Index

Guide on the use of this material	7
Module 1: THE UNITED KINGDOM: Geo-cultural and Economic Dimensions	9
1.1 Geographic characteristics of the British Isles: the land, the weather and the sea	11
1.2 Sub-countries of the United Kingdom and their capital cities	19
1.2.1 The economy and industries	31
1.3 Literary productions	38
1.3.1 England	38
1.3.2 Wales	40
1.3.3 Scotland	43
1.3.4 Ireland	46
Module 2: THE UNITED KINGDOM:  Political and Cultural Dimensions	61
2.1   The spread of English within the British Isles. An Introduction	63
2.2   England, its people and its language	65
2.2.1         Received Pronunciation	66
2.2.2         Cockney	69
2.2.3         Estuary English	72
2.3. Wales, its people and its language	76
2.4   Scotland, its people and its language	80
2.5   Ireland, its people and its language	86
Module 3: THE UNITED KINGDOM: Socio-cultural Dimension	95
3.1 The developments of the English language. An Introduction	97
3.2 Old English (OE)	97
3.3  Middle English (ME)	113
3.4 Modern English (ModE)	125
3.5 Literary history of the English language       from the Middle Ages to the Twenty First Century	145
3.5.1 Middle English	146
3.5.2 16th and 17th Centuries	156
3.5.3 18th Century	165
3.5.4 19th Century	170
3.5.5 20th Century	173
3.5.6 21th Century	176
Works Consulted	183