Minority Languages of the UK

There are some minority languages in the world. I learned about minority languages which are spoken in the UK by my seminar. People in the UK speak English mainly, but some people in the UK speak some minority languages. The languages are Welsh, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish and Manx. These languages are classified into Celtic languages. Welsh, Scots and Scottish Gaelic are spoken now. But Cornish and Manx had gone. I researched about Welsh by using the Internet.

Welsh
Welsh is a language still spoken in Wales and is one of the Celtic languages. Wales is located northwest Europe and is part of Great Britain. Welsh is called Welsh or Cymric in English. In 1536, English became an official language in Wales. So Welsh was prohibited to speak in the school and everywhere. And teachers were prohibited to teach Welsh by the Education Act of 1870. However, the preservation movement of Welsh became active when becoming the 20th century. Therefore, the number of people who can speak Welsh has increased. Now Welsh became an official language as well as English and became a bilingual country. And every signs and the official document are written in two languages.

Welsh Speakers
According to the 2004 Welsh Language Use Survey, this shows 508,100 people (18.7%) of the population of Wales are Welsh speakers in 1991. In 2001, this shows that 582,400 people (20.8%) are Welsh Speakers. In 2004, this shows that 611,000 people (21.7%) are Welsh speakers. The numbers of people who speak Welsh have increasing gradually. This influences that government took Welsh education system in elementary school and junior high school. Also, a Welsh radio broadcasting station (BBC Radio Cymru) started on 1977 and HTV (ITV Wales) broadcasted on November 1, 1982 by S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru 'Channel Four Wales'). S4C is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff.

The below graph is showing proportion of people aged 3 and over able to speak Welsh.













Place Name
Finally, I would like to introduce about the longest place name in the world. The longest place name in the world is Maori names 'Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaunga horonukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu' of some towns in New Zealand. The second longest place name in the world is 'Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogoch' in Wales.

References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_language
Storry, M. and Childs, P. (2007) British Cultural Identities. (3rd Ed.) Routledge.

Benenden School

There are some famous girl’s schools in Britain. They are Cheltenham, Roedean, Benenden and Wycombe Abbey School. I'll introduce about Benenden School among these schools.

Benenden School
Benenden School is one of British's top school. It was founded in 1923 and it is located in the Kent countryside. And it has educated some 4,500 Beneden Seniors since 1923. Now, around 520 girls aged 11-18 go to the school. They come from a variety of backgrounds.

Education
This school has good education. The curriculum compose to students can pass GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education). And the school offers opportunities for students to understand their role in society. For that reason, students can learn many things. Most students can learn an instrument or take an extra subject.

A Level Subjects
Art & Design, Biology, Chemistry, Chinese, Classical Civilisation, Computing, Critical Thinking, Design and Technology, Drama and Theatre Studies, Economics, English Language/Literature, English Literature, French, Geography, German, Government and Politics, Greek, History, History of Art, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Music, Physics, Religious Studies, Spanish

Subjects
Art & Design, Biology, Chemistry, Chinese, ICT, Design & Technology, Drama, English, English Literature, French, Geography, German, Greek, History, Latin, Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Physics, Religious Studies, Science, Additional Science, Spanish

Boarding
This school has boardinghouses. All students of Benenden are boarders. There are six boarding houses for 11-16 year olds. The sixth form has their own Founders Sixth Form Centre, which is divided into four houses. The Centre has two large common lecture rooms, group rooms and computer rooms. There is a kitchen for ten students. The purpose of this is that Founders’ students learn how to manage their own time and to balance priorities.
The below picture is boardinghouse.









Clubs
Students can learn many things through the clubs besides study. They can learn photography, compose music, take up reeling, protect an eco-system, archery, windsurfing, how to juggle through the clubs. Also, clubs are musical ensembles, orchestras, drama, dance, sports, mathematics clubs to debating, literary, modern languages, classics and current events societies.

Sports
Also this school is prepared a lot of sports for students. For example, Aerobics, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Croquet, Dance, Hockey, Judo and Self Defence, Riding, Rounders, Tennis, Lacrosse, Scuba Diving, Volleyball and so on.

Reference
http://www.benenden.kent.sch.uk/Pages/Index.aspx

Universities in Britain

There are the most famous universities in the world, University of Oxford and University of Cambridge in Britain. These two universities were founded in the eleventh and thirteenth centuries respectively. These universities consist of University of Oxford and University of Cambridge and are called 'Oxbridge'. Because these two universities are related. University of Cambridge is assumed that the university was established by scholar who belongs to University of Oxford in 1209. Also these universities have many common features and have a long history of rivalry with each other. For example, it is a boat race competition. The boat race is very famous and is held between Club of University of Oxford and Club of University of Cambridge a annual spring at the Thames in London. I would like to introduce about Oxford and Cambridge.

