Dvizh. Spotlight 11

1.

2.

Before reading learn the new words.
majority
большинство
occupation
оккупация,
захват
fluentlyбегло
без запинки,
roughly
приблизительно
colony
колония
native
роднойtongue
язык
native
родной,
местный
to revive
возрождаться,
воскресать
to decline
уменьшаться,
снижаться
общий, полный,
overall
всеобщий
to invade
вторгаться,
нападать
primarily
в первую
очередь
invasion
вторжение
tribe
племя

3.

Look at the language family tree. How many languages are spoken in
the British Isles? Which is the oldest? Read the text to find out.
Celtic languages
Welsh (Cymraeg) /kəmraig/
Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge) /’geilik/
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) /’kailikj/
Manx Gaelic (Gaelg) /gilg/
Cornish (Kernewek) /ker’newek/
Germanic
languages
English

4.

Listen to and read the text again. Then ask and answer comprehension
questions based on the text.
What
percentage
people
in
What
used
toof
be
the
native
Which
language
has
regular
radio
Which
language
isof
the
most
Is
there
anywhere
else
in the
Which
Which
speakers
language
has
different
no
native
languages
Wales
speak
modern
Welsh?
language
of
most
ofis
Britain?
Ireland
can
Irish
Gaelic?
broadcasts?
recent
to
the
British
Isles?
world
Welsh
spoken?
have
nowhere
difficulty
speakers
left?
in
communicating?
English. It started when the
Cornish
regular
news
Yes.
In
Welsh
colony
in and
Speakers
Manx
Gaelic
ofahas
Scottish
has no
Gaelic
native
Anglo-Saxons
invaded
Britain
in
Roughly
20%
of
the
Brythonic.
About
a third
of
the population.
population.
broadcasts.
Argentina.
speakers
Irish
left.
Gaelic.
th of
thespeakers
5
century
A.D.

5.

Match the words to their definitions.
invasion
declining
occupation
native
roughly
revived
fluently
State
Forcible
of being
entry entered
of an army
andinto
controlled
a foreign
by
(spoken)
well
Becoming
less
and
frequent
Approximately
Brought
back
Original
toless
existence
a foreign
country
army

6.

Complete the sentences.
invasion
declining
occupation
native
roughly
revived
fluently

7.

Close your book and tell your partner one thing you remember about
each language.
It is compulsory for students to
study Welsh in schools in Wales.
I remember that Irish is an official
language of the European Union.
In some parts of Scotland, 50 per
cent of the population speak
Scottish Gaelic.
Cornish dies out as a spoken
language, but now has been revived.

8.

Work in groups. Collect information about some of the languages
spoken in your country e.g. name, where spoken, number of speakers,
interesting facts etc. Write a short article.