentary Genius of Britain, in his 2010 book The Grand Design, and in interviews with the Telegraph, Hawking has clarified that he does not believe in a "personal" God.[61] Hawking writes, "The question is: is the way the universe began chosen by God for reasons we can't understand, or was it determined by a law of science? I believe the second."[61] He adds, "Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing."[62]
His ex-wife, Jane, has described him as an atheist.[63] Hawking has stated that he is "not religious in the normal sense" and he believes that "the universe is governed by the laws of science. The laws may have been decreed by God, but God does not intervene to break the laws."[64] In an interview published in The Guardian newspaper, Hawking regarded the concept of Heaven as a myth, believing that there is "no heaven or afterlife" and that such a notion was a "fairy story for people afraid of the dark."[59][65] Hawking contrasted religion and science in 2010, saying: "There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works."[66]
Philosophical views[link]
At Google’s Zeitgeist Conference in 2011, Hawking said that "philosophy is dead." He believes philosophers "have not kept up with modern developments in science" and that scientists "have become the bearers of the torch of discovery in our quest for knowledge.” He said that philosophical problems can be answered by science, particularly new scientific theories which "lead us to a new and very different picture of the universe and our place in it”.[67]
Publications[link]
Hawking's first popular science book, A Brief History of Time, was published on 1 April 1988. It stayed on the British Sunday Times best-sellers list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.[68] A Brief History of Time was followed by The Universe in a Nutshell (2001). A collection of essays titled Black Holes and Baby Universes (1993) was also popular. His book, A Briefer History of Time (2005), co-written by Leonard Mlodinow, updated his earlier works to make them accessible to a wider audience. In 2007 Hawking and his daughter, Lucy Hawking, published George's Secret Key to the Universe, a children's book focusing on science that Lucy Hawking described as "a bit like Harry Potter but without the magic."[69]
Popular[link]
- A Brief History of Time, (1988)
- Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays, (1994)
- The Universe in a Nutshell, (2001)
- On The Shoulders of Giants. The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy, (2002)
- A Briefer History of Time, (2005)
- God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History, (2005)[70]
- The Grand Design, (2010)[70]
Children's fiction[link]
These are co-written with his daughter Lucy.
- George's Secret Key to the Universe, (2007)
- George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt, (2009)[70]
- George and the Big Bang, (2011)
Films and series[link]
- A Brief History of Time (1991)
- Stephen Hawking's Universe (1997)
- Horizon: The Hawking Paradox[71] (2005)
- Masters of Science Fiction (2007)
- Stephen Hawking: Master of the Universe[72] (2008)
- Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking[73] (2010)
- Brave New World with Stephen Hawking
See also[link]
References[link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Larsen 2005, pp. x–xix.
- ^ a b Larsen 2005, pp. 3–5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ferguson 2011, Chapter 3.
- ^ a b Hawking, Stephen W. (1 May 1992). Stephen Hawking's A brief history of time: a reader's companion. Bantam Books. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-553-07772-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=mCmUQgAACAAJ. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ a b Ferguson 2011, Chapter 4.
- ^ a b Ferguson 2011, Chapter 6.
- ^ Hawking, Stephen; Penrose, Roger (January 1970). "The Singularities of Gravitational Collapse and Cosmology". Proceedings of the Royal Society A 314 (1519): 529–548. Bibcode 1970RSPSA.314..529H. DOI:10.1098/rspa.1970.0021. http://rspa.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/314/1519/529.abstract.
- ^ Hawking, Stephen W.; Israel, Werner (30 March 1989). Three Hundred Years of Gravitation. Cambridge University Press. p. 278. ISBN 978-0-521-37976-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=Vq787qC5PWQC&pg=PA278. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ Larsen 2005, p. 38.
- ^ Larsen 2005, p. 44.
- ^ Ferguson 2011, Chapter 7.
- ^ "Stephen Hawking Returns to Caltech – One Night Only". Caltech Features. 6 Jan 2011. http://features.caltech.edu/features/96. Retrieved 7 Jan 2011.
- ^ "Hawking gives up academic title". BBC News. 30 September 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cambridgeshire/8282358.stm. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
- ^ a b Ferguson 2011, Chapter 8.
- ^ Baird, Eric (30 September 2007). Relativity in Curved Spacetime: Life Without Special Relativity. Chocolate Tree Books. p. 234. ISBN 978-0-9557068-0-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=bU4xUMuJlukC&pg=PA234. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ Yulsman, Tom (2003). Origins: the quest for our cosmic roots. CRC Press. pp. 174–176. ISBN 978-0-7503-0765-9. http://books.google.com/books?id=eh3_GfqlDlMC&pg=PA174. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ Highfield, Roger (26 June 2008). "Stephen Hawking's explosive new theory". Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3345641/Stephen-Hawkings-explosive-new-theory.html. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ Hawking, S.; Hertog, T. (2006). "Populating the landscape: A top-down approach". Physical Review D 73 (12). DOI:10.1103/PhysRevD.73.123527. edit
- ^ a b c d Hawking, S. (2005). "Information loss in black holes". Physical Review D 72 (8). DOI:10.1103/PhysRevD.72.084013. edit
- ^ Preskill, John. "John Preskill's comments about Stephen Hawking's concession". California Institute of Technology. http://www.theory.caltech.edu/~preskill/jp_24jul04.html. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "Vice-Chancellor unveils Hawking statue". University of Cambridge. 21 December 2007. http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2007122111. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
- ^ Komar, Oliver; Linda Buechner (October 2000). "The Stephen W. Hawking Science Museum in San Salvador Central America Honours the Fortitude of a Great Living Scientist". Journal of College Science Teaching XXX (2). Archived from the original on 30 July 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090730162105/http://geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/5046/article.html. Retrieved 28 September 2008.
- ^ "The Stephen Hawking Building". BBC News. 18 April 2007. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cambridgeshire/content/articles/2007/04/18/hawking_building_feature.shtml. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ Larsen 2005, p. 63.
- ^ "Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize". American Physical Society. http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/lilienfeld.cfm. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
- ^ "Oldest, space-travelled, science prize awarded to Hawking". The Royal Society. 24 August 2006. http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/news.asp?year=&id=5066. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
- ^ "Fonseca Prize 2008". University of Santiago de Compostela. http://www.usc.es/en/cursos/conciencia/premio_fonseca2008.html. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
- ^ MacAskill, Ewen (13 August 2009). "Obama presents presidential medal of freedom to 16 recipients". guardian.co.uk (London: Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/13/obama-hawking-medal-freedom. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ Current Biography Yearbook: 1984. New York City: H. W. Wilson Company. 1985. ISBN 978-99942-3-211-6.
- ^ Sapsted, David (20 October 2006). "Hawking and second wife agree to divorce". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/20/nhawking20.xml. Retrieved 18 March 2007.
- ^ "Hawking's nurse reveals why she is not surprised his marriage is over". Daily Mail (UK). 20 October 2006. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-411781/Hawkings-nurse-reveals-surprised-marriage-over.html. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ "Welcome back to the family, Stephen". The Times (UK). 6 May 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-12-03. http://web.archive.org/web/20081203111754/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1751518.ece. Retrieved 6 May 2007.
- ^ "Our Friends". SOS Children's Villages. http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/sos-children-charity/our-friends.htm. Retrieved 6 May 2006.
- ^ Hough, Andrew (16 May 2011). "Stephen Hawking: 'heaven is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark'". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/stephen-hawking/8515639/Stephen-Hawking-heaven-is-a-fairy-story-for-people-afraid-of-the-dark.html. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ Campbell, Duncan (3 November 2004). "Hawking joins war protest tribute to Iraq dead". guardian.co.uk (London: Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/nov/03/iraq.books. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- ^ "Stephen Hawking: Iraq War a 'Crime'". Fox News. 2 November 2004. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137377,00.html. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ Hoare, Geoffrey; Love, Eric (5 January 2007). "Dick Tahta". guardian.co.uk (London: Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,1983173,00.html. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ "Hawking Lectures Sign Off with Dinner". St-albans.herts.sch.uk. 13 May 2006. http://www.st-albans.herts.sch.uk/sascms/hawking-lectures-sign-off-with-dinner/. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
- ^ Mitsumoto, Hiroshi; Munsat, Theodore L. (1 January 2001). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a guide for patients and families. Demos Medical Publishing. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-888799-28-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=YvTR2asXhNYC. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "How Has Stephen Hawking Lived to 70 with ALS?: Scientific American". Scientific American. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=stephen-hawking-als&page=2. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- ^ Larsen 2005, p. 72–81.
- ^ a b "Living with ALS – Stephen Hawking". http://www.hawking.org.uk/living-with-als.html. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Stephen Hawking chooses a new voice". Gizmag. http://www.gizmag.com/go/2708/. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
- ^ a b c de Lange, Catherine (30 December 2011). "The man who saves Stephen Hawking's voice". New Scientist. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21323-the-man-who-saves-stephen-hawkings-voice.html.
- ^ "Stephen Hawking: Asking big questions about the universe (Video time index 8:25)". TED Conferences, LLC. http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/242. Retrieved 28 May 2008.
- ^ Okuda & Okuda 1999, p. 380.
- ^ "Discovery Channel :: Alien Planet :: About the Show". http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/alienplanet/about/about.html. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ Cheng, Maria (5 January 2012). "Stephen Hawking to turn 70, defying disease". Boston. http://articles.boston.com/2012-01-05/lifestyle/30594112_1_hawking-first-stephen-hawking-universe/2. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ^ "Time to unveil Corpus Clock". Cambridgenetwork.co.uk. 22 September 2008. http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/article/default.aspx?objid=51566. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- ^ "Professor Stephen Hawking films Big Bang Theory cameo". BBC. 12 March 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17337778. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ Highfield, Roger (8 January 2007). "Stephen Hawking plans to see space". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1538844/Stephen-Hawking-plans-to-see-space.html. Retrieved 18 March 2007.
- ^ "Hawking takes zero-gravity flight". BBC News. 27 April 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6594821.stm. Retrieved 26 April 2007.
- ^ "Physicist Hawking experiences zero gravity". CNN. 26 April 2007. Archived from the original on 4 May 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070504171857/http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/04/26/hawking.flight.ap/index.html. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
- ^ Highfield, Roger (16 October 2001). "Colonies in space may be only hope, says Hawking". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/10/16/nhawk16.xml. Retrieved 5 August 2007.
- ^ "Charlie Rose – A conversation with Dr. Stephen Hawking & Lucy Hawking". Charlie Rose LLC. http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/8973. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ a b c "Stephen Hawking warns over making contact with aliens". BBC News. 25 April 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8642558.stm. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- ^ Hickman, Leo (25 April 2010). "Stephen Hawking takes a hard line on aliens". guardian.co.uk. London: Guardian News and Media. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/26/stephen-hawking-issues-warning-on-aliens. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ Highfield, Roger (22 April 2008). "Stephen Hawking: Aliens probably exist". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3340426/Stephen-Hawking-Aliens-probably-exist.html. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ a b Sample, Ian (15 May 2011). "Stephen Hawking: 'There is no heaven; it's a fairy story'". guardian.co.uk (London: Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/may/15/stephen-hawking-interview-there-is-no-heaven. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ^ Burgess, Anthony (29 December 1991). "Towards a Theory of Everything". The Observer: p. 42. "Though A Brief History of Time brings in God as a useful metaphor, Hawking is an atheist"
- ^ a b Roberts, Laura (2 September 2010). "Stephen Hawking: God was not needed to create the Universe". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7976594/Stephen-Hawking-God-was-not-needed-to-create-the-Universe.html. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
- ^ Farmello, Graham (3 September 2010). "Has Stephen Hawking ended the God debate?". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7979211/Has-Stephen-Hawking-ended-the-God-debate.html. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
- ^ Adams, Tim (4 April 2004). "A Brief History of a First Wife". The Observer (London: Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2004/apr/04/features.review17. Retrieved 5 March 2012. "Jane took much of her dramatic hope at the time from her faith, and still sees something of the irony in the fact that her Christianity gave her the strength to support her husband, the most profound atheist. 'Stephen, I hope, had belief in me that I could make everything possible for him, but he did not share my religious – or spiritual – faith'."
