The Composition of the British Isles
All people of the World are, generally, very proud of their country and its history. So much so that they may, individually and collectively, put their lives in jeopardy in order to defend their particular country. The English people within the UK are no exception, however, there are Welsh people, Scottish people and Irish people who all share the Islands and together the common abbreviation for all is the “Brits”.
The British Isles, of which England is a part, is a small group of Islands located off the North West coast of mainland Europe. The original inhabitants of the isles were overrun by the peoples from Europe on several occasions. The Saxons, the Anglos, the Vikings, the Normans and the Romans have all invaded great parts of the British Isles but none of them ever managed to control all of the isles. Eventually, all the invaders returned to their own countries but in doing so they left their mark on the isles and the people of the isles. There are hundreds of islands which form the British Isles, however, the largest island has three separate countries within it. Those are England, Scotland and Wales. A second very significant island, to the West of the main island hosts Northern Island and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Island, Scotland, Wales and England together are known as the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland is a distinct country in its own right. The four countries that form the United Kingdom were brought together hundreds of years ago, under duress. Each country strives to maintain it’s own identity and characteristics and extremists within the communities have made life difficult for the rest of the population over long periods . It would be fair to say that each countries peoples have a distrust of the others but they have managed to act in unity whenever confronted by an outside aggressor. Notably, the aggressor has been Germany on two occasions in the 20th century.
Accordingly, over hundreds of years, the original languages of the countries of the isles have slowly been displaced by the English Language, which itself is a language derived from the West Germanic language with exposure to the languages of Scandinavia.
Then There Is The Commonwealth of Nations Formerly Known As The British Empire
Layered over this background, the success of the English in trade across the globe has meant that the British Isles are seen as a county to live and work in. This fact has induced many nationalities to live in the United Kingdom. Therefore, a visitor to London may be quite confused and think the various languages , that are encountered, are by other visitors. This is not the case . Almost every country in the World has its own community within London.
Adding to the mix of people are groups of people that have arrived in the islands, over the last 50 years, as a result of expulsion from countries they had settled, or for economic advantages, or by specific invitation to bolster shortage in man power brought about by the Second World War and a falling birth rate.
An Introduction To The Commonwealth of Nations