University of Oxford
University of Oxford is located in England city of Oxford and is the oldest university in England. And the university is always top-level in the world university ranking. The university's foundation does not clear. Student has come from various countries to the university and Over a third comes from outside England. The university has turned out 47 nobelists, 25 prime ministers of England, 6 kings of England and more than 50 olympics medalists.
Regarding history of the university, this university developed rapidly since 1167. Because student was prohibited to study at University of Paris by Henry II.
Regarding education of the university, professors turn not only lecture but individual guidance.

University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge is located in England city of Cambridge and is the second oldest university in England and is the fourth oldest university in Europe. The university was founded in 1209. And the university has turned out 81 nobelists. This is consistently ranked in the world’s top five universities and the university’s graduates include 85 nobelists as of 2009. Many famous persons have graduated from the University. The most famous persons among alumnus of the University are Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Robert Darwin and John Maynard Keynes. They are famous people who greatly contributed to the revolution of the society.

References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Oxford
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Cambridge

Classes in Britain

There is still class system in Britain. People are divided into chiefly four classes. The classes are Upper Class, Middle Class, Working Class, and Under Class. The four classes are divided about position, job, and education, etc. I explain about the four classes.

Upper Class
Member of the upper class are very wealthy and have power. The upper class is divided into two classes: upper class and upper middle class. The position of the upper class is royal family, aristocrats, politicians, and captains. The position of the upper middle class is lawyers and doctors. The people of these classes have good speaking, behavior and education. The pronunciation is RP. They play golf, polo and shooting as sport. Also they read Guardian Telegraph Newspaper.

The left picture is polo.

The below picture is Guardian Telegraph Newspaper.












Middle Class
The middle class is also divided into two classes like the upper class: middle class and lower middle class. The position of the middle is white collar and teacher. White collar workers have very much poorer work and market situations than service class workers. The position of the lower middle class is office workers. They read Broadsheets Newspaper or The Times Newspaper.

Working Class
The working class is also divided into two classes like the above two classes: working class (skilled) and working class (unskilled). The position of the working class (skilled) is carpenters, engineers and electrician. The working class (unskilled) is laborers, waiters, dishwashers and porters. Manual workers are a declining proportion of all workers but an increasing proportion of manual workers are either female and from ethnic minorities. They read Tabloids Newspaper.

Under Class
The position of the under class is homeless and unemployment. They don't have job and don't have their house. Also, they are the lowest position in hierarchical society in Britain.

Reference
handout 'Contemporary British Society'

Big Ben in Britain

I would like to introduce about Big Ben in Britain. Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock and there is in the Palace of Westminster in London. The Palace of Westminster is registered in World Heritage and it uses as the Houses of Parliament now.

A clock tower was built at Westminster in 1288. But the Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire on October 22, 1834. In the reconstruction of the Palace, the Neo gothic style which Charles Barry had designed was adopted. As for the clock tower, Augustus Pugin’s design was adopted and the dial of the clock also was designed by him. Under each the dial of the clock is carved in Latin, ‘DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM’. It means O Lord, keep safe our Victoria the First in English. The height of the clock tower is 96.3 meters and 61 meters of the lower part are made from brick. The height of the remainder consists of the spire of the cast iron. And the clock tower was completed on May 31, 1859.

Big Ben is played at noon every day. The melody of the bell of Big Ben is similar to the melody of chime of school in Japan. A formal name of a song is called the bell of Westminster.

Now Big Ben has become a symbol of the UK and London. It was congratulated as the 150th anniversary on May 31, 2009. When night comes, Big Ben is illuminated.

Location and Size in the UK

The UK (official name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) is located northwest of the European Continent between Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. The total area of the UK is 244,100 km² (94,526 square miles) and nearly 99% of them are land and nearly 1% of the remainder of them is inland water. The total area of the UK is 76th place in the world.

mile = 1760 yards (about 1609 meters)

The UK is composed of four separate nations: England (London), Scotland (Edinburgh), Wales (Cardiff) and Northern Ireland (Belfast). London is also the capital of the UK. Great Britain is a main island in UK including England, Scotland and Wales. The UK is composed of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The quotation marks show the capital of each nation.

England occupies most of the southern 2/3 of Great Britain. The total area of England is 130,395 km² (50,346 square miles).

