virtualmeetingpoint

Wiki

'Wiki' – W-I-K-I. There can’t be many people left who haven’t heard of Wikipedia. At least not many who have access to the internet. But ask them what a ‘wiki’ is, and there’s a good chance you’ll be met with a blank look and a scratch of the head.

But what is Wikipedia? If you’ve followed this series from the beginning, you’ll have already seen some examples of words which are formed by blending two words together. This is another example – OK, I get the '-pedia' part – that’s from encyclopedia, right? Yes, but what about the wiki? In fact it’s the 'wiki' part which is the USP (unique selling point) of Wikipedia. It means that anyone can contribute their own information and content to the site. It’s open to anybody, anywhere at any time.

The ‘wiki’ part is actually a Hawaiian word meaning ‘quickly’. Ward Cunningham, the man credited with developing the wiki concept for the internet, was at Honolulu airport in Hawaii and was told to take the ‘wiki wiki bus’. He was understandably confused and when he asked what it meant was told it simply meant the quick bus. He liked it so much he decided to name his new web project after it.

Basically, wikis are websites which are very easy to set up, because they generally use WYSIWYG tools (see Series 2) and they can then be edited by anybody – you don’t have to be the creator of the site to add more content. They are used in education, for class projects, in business and even in politics.

But the open nature of wikis and their ease of use can be a disadvantage. In 2006 the UK government department for environment, food and rural affairs (DEFRA) set up a wiki to invite discussion about new environmental policies. Unfortunately, not all the contributions were entirely serious. In reply to the question, 'What tools can be used to deliver the environmental contract?' one contributor wrote: 'Spade, Organic Yoghurt Stirrer, Old washing up liquid bottle, Sticky Back Plastic'.

At the time some reports of the story were along the lines of ‘Hackers deface government website’, a headline which totally missed the point that the key to wikis is the fact that they are open and can be added to by anybody and that’s exactly what happened in this case. The UK government might think twice before setting up another wiki.

Widget

'Widget' - W-I-D-G-E-T. Widget. It has a nice, friendly sound to it. It sounds a bit like it should be a small animal or bird. But it isn’t. What is it then?

A widget can be many things, but most recently the word has come to describe small applications which run on your computer. You might have been given the option to download a widget and wondered what it meant. Widgets can have all sorts of functions – you can download a weather widget, so you can predict the weather (never an exact science in the UK!) or a calendar widget, or a twitter widget. You name it, there’s probably a widget out there which does it.

I first remember hearing the word in the early 1990s from a series of beer adverts. The great thing about the beer’s new can was that it had a widget inside it. This meant that when you opened the can, the beer came out like a draught beer, the beer you get on tap in a pub. How it did this was a mystery to most people. All we knew was that it contained a widget.

'Widget' is thought to have come from the word 'gadget'. The original meaning of this seems to be to describe something that you couldn’t think of the word for. According to some etymologists (people who research the origins of words), 'widget' was a variation of the word 'gadget' which arose in the 1920s or 1930s in the US. Before this, the word 'gadget' seems to have been used by British sailors in the mid to late 19th century to describe something which they had forgotten the word for. Used in this way it may have come from a French word ‘gachette’, meaning a type of lock mechanism. Nobody really seems sure. What we can say though, about both ‘widget’ and ‘gadget’ is that they are normally used for something which is not easy to define exactly, something usually mechanical or more recently in relation to computers.

One of the more intriguing possible origins of the word ‘widget’ can be found in the Routledge dictionary of historical slang which lists the word ‘wifflow-gadget’. The meaning of this and another nice expression ‘hook-me-dinghy’ is apparently ‘anything whose right name has temporarily slipped one’s mind’.

Widgetry, the art of designing widgets, has given rise to a couple more new words, for example, 'widgeteer' – a person who designs widgets, and 'to widgetize' – the process of turning something into a widget.

Tweet

'Tweet'. The booming popularity of online social networking sites has given the English language a bumper crop of new words. Although some of these sites, and the words associated with them, may prove to be short-lived, here today and gone tomorrow, there are others, such as Facebook ,which seem to be here to stay.

The latest ‘big thing’ in the world of digital media is Twitter, a social networking site which began back in 2006 and has been growing ever since. Users post short ‘micro-blogs’ (messages) called ‘tweets’ - T-W-E-E-T-S - from their mobile phone or computer to let other people know what they’re doing or to ask a question.