- ^ "Pope sees physicist Hawking at evolution gathering | Science". Reuters. 31 October 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE49U6E220081031?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- ^ "Stephen Hawking: Heaven Is A Myth". www.huffingtonpost.com. The Huffington Post. 16 May 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/16/stephen-hawking-heaven-is-a-myth_n_862394.html. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ Heussner, Ki Mae (7 June 2010). "Stephen Hawking on Religion: 'Science Will Win'". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Technology/stephen-hawking-religion-science-win/story?id=10830164. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- ^ The Telegraph: Stephen Hawking tells Google ‘philosophy is dead’
- ^ Radford, Tim (31 July 2009). "How God propelled Stephen Hawking into the bestsellers lists". guardian.co.uk (London: Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jul/30/stephen-hawking-brief-history-time. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ "Man must conquer other planets to survive, says Hawking". Daily Mail (UK). 13 June 2006. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-390524/Man-conquer-planets-survive-says-Hawking.html. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ a b c "Books – Stephen Hawking". http://www.hawking.org.uk/books.html. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "The Hawking Paradox". BBC. 2005. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/hawking_prog_summary.shtml. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ^ "Master of the Universe – Channel 4". channel4.com. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/master-of-the-universe. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "Into the Universe, with Stephen Hawking". Discovery Channel. 2010. http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/stephen-hawking/about/about.html. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
Bibliography[link]
- Ferguson, Kitty (10 November 2011). Stephen Hawking: His Life and Work. Transworld. ISBN 978-1-4481-1047-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=nZLMWpujVUcC. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
- Hawking, Stephen W. (1 September 1994). Black holes and baby universes and other essays. Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-553-37411-7. http://books.google.com/books?id=gTLGnTZabBQC. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- Larsen, Kristine (30 June 2005). Stephen Hawking: a biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-32392-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=yL3RBMEI5OgC. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- Okuda, Michael; Okuda, Denise (1 October 1999). The Star trek encyclopedia: a reference guide to the future. Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-53609-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=VOeZQhAQZHgC. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
Further reading[link]
- Boslough, John (1 June 1989). Stephen Hawking's universe: an introduction to the most remarkable scientist of our time. Avon Books. ISBN 978-0-380-70763-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=lkntNIwunAAC. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- Pickover, Clifford A. (16 April 2008). Archimedes to Hawking: laws of science and the great minds behind them. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533611-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=SQXcpvjcJBUC. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
External links[link]
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- Stephen Hawking's web site
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Stephen Hawking at the Internet Movie Database
- Stephen Hawking at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
- Works by or about Stephen Hawking in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- Stephen Hawking collected news and commentary at The Guardian
- Stephen Hawking collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Archival material relating to Stephen Hawking listed at the UK National Register of Archives
- Portraits of Stephen William Hawking at the National Portrait Gallery, London
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hawking, Stephen |
| Alternative names | Hawking, Stephen William |
| Short description | Theoretical Physicist |
| Date of birth | 1942-01-08 |
| Place of birth | Oxford, England, United Kingdom |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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| English | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/[1] | |||
| Spoken in | (see below) | |||
| Native speakers | ca. 380 million (2001)[2] L2: ≈ 250 million (2001)[2] to ≈ 1.8 billion (2004)[3] |
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| Language family | ||||
| Writing system | English alphabet (Latin script) | |||
| Official status | ||||
| Official language in | 54 countries 27 non-sovereign entities United Nations European Union Commonwealth of Nations CoE NATO NAFTA OAS OIC PIF UKUSA |
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| Language codes | ||||
| ISO 639-1 | en | |||
| ISO 639-2 | eng | |||
| ISO 639-3 | eng | |||
| Linguasphere | 52-ABA | |||
Countries where English is an official or de facto official language, or national language, and is spoken fluently by the majority of the population
Countries where it is an official but not primary language
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English is a West Germanic language spoken originally in England, and is now the most widely used language in the world.[4] It is spoken as a first language by a majority of the inhabitants of several nations, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. It is the third most common native language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish,[5] and the most commonly used as a second language; its total number of speakers – counting both native and non-native – exceeds those of any other language. English is an official language of the European Union, many Commonwealth countries and United Nations, as well as in many world organisations.
English arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and what is now south-east Scotland, but was then under the control of the kingdom of Northumbria. Following the extensive influence of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from the 18th century, via the British Empire, and of the United States since the mid-20th century,[6][7][8][9] it has been widely dispersed around the world, becoming the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions.[10][11]
Historically, English originated from the fusion of closely related dialects, now collectively termed Old English, which were brought to the eastern coast of Great Britain by Germanic (Anglo-Saxon) settlers by the 5th century – with the word English being derived from the name of the Angles, and ultimately from their ancestral region of Angeln (in what is now Schleswig-Holstein).[12] A significant number of English words are constructed based on roots from Latin, because Latin in some form was the lingua franca of the Christian Church and of European intellectual life.[13] The language was further influenced by the Old Norse language due to Viking invasions in the 8th and 9th centuries.
The Norman conquest of England in the 11th century gave rise to heavy borrowings from Norman-French, and vocabulary and spelling conventions began to give the appearance of a close relationship with Romance languages[14][15] to what had then become Middle English. The Great Vowel Shift that began in the south of England in the 15th century is one of the historical events that mark the emergence of Modern English from Middle English.
Owing to the assimilation of words from many other languages throughout history, modern English contains a very large vocabulary. Modern English has not only assimilated words from other European languages but also from all over the world, including words of Hindi and African origin. The Oxford English Dictionary lists over 250,000 distinct words, not including many technical, scientific, and slang terms.[16][17]
Contents |
Significance[link]
See also: English-speaking world and Anglosphere
Modern English, sometimes described as the first global lingua franca,[18][19] is the dominant language or in some instances even the required international language of communications, science, information technology, business, seafaring,[20] aviation,[21] entertainment, radio and diplomacy.[22] Its spread beyond the British Isles began with the growth of the British Empire, and by the late 19th century its reach was truly global.[3] Following British colonisation from the 16th to 19th centuries, it became the dominant language in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The growing economic and cultural influence of the US and its status as a global superpower since World War II have significantly accelerated the language's spread across the planet.[19] English replaced German as the dominant language of science Nobel Prize laureates during the second half of the 20th century.[23] English equalled and may have surpassed French as the dominant language of diplomacy during the last half of the 19th century.
A working knowledge of English has become a requirement in a number of fields, occupations and professions such as medicine and computing; as a consequence over a billion people speak English to at least a basic level (see English language learning and teaching). It is one of six official languages of the United Nations.[24]
One impact of the growth of English is the reduction of native linguistic diversity in many parts of the world. Its influence continues to play an important role in language attrition.[25] Conversely, the natural internal variety of English along with creoles and pidgins have the potential to produce new distinct languages from English over time.[26]
History[link]
Main article: History of the English language
English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian and Old Saxon dialects brought to Britain by Germanic settlers from various parts of what is now northwest Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.[27] Up to that point, in Roman Britain the native population is assumed to have spoken the Celtic language Brythonic alongside the acrolectal influence of Latin, from the 400-year Roman occupation.[28]
One of these incoming Germanic tribes was the Angles,[29] who Bede believed to have relocated entirely to Britain.[30] The names 'England' (from Engla land[31] "Land of the Angles") and English (Old English Englisc[32]) are derived from the name of this tribe—but Saxons, Jutes and a range of Germanic peoples from the coasts of Frisia, Lower Saxony, Jutland and Southern Sweden also moved to Britain in this era.[33][34][35]
Initially, Old English was a diverse group of dialects, reflecting the varied origins of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Great Britain[36] but one of these dialects, Late West Saxon, eventually came to dominate, and it is in this that the poem Beowulf is written.
Old English was later transformed by two waves of invasion. The first was by speakers of the North Germanic language branch when Halfdan Ragnarsson and Ivar the Boneless started the conquering and colonisation of northern parts of the British Isles in the 8th and 9th centuries (see Danelaw). The second was by speakers of the Romance language Old Norman in the 11th century with the Norman conquest of England. Norman developed into Anglo-Norman, and then Anglo-French – and introduced a layer of words especially via the courts and government. As well as extending the lexicon with Scandinavian and Norman words these two events also simplified the grammar and transformed English into a borrowing language—more than normally open to accept new words from other languages.
The linguistic shifts in English following the Norman invasion produced what is now referred to as Middle English; Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is its best-known work.
Throughout all this period Latin in some form was the lingua franca of European intellectual life, first the Medieval Latin of the Christian Church, but later the humanist Renaissance Latin, and those that wrote or copied texts in Latin[13] commonly coined new terms from Latin to refer to things or concepts for which there was no existing native English word.
Modern English, which includes the works of William Shakespeare[37] and the King James Bible, is generally dated from about 1550, and when the United Kingdom became a colonial power, English served as the lingua franca of the colonies of the British Empire. In the post-colonial period, some of the newly created nations which had multiple indigenous languages opted to continue using English as the lingua franca to avoid the political difficulties inherent in promoting any one indigenous language above the others. As a result of the growth of the British Empire, English was adopted in North America, India, Africa, Australia and many other regions, a trend extended with the emergence of the United States as a superpower in the mid-20th century.
Classification and related languages[link]
The English language belongs to the Anglo-Frisian sub-group of the West Germanic branch of the Germanic family, a member of the Indo-European languages. Modern English is the direct descendant of Middle English, itself a direct descendant of Old English, a descendant of Proto-Germanic. Typical of most Germanic languages, English is characterised by the use of modal verbs, the division of verbs into strong and weak classes, and common sound shifts from Proto-Indo-European known as Grimm's Law. The closest living relatives of English are Scots (spoken primarily in Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland where Ulster Scots is spoken) and Frisian (spoken on the southern fringes of the North Sea in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany).
After Scots and Frisian come those Germanic languages that are more distantly related: the non-Anglo-Frisian West Germanic languages (Dutch, Afrikaans, Low German, High German), and the North Germanic languages (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese). With the (partial) exception of Scots, none of the other languages is mutually intelligible with English, owing in part to the divergences in lexis, syntax, semantics, and phonology, and to the isolation afforded to the English language by the British Isles, although some, such as Dutch, do show strong affinities with English, especially to earlier stages of the language. Isolation has allowed English and Scots (as well as Icelandic and Faroese) to develop independently of the Continental Germanic languages and their influences over time.[38]
In addition to isolation, lexical differences between English and other Germanic languages exist due to heavy borrowing in English of words from Latin and French. For example, compare "exit" (Latin), vs. Dutch uitgang, literally "out-going" (though outgang survives dialectally in restricted usage) and "change" (French) vs. German Änderung (literally "alteration, othering"); "movement" (French) vs. German Bewegung ("be-way-ing", i.e. "proceeding along the way"); etc. Preference of one synonym over another also causes differentiation in lexis, even where both words are Germanic, as in English care vs. German Sorge. Both words descend from Proto-Germanic *karō and *surgō respectively, but *karō has become the dominant word in English for "care" while in German, Dutch, and Scandinavian languages, the *surgō root prevailed. *Surgō still survives in English, however, as sorrow.