Scotland is located northwest Europe and is part of Great Britain, an island country and the UK. The total area of Scotland is 78,772km² (30,414 square miles)

Wales is located northwest Europe and is part of Great Britain, an island country and the UK. The total area of Wales is 20,779km² (8,022 square miles)

Northern Ireland is located in the northeast of the island of Ireland. The total area of Northern Ireland is 13,843 km² (5,345 square miles).

Ironbridge Gorge

I would like to introduce about Ironbridge Gorge which is registered in World Heritage of England.
Ironbridge Gorge is very famouse and is known all over the world as the symbol of industrial revolution. It was an industrial zone where the iron making prospered in the age of British industrial revolution.
Ironbridge is a bridge of the iron was made for the first time in the world in 1779. It is located in Telford, Shropshire and there is about 50km the north west of Birmingham. The steel industry became thriving because Abraham Derby the First developed an epoch-making steel manufacture method. And the construction plan of the bridge of iron was done in this place of having produced 1/4 of the iron in Britain in 1777. The promotion post is Abraham Derby the Third who is Abraham Derby the First’s grandchild. The technology of the timbering was used for the joint of iron.
It was registered as World Heritage in 1986 and tourist all over the world has gathered there.

Some Interesting Blog Reports

Everyone’s blog was very interesting. There was a lot of good blogs. It was difficult for me to choose, but I chose my favorite blog.
My favorite blog is Miki’s blog. Her blog’s design is very good and her writing is so clear and easy to understand. Besides, there are some cute pictures and links of each bird introduced by her presentation in her blog is easy to see. When I saw moa’s picture, I was surprised. And when I knew that giant moa was 3 meters, I was very surprised. Miki’s blog was very interesting. So, I chose Miki’s blog.

Haka in New Zealand

Introduction of Haka
The haka is a traditional Maori dance form and is one of the Maori cultures. Haka is a dance that beats the hand, stamps their foot, calls out, shows off their power and threatens the enemy and is performed by Maori soldier before the fight. The origin of Haka is old and it goes back before Maori ancestors have been settled down in New Zealand. And haka has symbolized New Zealand people’s boast and identities from of old. Also haka differs by each tribe and haka was not only performed by men but was performed by women. Today haka has become a unique form of national expression. The All Blacks, the international rugby union team of New Zealand, perform a haka before international game. By this performs, haka is known all over the world.

Legend of Haka
According to Maori legend, the haka was derived from the sun god, Tama-nui-te-ra. He had two wives, Hine-raumati, who was the summer goddess, and Hine-takurua, who was the winter goddess. He and Hine-raumati gave birth to a son called Tanerore. Haka is handed down from generation to generation that it was made by Tanerore and he did performance of haka for his mother.

History of Haka
The history of the Ka mate, the haka of the All Blacks, goes back to the early nineteenth century. Ka mate was composed by a Maori chief, Te Rauparaha in 1810. He was visiting Tuwharetoa, a tribe in the central North Island of New Zealand. He was chased by the enemy, sub-tribe of Tuwharetoa. The enemy was seeking to kill him to avenge a raid he had led on their village some years earlier, wiping out a section of their people. He was sent by the paramount chief of Tuwharetoa to be protected by another sub-tribe of Tuwharetoa under the chieftain of Wharerangi. Wharerangi hid him in a kumara (sweet potato) pit. The chanted karakia (incantations) by the pursuing warriors were intended to locate him. Howere, Te Rangikoae, the chief’s wife who had been assisting him, neutralized the incantations by positioning herself over the kumara pit. He was rescued by the chief and the chief’s wife and he danced with his whole the feeling of appreciation. The dance was the Ka mate. All Blacks performed the haka overseas first on their tour of England in 1888. The ‘original’ All Blacks tour of Britain in 1905-1906 performed Ka mate. This performs are mean to encourage the players and scare the opposing team.

The above picture is Te Rauparaha.

The Words of Ka mate
Ka mate! Ka mate! (I die! I die!)
Ka ora! Ka ora! (I live! I live!)
Ka mate! Ka mate! (I die! I die!)
Ka ora! Ka ora! (I live! I live!)
Tenei te tangata puhuruhuru (Behold! There stands the hairy man)
Nana nei i te tiki mai, whakawhiti t era! (Who will cause the sun to shine!)
A, upane! ka upane! (One step upwards…another step upwards)
A, upane! ka upane!
Whiti te ra (The sun shines!)

Clothes
Men are wearing only loincloths and women are wearing original brightly clothes which Maori designs is embroidered.