The difference between these and a normal text message or email is that a ‘tweet’ is ‘out there’ in cyberspace, no more than 140 characters long and can be read or answered by anybody on the network. Just like the words ‘google’ and ‘facebook’, ‘tweet’ can be used as a noun or a verb. Twitter is increasingly used for market research, so many companies are now asking themselves ‘To tweet or not to tweet?’

The popularity of Twitter grew after it was used by US presidential candidates before the 2008 election to keep their ‘followers’ up to date – Barack Obama had hundreds of thousands of followers during the election campaign, although he seemed to stop tweeting shortly after the election. I guess he must have been quite busy!

Twitter has spawned a number of related words such as ‘twestival’ (a gathering organised on Twitter) and ‘twirgin’ (someone who is new to Twitter or a first-time user). In fact, if you see an unfamiliar word which starts with a TW- prefix, it’s probably a new word coined by the Twitter community. Some of these words may not make it into the dictionaries, but Twitter seems set to live on.

RecadosAnimados.com

The British Royal Family

What is the surname of the British Royal Family?

The British Royal Family's surname is Windsor. They changed their name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor in 1917.

Why? World War One broke out in 1914 and anit-German sentiment was at its height in 1917. In protest, King George V renounced all the German titles belonging to him and his family and adopted the name of his castle, Windsor.

Why did they change their name?

World War One broke out in 1914 and anit-German sentiment was at its height in 1917. In protest, King George V renounced all the German titles belonging to him and his family and adopted the name of his castle, Windsor.

What schools do the children of the Royal family attend?

All the children attend or did attend private (public) schools. These are the fee paying schools in the UK.
In January 2006, Prince William began his cadet course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to train as an Army Officer. Before then he studied at Eton College and St Andrew's University.
On 8 May 2005, Prince Harry entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst after finishing his education at Eton College.

Princess Eugenie is doing her higher education at Marlborough College in Wiltshire where she is a boarder. Eugenie passed nine GCSEs in 2006, achieving two A*s in English language and art, three As in History, English literature, Religious education and four Bs in maths, science, Spanish and French

Princess Beatrice is at St George's School in Ascot where she is Head girl
The Queen has 7 grandchildren

What religion do the Royal family belong to?

The Royal family are members of the Church of England. The Royal family can only be Church of England. Roman Catholics are barred from succession under the Act of Settlement (1701)

Members of Royal Family

HM The Queen
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (The Queen's husband)
HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall Prince Charles is the Queen's eldest son and his wife(Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948)
HRH Prince William of Wales (The Prince of Wales's elder son)
HRH Prince Harry of Wales (The Prince of Wales's younger son)
HRH The Princess Royal (The Queen's daughter)(Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950 )
HRH The Duke of York (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960)Prince Andrew is a member of the British Royal Family, the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II.
HRH Princess Beatrice of York (The Duke of York's elder daughter)
HRH Princess Eugenie of York (The Duke of York's younger daughter)
TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex (The Queen's youngest son and his wife)(Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964)Prince Edward is the youngest child and third son of Queen Elizabeth II. He has held the title of Earl of Wessex since 1999.
Lady Louise Windsor (the Earl of Wessex's daughter)
TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (The Queen's cousin and his wife)
TRH The Duke and Duchess of Kent (The Queen's cousin and his wife)
TRH Prince and Princess Michael of Kent (The Queen's cousin and his wife)
HRH Princess Alexandra (The Queen's cousin)
HM = Her MajestyHRH = His of Her Royal HighnessTRH = Their Royal Highnesses

See The Royal Family Tree

Why do the Children of the Queen have special titles?

Prince Charles is also known as "The Prince of Wales"The title 'Prince of Wales' is given to the heir to the British throne. The tradition of investing the heir of the monarch of Britain with the title of "Prince of Wales" began in 1301, when King Edward I of England, having completed the conquest of Wales, gave the title to his heir, Prince Edward (later King Edward II of England).

Prince Andrew "The Duke of York"Since the 15th century, the title 'Duke of York' has, when granted, been usually given to the second son of the British monarch. (Andrew has currently no male heirs, thus, the most likely candidates for the next "Duke of York" are Prince Harry of Wales, being the second son of Charles, Prince of Wales, or a second son of Prince William of Wales.)

The wife of the Duke of York is known as The Duchess of York .