Despite extensive lexical borrowing, the workings of the English language are resolutely Germanic, and English remains classified as a Germanic language due to its structure and grammar. Borrowed words get incorporated into a Germanic system of conjugation, declension, and syntax, and behave exactly as though they were native Germanic words from Old English (For example, the word reduce is borrowed from Latin redūcere; however, in English one says "I reduce - I reduced - I will reduce" rather than "redūcō - redūxī - redūcam"; likewise, we say: "John's life insurance company" (cf. Dutch "Johns levensverzekeringsmaatschappij" [= leven (life) + verzekering (insurance) + maatschappij (company)] rather than "the company of insurance life of John", cf. the French: la compagnie d'assurance-vie de John). Furthermore, in English, all basic grammatical particles added to nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are Germanic. For nouns, these include the normal plural marker -s/-es (apple - apples; cf. Frisian appel - appels; Dutch appel - appels; Afrikaans appel - appels), and the possessive markers -'s (Brad's hat; German Brads Hut; Danish Brads hat) and -s' . For verbs, these include the third person present ending -s/-es (e.g. he stands/he reaches ), the present participle ending -ing (cf. Dutch -ende; German -end(e)), the simple past tense and past participle ending -ed (Swedish -ade/-ad), and the formation of the English infinitive using to (e.g. "to drive"; cf. Old English tō drīfenne; Dutch te drijven; Low German to drieven; German zu treiben). Adverbs generally receive an -ly ending (cf. German -lich; Swedish -ligt), and adjectives and adverbs are inflected for the comparative and superlative using -er and -est (e.g. hard/harder/hardest; cf. Dutch hard/harder/hardst), or through a combination with more and most. These particles append freely to all English words regardless of origin (tsunamis; communicates; to buccaneer; during; calmer; bizarrely) and all derive from Old English. Even the lack or absence of affixes, known as zero or null (-Ø) affixes, derive from endings which previously existed in Old English (usually -e, -a, -u, -o, -an, etc.), that later weakened to -e, and have since ceased to be pronounced and spelt (e.g. Modern English "I sing" = I sing-Ø < I singe < Old English ic singe; "we thought" = we thought-Ø < we thoughte(n) < Old English wē þōhton).
Due to the Viking colonisation and influence of Old Norse upon Middle English, English syntax follows a pattern similar to that of North Germanic languages (Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, etc.) in contrast to other West Germanic languages, such as Dutch and German. This is especially evident in the order and placement of verbs. For example, English "I will never see you again" = Danish "Jeg vil aldrig se dig igen"; Icelandic "Ég mun aldrei sjá þig aftur", whereas in Dutch and German the main verb is placed at the end (e.g. Dutch "Ik zal je nooit weer zien"; German "Ich werde dich nie wieder sehen", literally, "I will you never again see"). This is also observable in perfect tense constructions, as in English "I have never seen anything in the square" = Danish "Jeg har aldrig set noget på torvet"; Icelandic "Ég hef aldrei séð neitt á torginu", where Dutch and German place the past participle at the end (e.g. Dutch "Ik heb nooit iets op het plein gezien"; German "Ich habe nie etwas auf dem Platz gesehen", literally, "I have never anything in the square seen"). As in most Germanic languages, English adjectives usually come before the noun they modify, even when the adjective is of Latinate origin (e.g. medical emergency, national treasure). Also, English continues to make extensive use of self-explaining compounds (e.g. streetcar, classroom), and nouns which serve as modifiers (e.g. lamp post, life insurance company), traits inherited from Old English (See also Kenning).
The kinship with other Germanic languages can also be seen in the tensing of English verbs (e.g. English fall/fell/fallen/will or shall fall, West Frisian fal/foel/fallen/sil falle, Dutch vallen/viel/gevallen/zullen vallen, German fallen/fiel/gefallen/werden fallen, Norwegian faller/falt/falt or falne/vil or skal falle), the comparatives of adjectives and adverbs (e.g. English good/better/best, West Frisian goed/better/best, Dutch goed/beter/best, German gut/besser/best), the treatment of nouns (English shoemaker, shoemaker's, shoemakers, shoemakers'; Dutch schoenmaker, schoenmakers, schoenmakers, schoenmakeren; Swedish skomakare, skomakares, skomakare, skomakares), and the large amount of cognates (e.g. English wet, Scots weet, West Frisian wiet, Swedish våt; English send, Dutch zenden, German senden; English meaning, Swedish mening, Icelandic meining, etc.). It also gives rise to false friends (e.g. English time vs Norwegian time, meaning "hour"; English gift vs German Gift, meaning "poison"), while differences in phonology can obscure words that really are related (tooth vs. German Zahn; compare also Danish tand). Sometimes both semantics and phonology are different (German Zeit ("time") is related to English "tide", but the English word, through a transitional phase of meaning "period"/"interval", has come primarily to mean gravitational effects on the ocean by the moon, though the original meaning is preserved in forms like tidings and betide, and phrases such as to tide over).[citation needed]
Many North Germanic words entered English due to the settlement of Viking raiders and Danish invasions which began around the 9th century (see Danelaw). Many of these words are common words, often mistaken for being native, which shows how close-knit the relations between the English and the Scandinavian settlers were (See below: Old Norse origins). Dutch and Low German also had a considerable influence on English vocabulary, contributing common everyday terms and many nautical and trading terms (See below: Dutch and Low German origins).
Finally, English has been forming compound words and affixing existing words separately from the other Germanic languages for over 1500 years and has different habits in that regard. For instance, abstract nouns in English may be formed from native words by the suffixes "‑hood", "-ship", "-dom" and "-ness". All of these have cognate suffixes in most or all other Germanic languages, but their usage patterns have diverged, as German "Freiheit" vs. English "freedom" (the suffix "-heit" being cognate of English "-hood", while English "-dom" is cognate with German "-tum"; compare also North Frisian fridoem, Dutch vrijdom, Norwegian fridom, "freedom"). The Germanic languages Icelandic and Faroese also follow English in this respect, since, like English, they developed independent of German influences.
Many French words are also intelligible to an English speaker, especially when they are seen in writing (as pronunciations are often quite different), because English absorbed a large vocabulary from Norman and French, via Anglo-Norman after the Norman Conquest, and directly from French in subsequent centuries. As a result, a large portion of English vocabulary is derived from French, with some minor spelling differences (e.g. inflectional endings, use of old French spellings, lack of diacritics, etc.), as well as occasional divergences in meaning of so-called false friends: for example, compare "library" with the French librairie, which means bookstore; in French, the word for "library" is bibliothèque. The pronunciation of most French loanwords in English (with the exception of a handful of more recently borrowed words such as mirage, genre, café; or phrases like coup d’état, rendez-vous, etc.) has become largely anglicised and follows a typically English phonology and pattern of stress (compare English "nature" vs. French nature, "button" vs. bouton, "table" vs. table, "hour" vs. heure, "reside" vs. résider, etc.).
Geographical distribution[link]
Pie chart showing the relative numbers of native English speakers in the major English-speaking countries of the world
US (57.3%)
UK (16.3%)
Canada (4.9%)
Australia (4.1%)
Nigeria (1.1%)
Ireland (1%)
South Africa (1%)
New Zealand (1%)
Other (13.3%)
Approximately 375 million people speak English as their first language.[39] English today is probably the third largest language by number of native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.[5][40] However, when combining native and non-native speakers it is probably the most commonly spoken language in the world, though possibly second to a combination of the Chinese languages (depending on whether or not distinctions in the latter are classified as "languages" or "dialects").[41][42]
Estimates that include second language speakers vary greatly from 470 million to over a billion depending on how literacy or mastery is defined and measured.[43][44] Linguistics professor David Crystal calculates that non-native speakers now outnumber native speakers by a ratio of 3 to 1.[45]
The countries with the highest populations of native English speakers are, in descending order: the United States (215 million),[46] the United Kingdom (61 million),[47] Canada (18.2 million),[48] Australia (15.5 million),[49] Nigeria (4 million),[50] Ireland (3.8 million),[47] South Africa (3.7 million),[51] and New Zealand (3.6 million) in a 2006 Census.[52]
Countries such as the Philippines, Jamaica and Nigeria also have millions of native speakers of dialect continua ranging from an English-based creole to a more standard version of English. Of those nations where English is spoken as a second language, India has the most such speakers ('Indian English'). Crystal claims that, combining native and non-native speakers, India now has more people who speak or understand English than any other country in the world.[53][54]
Countries in order of total speakers[link]
| Country | Total | Percent of population | First language | As an additional language | Population | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 251,388,301 | 96% | 215,423,557 | 35,964,744 | 262,375,152 | Source: US Census 2000: Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: 2000, Table 1. Figure for second language speakers are respondents who reported they do not speak English at home but know it "very well" or "well". Note: figures are for population age 5 and older | |
| India | 125,344,736 | 12% | 226,449 | 86,125,221 second language speakers. 38,993,066 third language speakers |
1,028,737,436 | Figures include both those who speak English as a second language and those who speak it as a third language. 2001 figures.[55][56] The figures include English speakers, but not English users.[57] | |
| Nigeria | 79,000,000 | 53% | 4,000,000 | >75,000,000 | 148,000,000 | Figures are for speakers of Nigerian Pidgin, an English-based pidgin or creole. Ihemere gives a range of roughly 3 to 5 million native speakers; the midpoint of the range is used in the table. Ihemere, Kelechukwu Uchechukwu. 2006. "A Basic Description and Analytic Treatment of Noun Clauses in Nigerian Pidgin." Nordic Journal of African Studies 15(3): 296–313. | |
| United Kingdom | 59,600,000 | 98% | 58,100,000 | 1,500,000 | 60,000,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| Philippines | 48,800,000 | 58%[58] | 3,427,000[58] | 43,974,000 | 84,566,000 | Total speakers: Census 2000, text above Figure 7. 63.71% of the 66.7 million people aged 5 years or more could speak English. Native speakers: Census 1995, as quoted by Andrew González in The Language Planning Situation in the Philippines, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 19 (5&6), 487–525. (1998). Ethnologue lists 3.4 million native speakers with 52% of the population speaking it as an additional language.[58] | |
| Canada | 25,246,220 | 85% | 17,694,830 | 7,551,390 | 29,639,030 | Source: 2001 Census – Knowledge of Official Languages and Mother Tongue. The native speakers figure comprises 122,660 people with both French and English as a mother tongue, plus 17,572,170 people with English and not French as a mother tongue. | |
| Australia | 18,172,989 | 92% | 15,581,329 | 2,591,660 | 19,855,288 | Source: 2006 Census.[59] The figure shown in the first language English speakers column is actually the number of Australian residents who speak only English at home. The additional language column shows the number of other residents who claim to speak English "well" or "very well". Another 5% of residents did not state their home language or English proficiency. | |
| Note: Total = First language + Other language; Percentage = Total / Population | |||||||
Countries where English is a major language[link]
Main article: List of countries where English is an official language
English is the primary language in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey, Guyana, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jersey, Montserrat, Nauru, New Zealand, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In some countries where English is not the most spoken language, it is an official language; these countries include Botswana, Cameroon, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines (Philippine English), Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Also there are countries where in a part of the territory English became a co-official language, e.g. Colombia's San Andrés y Providencia and Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast. This was a result of the influence of British colonisation in the area.
It is also one of the 11 official languages that are given equal status in South Africa (South African English). English is also the official language in current dependent territories of Australia (Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and Cocos Island) and of the United States (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands),[60] and the former British colony of Hong Kong. (See List of countries where English is an official language for more details.)
English is not an official language in the United States.[61] Although the United States federal government has no official languages, English has been given official status by 30 of the 50 state governments.[62] Although falling short of official status, English is also an important language in several former colonies and protectorates of the United Kingdom, such as Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cyprus, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.
