Seven other languages are recognised by the British Government under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages – Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, Cornish, Irish, Ulster Scots, and British Sign Language. The Old English heroic poem Beowulf is located in the British Library.įirst spoken in early medieval England, the English language is the de facto official language of the UK, and is spoken monolingually by an estimated 95% of the British population.
3.1 Robin Hood and the ballad tradition.2.8 Performing arts, carnivals, parades.A global opinion poll for the BBC saw the UK ranked the third most positively viewed nation in the world (behind Germany and Canada) in 20. The UK has been described as a "cultural superpower", and London has been described as a world cultural capital. Sport is an important part of British culture, and numerous sports originated in the country including Cricket, football and rugby. British colonies and dominions influenced British culture in turn, particularly British cuisine. A subset of these states form the Anglosphere, and are among Britain's closest allies. As a result of the British Empire significant British influence can be observed in the language, law, culture and institutions of its former colonies, most of which are members of the Commonwealth of Nations. The Industrial Revolution began in the UK and had a profound effect on the family socio-economic and cultural conditions of the world. Britain contains some of the world's oldest universities, has made many contributions to philosophy, science, technology and medicine, and is the birthplace of many prominent scientists and inventions. The UK is also the home of the Church of England, the state church and mother church of the Anglican Communion, the third-largest Christian denomination. Britain has also made notable contributions to music, cinema, art, architecture and television. The modern novel was invented in Britain, and playwrights, poets, and authors are among its most prominent cultural figures. īritish literature is particularly esteemed. Although British culture is a distinct entity, the individual cultures of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are diverse and have varying degrees of overlap and distinctiveness.
British culture is influenced by the combined nations' history its historically Christian religious life, its interaction with the cultures of Europe, the traditions of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and the impact of the British Empire.