Europe - Wales in Europe

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Europe

Welsh Identity - Lesson

Prepared by Ida Wrzesień from Kolegium Karkonoskie in Jelenia Góra

Lead In:

Why do tourists travel to foreign countries?
What do you think the tourist would like to see in Poland? Which places would you recommend? Compare your answers with those of the person sitting next to you. Explain the reasons for your choice.
What stereotypes about Poland and Poles do you know? Compare and discuss them with those of the person sitting next to you?

Part One:

· Which parts of the United Kingdom have you been to?

· Have you ever been to Wales? What places, monuments have you seen?

· What do you think the Welsh people are like? Are they / Aren’t they different from the English? / Scottish? / Irish? In what ways?

Part Two:

You are going to listen to five extracts from interviews about Wales. Answer the following questions for each of the interviews.

Interview One:

· How old is Tim?

· Where is he from?

· What places has he visited in the UK?

Interview Two:

· What is Dylan’s occupation?

· What is perceived as the Welsh accent by foreigners?

· What sport is associated with Wales? What other sport / sports does the speaker mention?

Interview Three:

· Where is Jill from?

· What is her nationality?

· Who speaks Welsh in Wales?

Interview Four:

· Where did Cerys study?

· What countries has she visited?

· What, according to the speaker, makes Wales unique?

Interview Five:

· How old is David?

· What used to be the image of a stereotypical Welsh person?

· What is it nowadays?

Part three:

You are going to listen to the longer versions of the interviews. Your task is to fill in the table below. Some information is already provided.

Speaker	Nationality	Characteristics of Welshness	Differences between Wales and the UK	Why do the tourists come to Wales?	What is the importance of the Welsh language?
Tim von Heyningen	Dutch	They speak Don’t like to be called		He just decided to come to Cardiff because it’s a big city	proud that they speak Welsh
Dylan Foster Evans		Language which includes Welsh speakers and non-Welsh speakers, the accent of	There are more English born people in England than in Wales, only about 70 percent of people in Wales were born there	Scenery parks for walking,	People are pleasantly surprised that connected with Plaid Cymru,
Jill Watkins		the national costume:	Doesn’t mention	Heritage	They are proud of their language. Children have to learn it at school but
Cyes		Sheepshaggers,	The Welsh are a different breed than In the	Big cities, coastline, mountain ranges,	Her generation wasn’t taught Welsh at school, but
David Allys		Have changed over the years: used to be		The Millennium	Doesn’t mention the Welsh language

Follow up:

· The following expressions are taken from the interviews. Choose the correct synonym / meaning of the phrase.

1. I expected the English to be more stuck up with themselves.

a. stiff

b. vain

c. proud

d. relaxed

2. There was just a shot in the dark.

a. attempt

b. educated guess

c. supposition

d. lucky guess

3. The entire town was saturated with people

a. littered by

b. crammed with

c. invaded by

d. abandoned by

4. It is keeping the Welsh language going

a. It keeps the Welsh language popular

b. It keeps the Welsh language official

c. It keeps the Welsh language moving

d. It preserves the Welsh language

5. The Celts are a different breed to the English people

a. The Celts and the English are very different from one another

b. The Celts and the English come from two totally different races

c. The Celts and the English breed in a different way

d. The Celts and the English come from different species

6. Western culture has undergone a process of secularisation

a. has become more religious

b. has become less religious

c. has become safer

d. has become more dangerous

7. A civic society

a. a very close community

b. civilised people

c. a society in which people are responsible for government

d. people cultivating good manners

· Read the article: Wales: Basic Facts and Figures. Prepare a similar two-minute presentation of the region that you come from to give to your group members

· In pairs write a letter of enquiry, or an e-mail, to a Welsh university about the opportunities for studying in Wales for

a. student / students from Poland,

b. a graduate / graduates from the NKJO / Teacher Training Colleges and PWSZ / State Schools of Higher Education, i.e. a BA /BAs. Explain the reasons why you are considering studying there.

· Prepare a set of questions about:

a. your local area

b. Poland and

c. Poles

to ask of a foreigner / a foreign tourist in Poland. Interview five foreigners, either on the Internet or in person, and prepare a written report about your findings and a short presentation for the entire group.