English as a global language[link]
See also: English in computing, International English, World language, and English as a foreign or second language
Because English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a "world language", the lingua franca of the modern era,[19] and while it is not an official language in most countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a foreign language. Some linguists believe that it is no longer the exclusive cultural property of "native English speakers", but is rather a language that is absorbing aspects of cultures worldwide as it continues to grow.[19] It is, by international treaty, the official language for aerial and maritime communications.[63] English is an official language of the United Nations and many other international organisations, including the International Olympic Committee.
English is the language most often studied as a foreign language in the European Union, by 89% of schoolchildren, ahead of French at 32%, while the perception of the usefulness of foreign languages amongst Europeans is 68% in favour of English ahead of 25% for French.[64] Among some non-English-speaking EU countries, a large percentage of the adult population claims to be able to converse in English – in particular: 85% in Sweden, 83% in Denmark, 79% in the Netherlands, 66% in Luxembourg and over 50% in Finland, Slovenia, Austria, Belgium, and Germany.[65]
Books, magazines, and newspapers written in English are available in many countries around the world, and English is the most commonly used language in the sciences[19] with Science Citation Index reporting as early as 1997 that 95% of its articles were written in English, even though only half of them came from authors in English-speaking countries.
This increasing use of the English language globally has had a large impact on many other languages, leading to language shift and even language death,[66] and to claims of linguistic imperialism.[67] English itself is now open to language shift as multiple regional varieties feed back into the language as a whole.[67]
Dialects and varieties[link]
Main article: List of dialects of the English language
English has been subject to a large degree of regional dialect variation for many centuries. Its global spread now means that a large number of dialects and English-based creole languages and pidgins can be found all over the world.
Several educated native dialects of English have wide acceptance as standards in much of the world. In the United Kingdom much emphasis is placed on Received Pronunciation, an educated dialect of South East England. General American, which is spread over most of the United States and much of Canada, is more typically the model for the American continents and areas (such as the Philippines) that have had either close association with the United States, or a desire to be so identified. In Oceania, the major native dialect of Australian English is spoken as a first language by the vast majority of the inhabitants of the Australian continent, with General Australian serving as the standard accent. The English of neighbouring New Zealand as well as that of South Africa have to a lesser degree been influential native varieties of the language.
Aside from these major dialects, there are numerous other varieties of English, which include, in most cases, several subvarieties, such as Cockney, Scouse and Geordie within British English; Newfoundland English within Canadian English; and African American Vernacular English ("Ebonics") and Southern American English within American English. English is a pluricentric language, without a central language authority like France's Académie française; and therefore no one variety is considered "correct" or "incorrect" except in terms of the expectations of the particular audience to which the language is directed.
Scots has its origins in early Northern Middle English[68] and developed and changed during its history with influence from other sources. However, following the Acts of Union 1707 a process of language attrition began, whereby successive generations adopted more and more features from Standard English. Whether Scots is now a separate language or is better described as a dialect of English (i.e. part of Scottish English) is in dispute, although the UK government accepts Scots as a regional language and has recognised it as such under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.[69] There are a number of regional dialects of Scots, and pronunciation, grammar and lexis of the traditional forms differ, sometimes substantially, from other varieties of English.
English speakers have many different accents, which often signal the speaker's native dialect or language. For the most distinctive characteristics of regional accents, see Regional accents of English, and for a complete list of regional dialects, see List of dialects of the English language. Within England, variation is now largely confined to pronunciation rather than grammar or vocabulary. At the time of the Survey of English Dialects, grammar and vocabulary differed across the country, but a process of lexical attrition has led most of this variation to die out.[70]
Just as English itself has borrowed words from many different languages over its history, English loanwords now appear in many languages around the world, indicative of the technological and cultural influence of its speakers. Several pidgins and creole languages have been formed on an English base, such as Jamaican Patois, Nigerian Pidgin, and Tok Pisin. There are many words in English coined to describe forms of particular non-English languages that contain a very high proportion of English words.
Formal written English[link]
Main article: Formal written English
A version of the language almost universally agreed upon by educated English speakers around the world is called formal written English. It takes virtually the same form regardless of where it is written, in contrast to spoken English, which differs significantly between dialects, accents, and varieties of slang and of colloquial and regional expressions. Local variations in the formal written version of the language are quite limited, being restricted largely to minor spelling, lexical and grammatical differences between British, American, and other national varieties of English.
Simplified and constructed varieties[link]
Artificially simplified versions of the language have been created that are easier for non-native speakers to read. Basic English is a constructed language with a restricted number of words created by Charles Kay Ogden and described in his book Basic English: A General Introduction with Rules and Grammar (1930). Ogden said that it would take seven years to learn English, seven months for Esperanto, and seven weeks for Basic English.[citation needed] Thus, Basic English may be employed by companies that need to make complex books for international use, as well as by language schools that need to impart some knowledge of English in a short time.
Ogden did not include any words in Basic English that could be said instead with a combination of other words already in the Basic English lexicon, and he worked to make the vocabulary suitable for speakers of any other language. He put his vocabulary selections through a large number of tests and adjustments. Ogden also simplified the grammar but tried to keep it normal for English users. Although it was not built into a program, similar simplifications were devised for various international uses.
Simplified English is a controlled language originally developed for aerospace industry maintenance manuals. It employs a carefully limited and standardised[71] subset of English. Simplified English has a lexicon of approved words and those words can only be used in certain ways. For example, the word close can be used in the phrase "Close the door" but not "do not go close to the landing gear".
Other constructed varieties of English include:
- E-Prime excludes forms of the verb to be.
- English reform is an attempt to improve collectively upon the English language.
- Manually Coded English consists of a variety of systems that have been developed to represent the English language with hand signals, designed primarily for use in deaf education. These should not be confused with true sign languages such as British Sign Language and American Sign Language used in Anglophone countries, which are independent and not based on English.
- Seaspeak and the related Airspeak and PoliceSpeak, all based on restricted vocabularies, were designed by Edward Johnson starting from the 1980s to aid international cooperation and communication in specific areas.
- Special English is a simplified version of English used by the Voice of America. It uses a vocabulary of only 1500 words.
Phonology[link]
Main article: English phonology
The phonology (sound system) of English differs between dialects. The descriptions below are most closely applicable to the standard varieties known as Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American. For information concerning a range of other varieties, see IPA chart for English dialects.
Consonants[link]
The table below shows the system of consonant phonemes that functions in most major varieties of English. The symbols are from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and are also used in the pronunciation keys of many dictionaries. For more detailed information see English phonology: Consonants.
| Bilabial | Labio- dental |
Dental | Alveolar | Post- alveolar |
Palatal | Velar | Labial- velar |
Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ||||||
| Plosive | p b | t d | k ɡ | ||||||
| Affricate | tʃ dʒ | ||||||||
| Fricative | f v | θ ð | s z | ʃ ʒ | (x) | h | |||
| Approximant | r | j | w | ||||||
| Lateral | l |
Where consonants are given in pairs (as with "p b"), the first is voiceless, the second is voiced. Most of the symbols represent the same sounds as they normally do when used as letters (see Writing system below), but /j/ represents the initial sound of yacht. The symbol /ʃ/ represents the sh sound, /ʒ/ the middle sound of vision, /tʃ/ the ch sound, /dʒ/ the sound of j in jump, /θ/ and /ð/ the th sounds in thing and this respectively, and /ŋ/ the ng sound in sing. The voiceless velar fricative /x/ is not a regular phoneme in most varieties of English, although it is used by some speakers in Scots/Gaelic words such as loch or in other loanwords such as Chanukah.
Some of the more significant variations in the pronunciation of consonants are these:
- In non-rhotic accents such as Received Pronunciation and Australian English, /r/ can only appear before a vowel (so there is no "r" sound in words like card). The actual pronunciation of /r/ varies between dialects; most common is the alveolar approximant [ɹ].
- In North American English and Australian English, /t/ and /d/ are flapped [ɾ] in many positions between vowels.[72] This means that word pairs such as latter and ladder may become homophones for speakers of these dialects.
- The th sounds /θ/ and /ð/ are sometimes pronounced as /f/ and /v/ in Cockney, and as dental plosives (contrasting with the usual alveolar plosives) in some Irish varieties. In African American Vernacular English, /ð/ has merged with dental /d/.
- A voiceless w, [ʍ], sometimes written /hw/, for the wh in words like when and which, is preserved in Scottish and Irish English and by some speakers elsewhere.
- The voiceless plosives /p/, /t/ and /k/ are frequently aspirated, particularly at the start of stressed syllables, but they are not aspirated after an initial /s/, as in spin.
Vowels[link]
The system of vowel phonemes and their pronunciation is subject to significant variation between dialects. The table below lists the vowels found in Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American, with examples of words in which they occur. The vowels are represented with symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet; those given for RP are in relatively standard use in British dictionaries and other publications. For more detailed information see English phonology: Vowels.
|
|
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Some points to note:
- For words which in RP have /ɒ/, most North American dialects have /ɑ/ (as in the example of box above) or /ɔ/ (as in cloth). However some North American varieties do not have the vowel /ɔ/ at all (except before /r/); see cot–caught merger.
- In General American and some other rhotic accents, the combination of vowel+/r/ is often realized as an r-colored vowel. For example, butter /ˈbʌtər/ is pronounced with an r-colored schwa, [ɚ]. Similarly nurse contains the r-colored vowel [ɝ].
- The vowel conventionally written /ʌ/ is actually pronounced more centrally, as [ɐ], in RP. In the northern half of England this vowel is replaced by /ʊ/ (so cut rhymes with put).
- In unstressed syllables there may or may not be a distinction between /ə/ (schwa) and /ɪ/ (/ɨ/). So for some speakers there is no difference between roses and Rosa's. For more information see Reduced vowels in English.
- The diphthongs /eɪ/ and /əʊ/ (/oʊ/) tend towards the monophthongal pronunciations [eː] and [oː] in some dialects, including Canadian, Scottish, Irish and Northern English.
- In parts of North America /aɪ/ is pronounced [ʌɪ] before voiceless consonants. This is particularly true in Canada, where also /aʊ/ is pronounced [ʌʊ] in this position. See Canadian raising.
- The sound /ʊə/ is coming to be replaced by /ɔː/ in many words; for example, sure is often pronounced like shore. See English-language vowel changes before historic r.
Stress, rhythm and intonation[link]
English is a strongly stressed language, in which stress is said to be phonemic, i.e. capable of distinguishing words (such as the noun increase, stressed on the first syllable, and the verb increase, stressed on the second syllable; see also Initial-stress-derived noun). In almost any word of more than one syllable there will be one syllable identified as taking the primary stress, and possibly another taking a secondary stress, as in civilization /ˌsɪvəlaɪˈzeɪʃn̩/, in which the first syllable carries secondary stress, the fourth syllable carries primary stress, and the other syllables are unstressed.[73]
Closely related to stress in English is the process of vowel reduction; for example, in the noun contract the first syllable is stressed and contains the vowel /ɒ/ (in RP), whereas in the verb contract the first syllable is unstressed and its vowel is reduced to /ə/ (schwa).[74] The same process applies to certain common function words like of, which are pronounced with different vowels depending on whether or not they are stressed within the sentence. For more details, see Reduced vowels in English.
English also has strong prosodic stress – the placing of additional emphasis within a sentence on the words to which a speaker wishes to draw attention, and corresponding weaker pronunciation of less important words. As regards rhythm, English is classed as a stress-timed language – one in which there is a tendency for the time intervals between stressed syllables to become equal, with corresponding faster pronunciation of groups of unstressed syllables.
As concerns intonation, the pitch of the voice is used syntactically in English; for example, to convey surprise or irony, or to change a statement into a question. Most dialects of English use falling pitch for definite statements, and rising pitch to express uncertainty, as in questions (particularly yes-no questions). There is also a characteristic change of pitch on strongly stressed syllables, particularly on the "nuclear" (most strongly stressed) syllable in a sentence or intonation group. For more details see Intonation (linguistics): Intonation in English.