Tattoo
Maori people have tattoo on their face and thigh. Tattoo is called ‘moko’ in the Maori language. Maori tattoo symbolizes pride and courage of Maori. The design of men’s tattoo on his face has divided into the upper half and the lower half of the face and it is symmetry. The upper half mean family name and the lower half mean last name. The tattoo of men’s face shows a blood relation and a social belonging group. And friend or enemy is distinguished by the tattoo. Some Maori have tattoo on their thigh and was tattooed in intricate scrolls and spirals. Women usually had only the lips and chin decorated. The tattoo of the chin shows marriage.

Pendants
Most Maori are always putting on the pendant and there are various kinds of pendants. Each pendant has a meaning and Maori wish is put in it. Maori has the custom that they presented these pendants each other. Because Maori believe that Maori can get luck by putting on the presented pendant. I explain the kind of the pendant and the meaning of the pendant. In pendants, there are Hook, Koru, Crossover, Manaia. Hook was made from green stone. Green stone is called ‘Pounamu’ in the Maori language. And the pendant’s design is the fishhook of fish. Because this design has the important meaning related to provisions of life in the society of Maori. The tribe of Maori who settled down along the coast was spending self sufficiency life and they depend on marine products from sea. The pendant has a meaning powerful, decision power, health, prosperity and peace. Koru has a meaning growth and harmony. Crossover has a meaning love and friendship. The shape of Manaia consists that head is bird, form is human, and tail is fish. The pendant has a meaning the harmony of sky, earth and sea.

The above picture is the pendant of 'Hook'.

Conclusion
In the New Zealand society, haka is an important link for the Maori and the non-Maori to understand each other. For New Zealand of today the revival of the Maori culture is symbolized. And new movement to pick up the Maori culture positively has happened in a wide field of society and school training. Recently, many Japanese high schools and New Zealand high schools are doing international exchange. Also, in New Zealand, there is a contest that compete performance by tribe rivalry. Additionally there is an event ‘Aotearoa Traditional Maori Performing Arts Society Festival’ held once every two years. This event is televised and reaches a significant audience. Tens of thousands of people participate in this event. Haka is a part of the identity for New Zealand people even though they go to where on the earth.
Haka has been importantly succeeded from generation to generation. I have understood various things about haka and Maori. And I have understood that haka is an important link that ties Maori to non-Maori. Haka has been importantly succeeded by Maori communicates itself to me. I want everyone to know about haka.

Treaty of Waitangi

The Conclusion of Treaty of Waitangi
Treaty of Waitangi was concluded between Maori tribes and British crown in Waitangi New Zealand on February 6, 1840.
Captain William Hobson had been sent by the British government in 1839. His mission was to have negotiated to transfer their land from head Maori to Britain voluntarily.
And an English original plan of the treaty was made by Lord Normanbey, British Colony Minister. The English original plan of the reaty was translated into Maori word by Reverend Henry Williams, the church missionary association. But there were some problems in translation. For example he used the word kawanatanga to describe the British government ruling over New Zealand. The English word was sovereignty. The recognition of the Maori side grasped ‘All land was ours’, and the Caucasian side grasped ‘New Zealand is a colony in Britain’. Then, Maori had signed the treaty.

Today…
In 1975, Waitangi Tribunal was established. And the admitted right by Waitangi Treaty was discussed again. As a result, a part of robbed land was restored and the Maori word was added to the official language that was only English.
Today, there is an organization paper ‘TE MANUTUKUTUKU’ which Waitangi umpire Place issue. The organization paper introduce trial scenery and people who gather in marae for the trial.

Pioneer Settlers

Most new settlers came from different backgrounds, such as Scotland and so on. Scot has immigrated in New Zealand after 1848.
Pioneers were hard working people. They were buying food from Maori farms and grew or hunted what they ate. Crops that they were able to grow were taro and sweet potato. In New Zealand, luckily fish and shellfish and sea vegetable are thriving. Also, there was plenty of wood for building. So, they built their own houses. In the south, houses were often made from cob. In addition, they made their own clothing.
Women’s job was keeping the family fed, clothed and healthy. Men’s job was clearing the land and looked after the livestock. Children were working hard, helping on the farm and with household tasks. And children had little schooling. The life of early settlers was not easy.

Cultures of New Zealand

I introduce about holidays of New Zealand. In New Zealand, there are many holidays. For example, there are 'Waitangi Day' or 'New Zealamd Day' and 'ANZAC Day' and so on.

I introduce about 'Waitangi Day' or 'New Zealand Day'. The day is a significant event at the beginning of the year and as known by the Maori people. This is celebrated on February 6 every year. Because the traty was signed in Waitangi mainly be the North Island chiefs, it is primarily a North Island celebration. The day is celebrated by the launching of traditional Maori canoes. And the day is national holiday, so many shop are closed.