August 25th, 2020.
Culture
ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES#5: SCOTLAND
by Timoteo Freitas
In our journey through English-speaking countries, we have already visited Asia, Oceania, and Central America. Now we arrived in Europe, the old continent. Our first stop is the land of the Loch Ness Monster and the famous Kilts, the Scottish skirts.
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After that, you probably know where we are, in Scotland. This country is part of the United Kingdom, along with England, Northern Ireland and Wales. As in other countries in the United Kingdom, Celtic and Viking culture is on the basis of Scottish history. In total, there are three languages ​​spoken there: Scots (West Germanic language variety), Scottish Gaelic, and English, which is the official language. Even though it is very similar to the English spoken all over the world, there are some differences, mainly in the accent, that even native speakers may think that this English is another language. One of the main characteristics is the rolled "r", as well as the Portuguese words "grade" and "fraco". There are also some very different words: ‘ben = mountain’, ‘wee = little’, ‘bairn = child’, ‘lad = guy’, ‘lass = girl’, ‘bonnie = beautiful’ and ‘how no? = why not?’. It is hard to explain accents, so we suggest that you watch the video that talks more about it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FBDCmibOM4).
Now, when it comes to tourism, Scotland has a lot to offer. With incredible landscapes, it’s difficult to choose what to visit at first. Therefore, we have selected some tourist highlights that will take you to another time in history. The first place is the capital, Edinburgh. From streets that seem to have been taken from films to castles and museums, Edinburgh is the second-most populous city in the country and offers amazing places to visit. You can visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is no less than Queen Elizabeth II's summer residence, and Edinburgh Castle; St. Giles' Cathedral; The Royal Mile and Arthur's Seat, the highest peak in the group of hills that domains the country's landscape; besides that, Edinburgh is hosts the biggest cultural event in the world, the Edinburgh Festival.
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But the tourist spots are not only in the capital, anywhere in Scotland you will find beautiful sceneries and, due to its many castles, there is a lot of history to learn. Besides to Edinburgh Castle, there are many others around the country, some of them: Stirling Castle, Dunvegan Castle, Dunnottar Castle - located on the top of a rock, Cawdor Castle and Urquhart Castle, located on the banks of Loch Ness. Well, there are castles for all tastes, since the haunted ones to the stage of historic battles.
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Furthermore, the country has more than 750 islands, such as the Isle of Skye and the Orkney Islands. Also, there are the Rosslyn Chapel or Chapel of the Templars, full of mysteries and the Highlands, full of lakes, fjords, and snowy mountains.
In literature, Scotland can be represented by the world-famous author, Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. However, let's talk about someone more actual too, the writer Alasdair Gray, who became known for the novel Lanark (1981), which story takes place in Glasgow and tells the story of the hero Lanark, mixing reality and fantasy. We also have the poet Edwin Morgan and the poet Carol Ann Duffy.
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In music, we cannot forget the bagpipes, a typical instrument of the country (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpBw0oCO4C8). Famous artists include Susan Boyle and Annie Lennox. In the cinema, we have the movie Brave Heart (1995), which tells the story of the Scottish hero of the 13th century, William Wallace, and the animation Brave (2012), which tells about Princess Merida, a “rebel” girl who doesn't want to follow your kingdom's traditions of getting married and becoming the queen.