Grammar[link]
Main article: English grammar
English grammar has minimal inflection compared with most other Indo-European languages. For example, Modern English, unlike Modern German or Dutch and the Romance languages, lacks grammatical gender and adjectival agreement. Case marking has almost disappeared from the language and mainly survives in pronouns. The patterning of strong (e.g. speak/spoke/spoken) versus weak verbs (e.g. love/loved or kick/kicked) inherited from its Germanic origins has declined in importance in modern English, and the remnants of inflection (such as plural marking) have become more regular.
At the same time, the language has become more analytic, and has developed features such as modal verbs and word order as resources for conveying meaning. Auxiliary verbs mark constructions such as questions, negative polarity, the passive voice and progressive aspect.
Vocabulary[link]
The English vocabulary has changed considerably over the centuries.[75]
Like many languages deriving from Proto-Indo-European (PIE), many of the most common words in English can trace back their origin (through the Germanic branch) to PIE. Such words include the basic pronouns I, from Old English ic, (cf. German Ich, Gothic ik, Latin ego, Greek ego, Sanskrit aham), me (cf. German mich, mir, Gothic mik, mīs, Latin mē, Greek eme, Sanskrit mam), numbers (e.g. one, two, three, cf. Dutch een, twee, drie, Gothic ains, twai, threis (þreis), Latin ūnus, duo, trēs, Greek oinos "ace (on dice)", duo, treis), common family relationships such as mother, father, brother, sister etc. (cf. Dutch moeder, Greek meter, Latin mater, Sanskrit matṛ; mother), names of many animals (cf. German Maus, Dutch muis, Sanskrit mus, Greek mus, Latin mūs; mouse), and many common verbs (cf. Old High German knājan, Old Norse kná, Greek gignōmi, Latin gnoscere, Hittite kanes; to know).
Germanic words (generally words of Old English or to a lesser extent Old Norse origin) tend to be shorter than Latinate words, and are more common in ordinary speech, and include nearly all the basic pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, modal verbs etc. that form the basis of English syntax and grammar. The shortness of the words is generally due to syncope in Middle English (e.g. OldEng hēafod > ModEng head, OldEng sāwol > ModEng soul) and to the loss of final syllables due to stress (e.g. OldEng gamen > ModEng game, OldEng ǣrende > ModEng errand), not because Germanic words are inherently shorter than Latinate words (the lengthier, higher-register words of Old English were largely forgotten following the subjugation of English after the Norman Conquest, and most of the Old English lexis devoted to literature, the arts, and sciences ceased to be productive when it fell into disuse. Only the shorter, more direct, words of Old English tended to pass into the Modern language.) Consequently, those words which tend to be regarded as elegant or educated in Modern English are usually Latinate. However, the excessive use of Latinate words is considered at times to be either pretentious or an attempt to obfuscate an issue. George Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language", considered an important scrutinisation of the English language, is critical of this, as well as other perceived misuses of the language.
An English speaker is in many cases able to choose between Germanic and Latinate synonyms: come or arrive; sight or vision; freedom or liberty. In some cases, there is a choice between a Germanic derived word (oversee), a Latin derived word (supervise), and a French word derived from the same Latin word (survey); or even Germanic words derived from Norman French (e.g., warranty) and Parisian French (guarantee), and even choices involving multiple Germanic and Latinate sources are possible: sickness (Old English), ill (Old Norse), infirmity (French), affliction (Latin). Such synonyms harbour a variety of different meanings and nuances. Yet the ability to choose between multiple synonyms is not a consequence of French and Latin influence, as this same richness existed in English prior to the extensive borrowing of French and Latin terms. Old English was extremely resourceful in its ability to express synonyms and shades of meaning on its own, in many respects rivaling or exceeding that of Modern English (synonyms numbering in the thirties for certain concepts were not uncommon). Take for instance the various ways to express the word "astronomer" or "astrologer" in Old English: tunglere, tungolcræftiga, tungolwītega, tīdymbwlātend, tīdscēawere.[76] In Modern English, however, the roles of such synonyms have largely been replaced by equivalents taken from Latin, French, and Greek, as English has taken the position of a diminished reliance upon native elements and resources for the creation of new words and terminologies. Familiarity with the etymology of groups of synonyms can give English speakers greater control over their linguistic register. See: List of Germanic and Latinate equivalents in English, Doublet (linguistics).
An exception to this and a peculiarity perhaps unique to a handful of languages, English included, is that the nouns for meats are commonly different from, and unrelated to, those for the animals from which they are produced, the animal commonly having a Germanic name and the meat having a French-derived one. Examples include: deer and venison; cow and beef; swine/pig and pork; and sheep/lamb and mutton. This is assumed to be a result of the aftermath of the Norman conquest of England, where an Anglo-Norman-speaking elite were the consumers of the meat, produced by lower classes, which happened to be largely Anglo-Saxon, though this same duality can also be seen in other languages like French, which did not undergo such linguistic upheaval (e.g. boeuf "beef" vs. vache "cow"). With the exception of beef and pork, the distinction today is gradually becoming less and less pronounced (venison is commonly referred to simply as deer meat, mutton is lamb, and chicken is both the animal and the meat over the more traditional term poultry. (Use of the term mutton, however, remains, especially when referring to the meat of an older sheep, distinct from lamb; and poultry remains when referring to the meat of birds and fowls in general.)
There are Latinate words that are used in everyday speech. These words no longer appear Latinate and oftentimes have no Germanic equivalents. For instance, the words mountain, valley, river, aunt, uncle, move, use, push and stay ("to remain") are Latinate. Likewise, the inverse can occur: acknowledge, meaningful, understanding, mindful, lavish, behaviour, forbearance, behoove, forestall, allay, rhyme, starvation, embodiment come from Anglo-Saxon, and allegiance, abandonment, debutant, feudalism, seizure, guarantee, disregard, wardrobe, disenfranchise, disarray, bandolier, bourgeoisie, debauchery, performance, furniture, gallantry are of Germanic origin, usually through the Germanic element in French, so it is oftentimes impossible to know the origin of a word based on its register.
English easily accepts technical terms into common usage and often imports new words and phrases. Examples of this phenomenon include contemporary words such as cookie, Internet and URL (technical terms), as well as genre, über, lingua franca and amigo (imported words/phrases from French, German, Italian, and Spanish, respectively). In addition, slang often provides new meanings for old words and phrases. In fact, this fluidity is so pronounced that a distinction often needs to be made between formal forms of English and contemporary usage.
See also: sociolinguistics
Number of words in English[link]
The General Explanations at the beginning of the Oxford English Dictionary states:
The Vocabulary of a widely diffused and highly cultivated living language is not a fixed quantity circumscribed by definite limits... there is absolutely no defining line in any direction: the circle of the English language has a well-defined centre but no discernible circumference.
The current FAQ for the OED further states:
How many words are there in the English language? There is no single sensible answer to this question. It's impossible to count the number of words in a language, because it's so hard to decide what actually counts as a word.[77]
The vocabulary of English is undoubtedly vast, but assigning a specific number to its size is more a matter of definition than of calculation. Unlike other languages such as French (the Académie française), German (Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung), Spanish (Real Academia Española) and Italian (Accademia della Crusca), there is no academy to define officially accepted words and spellings. Neologisms are coined regularly in medicine, science, technology and other fields, and new slang is constantly developed. Some of these new words enter wide usage; others remain restricted to small circles. Foreign words used in immigrant communities often make their way into wider English usage. Archaic, dialectal, and regional words might or might not be widely considered as "English".
The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition (OED2) includes over 600,000 definitions, following a rather inclusive policy:
It embraces not only the standard language of literature and conversation, whether current at the moment, or obsolete, or archaic, but also the main technical vocabulary, and a large measure of dialectal usage and slang (Supplement to the OED, 1933).[78]
The editors of Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged include 475,000 main headwords, but in their preface they estimate the true number to be much higher.
Comparisons of the vocabulary size of English to that of other languages are generally not taken very seriously by linguists and lexicographers. Besides the fact that dictionaries will vary in their policies for including and counting entries,[79] what is meant by a given language and what counts as a word do not have simple definitions. Also, a definition of word that works for one language may not work well in another,[80] with differences in morphology and orthography making cross-linguistic definitions and word-counting difficult, and potentially giving very different results.[81] Linguist Geoffrey K. Pullum has gone so far as to compare concerns over vocabulary size (and the notion that a supposedly larger lexicon leads to "greater richness and precision") to an obsession with penis length.[82]
In December 2010 a joint Harvard/Google study found the language to contain 1,022,000 words and to expand at the rate of 8,500 words per year.[83] The findings came from a computer analysis of 5,195,769 digitised books. Others have estimated a rate of growth of 25,000 words each year.[84]
Word origins[link]
One of the consequences of the French influence is that the vocabulary of English is, to a certain extent, divided between those words that are Germanic (mostly West Germanic, with a smaller influence from the North Germanic branch) and those that are "Latinate" (derived directly from Latin, or through Norman French or other Romance languages). The situation is further compounded, as French, particularly Old French and Anglo-French, were also contributors in English of significant numbers of Germanic words, mostly from the Frankish element in French (see List of English Latinates of Germanic origin).
The majority (estimates range from roughly 50%[85] to more than 80%[86]) of the thousand most common English words are Germanic. However, the majority of more advanced words in subjects such as the sciences, philosophy and mathematics come from Latin or Greek, with Arabic also providing many words in astronomy, mathematics, and chemistry.[87]
| 1st 100 | 1st 1,000 | 2nd 1,000 | Subsequent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germanic | 97% | 57% | 39% | 36% |
| Italic | 3% | 36% | 51% | 51% |
| Hellenic | 0 | 4% | 4% | 7% |
| Others | 0 | 3% | 6% | 6% |
| Source: Nation 2001, p. 265 | ||||
Numerous sets of statistics have been proposed to demonstrate the proportionate origins of English vocabulary. None, as of yet, is considered definitive by most linguists.
A computerised survey of about 80,000 words in the old Shorter Oxford Dictionary (3rd ed.) was published in Ordered Profusion by Thomas Finkenstaedt and Dieter Wolff (1973)[88] that estimated the origin of English words as follows:
- Langue d'oïl, including French and Old Norman: 28.3%
- Latin, including modern scientific and technical Latin: 28.24%
- Germanic languages (including words directly inherited from Old English; does not include Germanic words coming from the Germanic element in French, Latin or other Romance languages): 25%
- Greek: 5.32%
- No etymology given: 4.03%
- Derived from proper names: 3.28%
- All other languages: less than 1%
A survey by Joseph M. Williams in Origins of the English Language of 10,000 words taken from several thousand business letters gave this set of statistics:[89]
- French (langue d'oïl): 41%
- "Native" English: 33%
- Latin: 15%
- Old Norse: 2%
- Dutch: 1%
- Other: 10%
Old Norse origins[link]
Main article: List of English words of Old Norse origin
Many words of Old Norse origin have entered the English language, primarily from the Viking colonisation of eastern and northern England between 800–1000 CE during the Danelaw. These include common words such as anger, awe, bag, big, birth, blunder, both, cake, call, cast, cosy, cross, cut, die, dirt, drag, drown, egg, fellow, flat, flounder, gain, get, gift, give, guess, guest, gust, hug, husband, ill, kid, law, leg, lift, likely, link, loan, loose, low, mistake, odd, race (running), raise, root, rotten, same, scale, scare, score, seat, seem, sister, skill, skin, skirt, skull, sky, stain, steak, sway, take, though, thrive, Thursday, tight, till (until), trust, ugly, want, weak, window, wing, wrong, the pronoun they (and its forms), and even the verb are (the present plural form of to be) through a merger of Old English and Old Norse cognates.[90] More recent Scandinavian imports include angstrom, fjord, geyser, kraken, litmus, nickel, ombudsman, saga, ski, slalom, smorgasbord, and tungsten.
French origins[link]
Main article: List of English words of French origin
A large portion of English vocabulary is of French or Langues d'oïl origin, and was transmitted to English via the Anglo-Norman language spoken by the upper classes in England in the centuries following the Norman Conquest. Words of Norman-French origin include competition, mountain, art, table, publicity, role, pattern, joust, choice, and force. As a result of the length of time they have been in use in English, these words have been anglicised to fit English rules of phonology, pronunciation and spelling.
Some French words were adopted during the 17th to 19th centuries, when French was the dominant language of Western international politics and trade. These words can normally be distinguished because they retain French rules for pronunciation and spelling, including diacritics, are often phrases rather than single words, and are sometimes written in italics. Examples include police, routine, machine, façade, table d'hôte and affaire de cœur. These words and phrases retain their French spelling and pronunciation because historically their French origin was emphasised to denote the speaker as educated or well-travelled at a time when education and travelling was still restricted to the middle and upper classes, and so their use implied a higher social status in the user. (See also: French phrases used by English speakers).
Dutch and Low German origins[link]
Main article: List of English words of Dutch origin
Many words describing the navy, types of ships, and other objects or activities on the water are of Dutch origin. Yacht, skipper, cruiser, flag, freight, furlough, breeze, hoist, iceberg, boom, duck ("fabric, cloth"), and maelstrom are examples. Other words pertain to art and daily life: easel, etch, slim, staple (Middle Dutch stapel "market"), slip (Middle Dutch slippen), landscape, cookie, curl, shock, aloof, boss, brawl (brallen "to boast"), smack (smakken "to hurl down"), shudder, scum, peg, coleslaw, waffle, dope (doop "dipping sauce"), slender (Old Dutch slinder), slight, gas, pump. Dutch has also contributed to English slang, e.g. spook, and the now obsolete snyder (tailor) and stiver (small coin).
Words from Low German include bluster, cower, dollar, drum, geek, grab, lazy, mate, monkey, mud, ogle, orlop, paltry, poll, poodle, prong, scurvy, smug, smuggle, trade.
Writing system[link]
Main articles: English alphabet and English orthography
Since around the 9th century, English has been written in the Latin script, which replaced Anglo-Saxon runes. The modern English alphabet contains 26 letters of the Latin script: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z (which also have majuscule, capital or uppercase forms: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z). Other symbols used in writing English include the ligatures, æ and œ (though these are uncommon). There is also some usage of diacritics, mainly in foreign loanwords (like the acute accent in café and exposé), and in the occasional use of a diaeresis to indicate that two vowels are pronounced separately (as in naïve, Zoë). For more information see English words with diacritics.
The spelling system, or orthography, of English is multilayered, with elements of French, Latin and Greek spelling on top of the native Germanic system; further complications have arisen through sound changes with which the orthography has not kept pace. This means that, compared with many other languages, English spelling is not a reliable indicator of pronunciation and vice versa (it is not, generally speaking, a phonemic orthography).
Though letters and sounds may not correspond in isolation, spelling rules that take into account syllable structure, phonetics, and accents are 75% or more reliable.[91] Some phonics spelling advocates claim that English is more than 80% phonetic.[92] However, English has fewer consistent relationships between sounds and letters than many other languages; for example, the letter sequence ough can be pronounced in 10 different ways. The consequence of this complex orthographic history is that reading can be challenging.[93] It takes longer for students to become completely fluent readers of English than of many other languages, including French, Greek, and Spanish.[94] English-speaking children have been found to take up to two years longer to learn to read than children in 12 other European countries.[95]
As regards the consonants, the correspondence between spelling and pronunciation is fairly regular. The letters b, d, f, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w, z represent, respectively, the phonemes /b/, /d/, /f/, /h/, /dʒ/, /k/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /p/, /r/, /s/, /t/, /v/, /w/, /z/ (as tabulated in the Consonants section above). The letters c and g normally represent /k/ and /g/, but there is also a soft c pronounced /s/, and a soft g pronounced /dʒ/. Some sounds are represented by digraphs: ch for /tʃ/, sh for /ʃ/, th for /θ/ or /ð/, ng for /ŋ/ (also ph is pronounced /f/ in Greek-derived words). Doubled consonant letters (and the combination ck) are generally pronounced as single consonants, and qu and x are pronounced as the sequences /kw/ and /ks/. The letter y, when used as a consonant, represents /j/. However this set of rules is not applicable without exception; many words have silent consonants or other cases of irregular pronunciation.
With the vowels, however, correspondences between spelling and pronunciation are even more irregular. As can be seen under Vowels above, there are many more vowel phonemes in English than there are vowel letters (a, e, i, o, u, y). This means that diphthongs and other long vowels often need to be indicated by combinations of letters (like the oa in boat and the ay in stay), or using a silent e or similar device (as in note and cake). Even these devices are not used consistently, and consequently vowel pronunciation remains the main source of irregularity in English orthography.
See also[link]
 |
Book: English language |
| Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print. | |
- Changes to Old English vocabulary
- English for academic purposes
- English language in Europe
- Language Report
- Lists of English words
- Teaching English as a foreign language
- The Adventure of English (film)
- The Story of English
- European Society for the Study of English
References[link]
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- ^ a b The Triumph of English, The Economist, 20 Dec. 2001
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- ^ Ammon, pp. 2245–2247.
- ^ Schneider, p. 1.
- ^ Mazrui, p. 21.
- ^ Howatt, pp. 127–133.
- ^ Crystal, pp. 87–89.
- ^ Wardhaugh, p. 60.
- ^ "English – Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". Merriam-webster.com. 25 April 2007. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/English. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- ^ a b Daniel Weissbort (2006). "Translation: theory and practice : a historical reader". p.100. Oxford University Press, 2006
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- ^ "Global English: gift or curse?". http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=92238D4607726060BCBD3DB70C472D0F.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=291932. Retrieved 4 April 2005.
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- ^ "IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases". International Maritime Organization. http://www.imo.org/OurWork/Safety/Navigation/Pages/StandardMarineCommunicationPhrases.aspx. Retrieved 2 June 2011. [dead link]
- ^ "FAQ – Language proficiency requirements for licence holders – In which languages does a licence holder need to demonstrate proficiency?". International Civil Aviation Organization – Air Navigation Bureau. http://www.icao.int/icao/en/trivia/peltrgFAQ.htm#23. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ^ "The triumph of English". The Economist. 20 December 2001. http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=883997. Retrieved 26 March 2007. (Subscription required)
- ^ Graphics: English replacing German as language of Science Nobel Prize winners. From J. Schmidhuber (2010), Evolution of National Nobel Prize Shares in the 20th Century at [http://arxiv.org/abs/1009.2634 arXiv:1009.2634v1
- ^ http://www.un.org/en/aboutun/languages.shtml
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- ^ Cheshire, Jenny (1991). English Around The World: Sociolinguistic Perspectives. Cambridge University Press. DOI:10.2277/0521395658. ISBN 0-521-39565-8.
- ^ Blench, R.; Spriggs, Matthew (1999). Archaeology and Language: Correlating Archaeological and Linguistic Hypotheses. Routledge. pp. 285–286. ISBN 978-0-415-11761-6. http://books.google.com/?id=DWMHhfXxLaIC&pg=PA286.
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- ^ "Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England | Christian Classics Ethereal Library". Ccel.org. 1 June 2005. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bede/history.v.i.xiv.html. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
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- ^ Collingwood, R. G.; et al (1936). "The English Settlements. The Sources for the period: Angles, Saxons, and Jutes on the Continent". Roman Britain and English Settlements. Oxford, England: Clarendon. pp. 325 et sec. ISBN 0-8196-1160-3.
- ^ "Linguistics Research Center Texas University". Utexas.edu. 20 February 2009. http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/engol-0-X.html. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
- ^ "The Germanic Invasions of Western Europe, Calgary University". Ucalgary.ca. http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/firsteuro/invas.html. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
- ^ David Graddol, Dick Leith, and Joan Swann, English: History, Diversity and Change (New York: Routledge, 1996), 101.
- ^ See Cercignani, Fausto, Shakespeare's Works and Elizabethan Pronunciation, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1981.
- ^ A History of the English Language|Page: 336 | By: Albert C. Baugh and Thomas Cable | Publisher: Routledge; 5 edition (21 March 2002)
- ^ Curtis, Andy. Color, Race, And English Language Teaching: Shades of Meaning. 2006, page 192.
- ^ CIA World Factbook, Field Listing – Languages (World).
- ^ Languages of the World (Charts), Comrie (1998), Weber (1997), and the Summer Institute for Linguistics (SIL) 1999 Ethnologue Survey. Available at The World's Most Widely Spoken Languages
- ^ Mair, Victor H. (1991). "What Is a Chinese "Dialect/Topolect"? Reflections on Some Key Sino-English Linguistic Terms" (PDF). Sino-Platonic Papers. http://sino-platonic.org/complete/spp029_chinese_dialect.pdf.
- ^ "English Language". Columbia University Press. 2005. http://columbia.tfd.com/English+language. Retrieved 26 March 2007.
- ^ 20,000 ESL Teaching Jobs Oxford Seminars. Retrieved 17 April 2012
- ^ Crystal, David (2003). English as a Global Language (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-521-53032-3. http://books.google.com/?id=d6jPAKxTHRYC. , cited in Power, Carla (7 March 2005). "Not the Queen's English". Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/id/49022.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003, Section 1 Population" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. pp. 59 pages. http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/06statab/pop.pdf. Table 47 gives the figure of 214,809,000 for those five years old and over who speak exclusively English at home. Based on the American Community Survey, these results exclude those living communally (such as college dormitories, institutions, and group homes), and by definition exclude native English speakers who speak more than one language at home.
- ^ a b "The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, Second Edition, Crystal, David; Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, [1995] (3 August 2003)". Cambridge.org. http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521530334. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
- ^ Population by mother tongue and age groups, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories–20% sample data, Census 2006, Statistics Canada.
- ^ Census Data from Australian Bureau of Statistics Main Language Spoken at Home. The figure is the number of people who only speak English at home.
- ^ Figures are for speakers of Nigerian Pidgin, an English-based pidgin or creole. Ihemere gives a range of roughly 3 to 5 million native speakers; the midpoint of the range is used in the table. Ihemere, Kelechukwu Uchechukwu. 2006. "A Basic Description and Analytic Treatment of Noun Clauses in Nigerian Pidgin." Nordic Journal of African Studies 15(3): 296–313.
- ^ Census in Brief, page 15 (Table 2.5), 2001 Census, Statistics South Africa
- ^ "About people, Language spoken". Statistics New Zealand. 2006 census. http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006-census-data/classification-counts-tables/about-people/language-spoken.aspx. Retrieved 28 September 2009. [dead link] (links to Microsoft Excel files)
- ^ Subcontinent Raises Its Voice, Crystal, David; Guardian Weekly: Friday 19 November 2004.
- ^ Yong Zhao; Keith P. Campbell (1995). "English in China". World Englishes 14 (3): 377–390. Hong Kong contributes an additional 2.5 million speakers (1996 by-census).
- ^ Table C-17: Population by Bilingualism and trilingualism, 2001 Census of India [1]
- ^ Tropf, Herbert S. 2004. India and its Languages[dead link]. Siemens AG, Munich
- ^ For the distinction between "English Speakers" and "English Users", see: TESOL-India (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages). Their article explains the difference between the 350 million number mentioned in a previous version of this Wikipedia article and a more plausible 90 million number:
Wikipedia's India estimate of 350 million includes two categories – "English Speakers" and "English Users". The distinction between the Speakers and Users is that Users only know how to read English words while Speakers know how to read English, understand spoken English as well as form their own sentences to converse in English. The distinction becomes clear when you consider the China numbers. China has over 200~350 million users that can read English words but, as anyone can see on the streets of China, only handful of million who are English speakers.
- ^ a b c "Ethnologue report for Philippines". Ethnologue.com. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=PH. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- ^ "Australian Bureau of Statistics". Censusdata.abs.gov.au. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/ViewData?action=404&documentproductno=0&documenttype=Details&order=1&tabname=Details&areacode=0&issue=2006&producttype=Census%20Tables&javascript=true&textversion=false&navmapdisplayed=true&breadcrumb=TLPD&&collection=Census&period=2006&productlabel=Proficiency%20in%20Spoken%20English/Language%20by%20Age%20-%20Time%20Series%20Statistics%20(1996,%202001,%202006%20Census%20Years)&producttype=Census%20Tables&method=Place%20of%20Usual%20Residence&topic=Cultural%20&. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
- ^ Nancy Morris (1995). Puerto Rico: Culture, Politics, and Identity. Praeger/Greenwood. p. 62. ISBN 0-275-95228-2. http://books.google.com/?id=vyQDYqz2kFsC&pg=RA1-PA62&lpg=RA1-PA62&dq=%22puerto+rico%22+official+language+1993.
- ^ Languages Spoken in the US[dead link], National Virtual Translation Center, 2006.
- ^ "U.S. English, Inc". Us-english.org. http://www.us-english.org/inc/official/states.asp. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
- ^ "International Maritime Organisation". Imo.org. http://www.imo.org/Safety/index.asp?topic_id=357. Retrieved 21 April 2010. [dead link]
- ^ 2006 survey by Eurobarometer, in the Official EU languages website
- ^ "Microsoft Word – SPECIAL NOTE Europeans and languagesEN 20050922.doc" (PDF). http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_237.en.pdf. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
- ^ David Crystal (2000) Language Death, Preface; viii, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
- ^ a b Jambor, Paul Z. 'English Language Imperialism: Points of View', Journal of English as an International Language, April 2007 – Volume 1, pages 103–123 (Accessed in 2007)
- ^ Aitken, A. J. and McArthur, T. Eds. (1979) Languages of Scotland. Edinburgh,Chambers. p.87
- ^ Second Report submitted by the United Kingdom pursuant to article 25, paragraph 1 of the framework convention for the protection of national minorities[dead link]
- ^ Peter Trudgill, The Dialects of England 2nd edition, page 125, Blackwell, Oxford, 2002
- ^ "Official page of ASD Simplified Technical English Maintenance Group (STEMG)". http://www.asd-ste100.org/.
- ^ Cox, Felicity (2006). "Australian English Pronunciation into the 21st century" (PDF). Prospect 21: 3–21. Archived from the original on 24 July 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070724185054/http://www.shlrc.mq.edu.au/~felicity/Papers/Prospect_Erratum_v1.pdf. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, see entry "civilisation"
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, see entry "contract"
- ^ For the processes and triggers of English vocabulary changes cf. English and General Historical Lexicology (by Joachim Grzega and Marion Schöner)
- ^ Baugh, Cable, A History of the English Language Fifth Edition, 50.
- ^ "How many words are there in the English language?". Oxford Dictionaries Online. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/page/howmanywords. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
- ^ It went on to clarify,
Hence we exclude all words that had become obsolete by 1150 [the end of the Old English era]... Dialectal words and forms which occur since 1500 are not admitted, except when they continue the history of the word or sense once in general use, illustrate the history of a word, or have themselves a certain literary currency.
- ^ Sheidlower, Jesse (10 April 2006). "How many words are there in English?". http://www.slate.com/id/2139611/. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
- ^ Liberman, Mark (1 June 2010). "Laden on word counting". Language Log. http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2363. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
- ^ Liberman, Mark (28 December 2006). "An apology to our readers". Language Log. http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003976.html. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
- ^ Pullum, Geoffrey K. (8 December 2006). "Vocabulary size and penis length". Language Log. http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/%7Emyl/languagelog/archives/003871.html. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
- ^ English language has doubled in size in the last century, Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent, The Telegraph, December 16, 2010
- ^ Kister, Ken. "Dictionaries defined." Library Journal, 6/15/92, Vol. 117 Issue 11, p43, 4p, 2bw
- ^ Nation 2001, p. 265
- ^ "Old English Online". Utexas.edu. 20 February 2009. http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/engol-0-X.html. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
- ^ "From Arabic to English", www.america.gov
- ^ Finkenstaedt, Thomas; Dieter Wolff (1973). Ordered profusion; studies in dictionaries and the English lexicon. C. Winter. ISBN 3-533-02253-6.
- ^ "Joseph M. Willams, Origins of the English Language". Amazon.com. p. [page needed]. ASIN 0029344700.
- ^ "Are". Online Etymology Dictionary. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=are. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
- ^ Abbott, M. (2000). Identifying reliable generalisations for spelling words: The importance of multilevel analysis. The Elementary School Journal 101(2), 233–245.
- ^ Moats, L. M. (2001). Speech to print: Language essentials for teachers. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Company.
- ^ Diane McGuinness, Why Our Children Can't Read (New York: Touchstone, 1997) pp. 156–169
- ^ Ziegler, J. C., & Goswami, U. (2005). "Reading acquisition, developmental dyslexia, and skilled reading across languages". Psychological Bulletin, 131(1), 3–29.
- ^ Professor Philip H K Seymour, University of Dundee, 2001. "Media centre". Spelling Society. http://www.spellingsociety.org/media/research.php. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
Bibliographic[link]
- Ammon, Ulrich (2006). Sociolinguistics: An International Handbook of the Science of Language and Society. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-018418-4. http://books.google.com/?id=LMZm0w0k1c4C.
- Baugh, Albert C.; Thomas Cable (2002). A History of the English Language (5th ed.). Routledge. ISBN 0-415-28099-0.
- Bragg, Melvyn (2004). The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language. Arcade Publishing. ISBN 1-55970-710-0.
- Cercignani, Fausto, Shakespeare's Works and Elizabethan Pronunciation, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1981.
- Crystal, David (1997). English as a Global Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-53032-6. http://books.google.com/?id=d6jPAKxTHRYC.
- Crystal, David (2003). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-53033-4.
- Crystal, David (2004). The Stories of English. Allen Lane. ISBN 0-7139-9752-4.
- Dunton-Downer, Leslie (2010). The English Is Coming!: How One Language Is Sweeping the World. New York: Touchstone Books. ISBN 978-1-4391-7665-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=NBK6FoHLgcEC&printsec=frontcover.
- Halliday, MAK (1994). An Introduction to Functional Grammar (2nd ed.). London: Edward Arnold. ISBN 0-340-55782-6.
- Hayford, Harrison; Howard P. Vincent (1954). Reader and Writer. Houghton Mifflin Company. "Internet Archive: Free Download: Reader And Writer". Archive.org. 10 March 2001. http://www.archive.org/details/readerandwriter030101mbp. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- Howatt, Anthony (2004). A History of English Language Teaching. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-442185-6. http://books.google.com/?id=g2e7iw_F-ZcC.
- Kenyon, John Samuel and Knott, Thomas Albert, A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English, G & C Merriam Company, Springfield, Mass, USA,1953.
- Mazrui, Alamin (1998). The Power of Babel: Language & Governance in the African Experience. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-85255-807-4. http://books.google.com/?id=6lQTPxdYx8kC.
- McArthur, T. (ed.) (1992). The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-214183-X.
- McCrum, Robert; Robert MacNeil, William Cran (1986). The Story of English (1st ed.). New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-80467-3.
- Nation, I.S.P. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge University Press. p. 477. ISBN 0-521-80498-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=sKqx8k8gYTkC.
- Plotkin, Vulf (2006). The Language System of English. BrownWalker Press. ISBN 1-58112-993-9.
- Robinson, Orrin (1992). Old English and Its Closest Relatives. Stanford Univ. Press. ISBN 0-8047-2221-8.
- Schneider, Edgar (2007). Postcolonial English: Varieties Around the World. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-83140-7. http://books.google.com/?id=QIE6zGSd8okC.
- Wardhaugh, Ronald (2006). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 1-4051-3559-X. http://books.google.com/?id=0J2VOzNYtKQC.
External links[link]
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Look up Appendix:List of Proto-Indo-European roots in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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Wikiversity has learning materials about Topic:English Language |
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: English language |
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Look up English in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Media related to English language at Wikimedia Commons- Accents of English from Around the World (University of Edinburgh) Hear and compare how the same 110 words are pronounced in 50 English accents from around the world – instantaneous playback online
- Dictionaries
- Collection of English bilingual dictionaries
- dict.org
- Dictionary of American Regional English
- English language word roots, prefixes and suffixes (affixes) dictionary
- Merriam-Webster's online dictionary
- Macquarie Dictionary Online
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Irvine Welsh | |
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 Irvine Welsh 2004 at the Edinburgh International Book Festival |
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| Born | (1958-09-27) 27 September 1958 (age 53) Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Heriot-Watt University |
| Genres | Literature, Novel |
| Literary movement | Modernism, Post Modernism |
| Notable work(s) | Trainspotting, The Acid House |
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www.irvinewelsh.net/default.aspx |
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Irvine Welsh (born 27 September 1958 in Leith, Edinburgh) is a contemporary Scottish novelist, best known for his novel Trainspotting. His work is characterised by raw Scottish dialect, and brutal depiction of the realities of Edinburgh life. He has also written plays, screenplays, and directed several short films.
Contents |
Biography[link]
Irvine Welsh was born in Leith, the port area of the Scottish capital Edinburgh. His family moved to Muirhouse, in Edinburgh, when he was four, where the family stayed at local housing schemes.[1] His mother worked as a waitress. His father was a dock worker in Leith until bad health forced him to become a carpet salesman; he died when Welsh was 25. Welsh left Ainslie Park High School when he was 16 and then completed a City and Guilds course in electrical engineering. He became an apprentice TV repairman until an electric shock persuaded him to move on to a series of other jobs.[1] He left Edinburgh for the London punk scene in 1978, where he played guitar and sang in The Pubic Lice and Stairway 13,[1] the latter a reference to the Ibrox disaster. A series of arrests for petty crimes and finally a suspended sentence for trashing a North London community centre inspired Welsh to correct his ways. He worked for Hackney London Borough Council in London and studied computing with the support of the Manpower Services Commission.[1]
In the mid 1980s he became a minor property speculator, renovating houses in the rapidly gentrifying North London. After the London property boom of the 1980s, Welsh returned to Edinburgh in late 80s, where he worked for the city council in the housing department. He went on to study for an MBA at Heriot-Watt University, writing his thesis on creating equal opportunities for women.
Welsh has made several reading tours around the world and has been involved with his beloved house music as a DJ, promoter and producer. Like many of his characters, he supports Hibs. He met an American woman Beth Quinn, 26[when?], when he was teaching creative writing in Chicago, and they were married in July 2005. He considers the age gap inconsequential. 'I've never felt tied to any one age ... I've never thought "I must find someone a couple of years younger than I am".' Welsh was previously married to Anne Ansty from 1984 until their divorce in 2003.[2]
On 20th April 2012, on BBC Breakfast, he advised he lives in Chicago, with his wife. Previously he lived in Dublin, Ireland.[3][4] In an interview with The Daily Mail on 7 August 2006, he described himself as "not so much middle-class as upper-class. I'm very much a gentleman of leisure. I write. I sit and look out of my window into the garden. I enjoy books. I love the density and complexity of Jane Austen and George Eliot. I listen to music; I travel. I can go off to a film festival whenever I like." He also describes himself as monogamous: "it sounds boring but it's the way I am".
Fiction[link]
To date, Welsh has published seven novels and four collections of short stories. His first novel, Trainspotting, was published in 1993, and rumor has it that Welsh wrote it in the breaks while writing his thesis at Heriot-Watt University's Library, second floor.[citation needed] Set in the mid 1980s, it uses a series of loosely connected short stories to tell the story of a group of characters tied together by decaying friendships, heroin addiction and stabs at escape from the oppressive boredom and brutality of their lives in the housing schemes. It was released to shock and outrage in some circles and great acclaim in others; Time Out called it "funny, unflinchingly abrasive, authentic and inventive", and The Sunday Times called Welsh "the best thing that has happened to British writing for decades". One critic (Welsh's personal friend Kevin Williamson) went so far as to say that Trainspotting "deserves to sell more copies than The Bible". It was adapted as a play, and a film adaptation, directed by Danny Boyle and written by John Hodge, was released in 1996. Welsh himself appeared in the film as Mikey Forrester, a minor character. The film was a worldwide success. U.S. Senator Bob Dole decried its supposed moral depravity and glorification of drug use during the 1996 presidential campaign, although he admitted that he had not actually seen the film.[5]
The novel has since achieved a cult status, aided by the global success of the film.[6]
Next, Welsh released The Acid House, a collection of short stories from Rebel Inc., New Writing Scotland and other sources. Many of the stories take place in and around the housing schemes from Trainspotting, and employ many of the same themes; however, a touch of fantasy is apparent in stories such as The Acid House, where the minds of a baby and a drug user swap bodies, or The Granton Star Cause, where God transforms a man into a fly as punishment for wasting his life. Welsh himself adapted three of the stories for a later film, which he also appeared in.
Welsh's third book (and second novel), Marabou Stork Nightmares, alternates between a typically grim tale of thugs and schemes in sub-working class Scotland and a hallucinatory adventure tale set in South Africa. Gradually, common themes begin to emerge between the two stories, culminating in a shocking ending.
His next book, Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance (1996), became his most high-profile work since Trainspotting, released in the wave of publicity surrounding the film. It consists of three unconnected novellas: the first, Lorraine Goes To Livingston, is a bawdy satire of classic British romance novels, the second, Fortune's Always Hiding, is a revenge story involving thalidomide and the third, The Undefeated, is a sly, subtle romance between a young woman dissatisfied with the confines of her suburban life and an aging clubgoer. Most critics dismissed the first two as relatively minor affairs and focused their praise on The Undefeated. Welsh's narration imbued both characters with surprising warmth, and the story avoided easy, pro-ecstasy conclusions. The popular alternative band My Chemical Romance stated in their DVD Life On The Murder Scene that bassist Mikey Way got the name for their band from the book's subtitle.
A corrupt police officer and his tapeworm served as the narrators for his third novel, Filth (1998). Welsh had never avoided flawed characters, but the main character of Filth was a brutally vicious sociopathic policeman.
Glue (2001) was a return to the locations, themes and episodic form of Trainspotting, telling the stories of four characters spanning several decades in their lives and the bonds that held them together.
Having revisited some of them in passing in Glue, Welsh brought most of the Trainspotting characters back for a sequel, Porno, in 2002. In this book Welsh explores the impact of pornography on the individuals involved in producing it, as well as society as a whole, and the impact of aging and maturity in individuals against their will.
The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs (2006), deals with a young, alcoholic civil servant who finds himself inadvertently putting a curse on his nemesis, a nerdy co-worker. In 2007, Welsh published If You Liked School You'll Love Work, his first collection of short stories in over a decade.
At the request of the Daily Telegraph, Welsh travelled with a group of authors and journalists to the Sudan in 2001. A book called The Weekenders: Travels in the Heart of Africa was the result, to which Welsh contributed a novella called Contamination, about the violence and warlords in the region. A second book, The Weekenders: Adventures in Calcutta, was published in 2004. Welsh, Ian Rankin, and Alexander McCall Smith each contributed a short story for the One City compilation published in 2005 in benefit of the One City Trust for social inclusion in Edinburgh.
Welsh's most recently published novel is entitled Crime, whose main character is Ray Lennox (who appeared in Welsh's previous work, Filth). Detective Inspector Ray Lennox is recovering from a mental breakdown induced by occupational stress and cocaine abuse, and a particularly horrifying child sex murder case back in Edinburgh. The story takes place in Florida.[7]
Welsh is currently writing a prequel to Trainspotting, to be called Skagboys.[8][9][10]
Film and stage[link]
As well as fiction, Irvine Welsh has written several stage plays, including Headstate, You'll Have Had Your Hole, and the musical Blackpool, which featured original songs by Vic Godard of the Subway Sect.
More recently he coauthored Babylon Heights with his screen writing partner Dean Cavanagh. The play premiered in San Francisco at the Exit Theatre and made its European premiere in Dublin, at The Mill Theatre Dundrum, directed by Graham Cantwell. The plot revolves around the behind-the-scenes antics of a group of Munchkins on the set of The Wizard of Oz. The production included the use of oversized sets with actors of regular stature.
Cavanagh and Welsh have also collaborated on a number of screenplays. The Meat Trade is based on the 19th century West Port murders. Despite the historical source material, Welsh has set the story in the familiar confines of present day Edinburgh, with Burke and Hare depicted as brothers who steal human organs to meet the demands of the global transplant market.
Wedding Belles, a film made for Channel 4 that was written by Welsh and Cavanagh, aired at the end of March 2007. The film centres around the lives of four young women, who are played by Michelle Gomez, Shirley Henderson, Shauna MacDonald, and Kathleen McDermot. Wedding Belles was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA and was subsequently sold to TV channels in Canada and Europe.
Welsh has directed several short films for bands. In 2001 he directed a 15 minute film for Gene's song "Is It Over" which is taken from the album Libertine. In 2006 he directed a short film to accompany the track "Atlantic" from Keane's album Under the Iron Sea.
Welsh directed his first short dramatic film, NUTS, which he co wrote with Cavanagh. The film features Joe McKinney as a man dealing with testicular cancer in post Celtic tiger Ireland. It was released in 2007.
Welsh co-directed 'The Right to liberty' a chapter of the documentary film The New Ten Commandments in 2008.
In 2009 Welsh directed the film Good Arrows (co-directed by Helen Grace). It was written by Welsh and Cavanagh. The film is about a darts player who suffers from depression which causes him to lose his skill.[11]
Film adaptation[link]
- Trainspotting (1996)
- Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy based on The Undefeated from the book "Ecstasy". (2011)
- The Acid House (1998)
Theatre adaptations[link]
- Ecstasy
- Glue
- Filth
- Trainspotting
- Marabou Stork Nightmares
Themes[link]
As well as recreational drug use, Welsh's fiction and non-fiction is dominated by the question of working class and Scottish identity in the period spanning the 1960s to the present day. Within this, he explores the rise and fall of the council housing scheme, denial of opportunity, sectarianism, football, hooliganism, sex, suppressed homosexuality, dance clubs, low-paid work, freemasonry, Irish republicanism, sodomy, class divisions, emigration and, perhaps most of all, the humour, prejudices and axioms of the Scots.
Sam Leith, writing in the Financial Times, argues that:
"Welsh’s concerns are with sin and salvation, with the exercise of free will and with the individual soul. He’s much more interested in teleology than sociology."[13]
Style[link]
His novels share a number of characters, giving the feel of a "shared universe" within his writing. For example, characters from Trainspotting make cameo appearances in The Acid House, Marabou Stork Nightmares, Ecstasy, Filth, and slightly larger appearances in Glue, whose characters then appear in Porno.
Irvine Welsh is known for writing in his native Edinburgh Scots dialect. He generally ignores the traditional conventions of literary Scots, used for example by Allan Ramsay, Robert Fergusson, Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, and James Orr. Instead, he transcribes dialects phonetically.
Like Alasdair Gray before him, Welsh also experiments with typography. A notable example is the book Filth, where the tapeworm's internal monologue is imposed over the top of the protagonist's own internal monologue (the worm's host), visibly depicting the tapeworm's voracious appetite, much like the 'Climax of Voices' in Gray's novel 1982, Janine.
Bibliography[link]
Novels[link]
- Trainspotting (1993)
- Marabou Stork Nightmares (1995)
- Filth (1998)
- Glue (2001)
- Porno (2002)
- The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs (2006)
- Crime (2008)
- Skagboys (2012)
Short story collections[link]
- The Acid House (1994)
- Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance (1996)
- If You Liked School You'll Love Work (2007)
- Reheated Cabbage (2009)
Script writing[link]
- You'll Have Had Your Hole (drama)
- Dose (half Hour BBC drama written with Dean Cavanagh)[14]
- The Acid House (screenplay)
- Wedding Belles (2007 film for Channel 4 written with Dean Cavanagh)[15]
- Four Play This is a collection of Irvine Welsh's books that have been adapted for the stage. Trainspotting, Marabou, Filth, and Ecstasy.[16]
- Dockers (1999 one-off TV drama for Channel 4, co-written by Jimmy McGovern)[17]
- Nuts (2007 Short film)[18]
- Good Arrows (2009 Film) [19]
- Bad Blood (2005 Short film) Co-written by Irvine Welsh, based on a section of Trainspotting[20]
Theatre[link]
- Babylon Heights
- You'll Have Had Your Hole
References[link]
- ^ a b c d The Novelist Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting: A Reader's Guide, by Robert A. Morace. Published by Continuum International Publishing Group, 2001. ISBN 0-8264-5237-X.Page 7-24.
- ^ Lorna Hughes. "Irvine Welsh splits from secret wife". Sunday Mail. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-108258191.html.
- ^ Welsh, Irvine (18 October 2007). "Irvine Welsh: In the past 15 years Dublin has gone from being Calcutta to Paris". The Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/travel/irvine-welsh-in-the-past-15-years-dublin-has-gone-from-being-calcutta-to-paris-1198978.html. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- ^ Murphy, Claire (13 January 2009). "Author can't find buyer for his Dublin home". Evening Herald. http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/author-cant-find-buyer-for-his-dublin-home-1599982.html. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- ^ Furek, Maxim W. (2008). The Death Proclamation of Generation X: A Self-Fulfilling Prophesy of Goth, Grunge and Heroin. i-Universe. pp. 105. ISBN 978-0-595-46319-0.
- ^ Contemporary Scottish Fictions--Film, Television, and the Novel: Film, Television and the Novel, by Duncan J. Petrie. Published by Edinburgh University Press, 2004.ISBN 0748617892. Page 101-102.
- ^ "amazon.co.uk". http://www.amazon.co.uk.
- ^ Sweeney, Charlene; Bannerman, Lucy. "Prequel to chart Trainspotting characters' fall from innocence". timesonline.com (London). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3564500.ece. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
- ^ Flood, Alison (2009-01-19). "Welsh offers chance to score a role in Trainspotting prequel". guardian.co.uk (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/19/welsh-trainspotting-prequel-auction. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ "My week Irvine Welsh A few punches to toughen up then Im Trainspotting again". The Times (London). 2009-01-25. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article5581111.ece. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9eb99e7a-84e5-11e1-a3c5-00144feab49a.html#axzz1sQx0Wdck
- ^ BBC - Press Office - Dose
- ^ http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=523&id=320802007[dead link]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ [7]
External links[link]
- irvinewelsh.net Official Site
- Irvine Welsh at the Internet Movie Database
- - Info on the BLACKPOOL EP released with Vic Godard & The Subway Sect
- BBC mini-bio on Welsh
- Irvine Welsh at Random House Australia
- SF Interview about "Babylon Heights" play with writing partner Dean Cavanagh
- Interview with 3:AM Magazine
- Interview by Garrett Faber and Interview by Daniel Robert Epstein SuicideGirls
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Welsh, Irvine |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Scottish novelist |
| Date of birth | 27 September 1958 |
| Place of birth | Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