Prince Edward, "The Earl of Wessex", Younger sons of the monarch are normally given dukedoms at the time of their marriage. However, given the Prince's theatrical links and the Royal Family's policy of "slimming down" their size — and Edward's being seventh in the order of succession to the British throne, the Earldom of Wessex was recreated, Earl being a lesser title than Duke.

The region of Wessex (the "West Saxons'), in the south and southwest of England, was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.

Princess Anne "The Princess Royal"Princess Royal is a title customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a British monarch to his or her eldest daughter.

Inside Buckingham Palace

The Palace has around 600 rooms, including 19 State rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, 92 offices, a cinema and a swimming pool. It also has its own post office and police station.
About 400 people work at the Palace, including domestic servants, chefs, footmen, cleaners, plumbers, gardeners, chauffers, electricians, and two people who look after the 300 clocks.

Royal Parties

Every year, more than 50,000 people come to the Palace each year as guests to banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions, and Royal Garden Parties.

Changing of the Guard

A familiar sight at Buckingham Palace is the Changing of the Guard ceremony that takes place in the forecourt each morning. The monarch and the royal palaces have been guarded by the Household Troops since 1660.

Foot Guards

Five regiments of Foot Guards guard the Palace. They wear red jackets and tall, furry hats called bearskins.

When the guards come on duty, there is a ceremony called the Changing of the Guard.

Royal Flag

When the Queen is at home, you can see her royal flag flying from the flag pole on top of Buckingham Palace. This flag is called the Royal Standard.

The flag is split into four quadrants. The first and fourth quadrants represent England and contain three gold lions walking (passant) on a red field; the second quadrant represents Scotland contains a red lion standing on the left hind foot (rampant) on a gold field; the third quadrant represents Ireland and contains the gold Coat of arms of Ireland on a blue field.
In flag protocol, the Royal Standard is supreme. It must only be flown from buildings where the Queen is present. It flies above the British Union Flag (Union Jack), Standards of other Royal Family members, and other British flags. It never flies at half staff.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is where the Queen lives.

Buckingham Palace is the Queen's official and main royal London home. It has been the official London residence of Britain's monarchy since 1837. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live there.

Who lives in Buckingham Palace today?

Buckingham Palace is not only the home of the Queen and Prince Philip but also the London residence of the Duke of York (Prince Andrew) and the Earl and Countess of Wessex (Prince Edward and his wife) and their daughter.

Buckinging Palace is also an office

Buckingham Palace is used also for the administrative work for the monarchy. It is here in the state apartments that Her Majesty receives and entertains guests invited to the Palace.

History of Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace was originally a grand house built by the Dukes of Buckingham for his wife. George IV began transforming it into a palace in 1826.

The Queens other Homes

The Queen has other homes too including Windsor Castle and Balmoral in Scotland.

Royal Guards in London

The men you see in front of Buckingham Palace (and other locations) are serving soldiers, not just The Queen's Guard. While upholding the traditions of the past through their ceremonial duties, the Foot Guards also carry out operational duties in the UK and throughout the world as professional soldiers. The guards are all part of the Household Division who have guarded the Sovereign and the Royal Palaces since 1660.

The Household Division is made up of seven regiments of the British Army:

The Household Cavalry Regiment - The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals;
Five Regiments of Foot Guards
The Grenadier Guards
The Coldstream Guards
The Scots Guards
The Irish Guards
The Welsh Guards

The Queen's Role

Although the Queen is no longer responsible for governing the country, she carries out a great many important tasks on behalf of the nation.

Head of State

As Head of State, the Queen goes on official State visits abroad. She also invites other world leaders to come to the United Kingdom. During their visit, Heads of State usually stay at Buckingham Palace, or sometimes at Windsor Castle or Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

Head of the Armed Forces

The Queen is also the Head of the Armed Forces. She is the only person who can declare when the country is at war and when war is over, although she must take advice from her government first.

Head of the Church of England

The Queen is Head of the Church of England - a position that all British monarchs have held since it was founded by Henry VIII in the 1530s.
The Queen appoints archbishops and bishops on the advice of the Prime Minister.
The spiritual leader of the Church of England is the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Government Duties

Every day 'red boxes' are delivered to the Queen's desk full of documents and reports from the government ministers and Commonwealth officials. They must all be read and, if necessary, signed by the Queen.

Represents the Nation

The Queen represents the nation at times of great celebration or sorrow. One example of this is Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph monument in Whitehall. The Queen lays a wreath there each year to honour the members of the armed forces who have died fighting for their country.

Royal Garden Parties

At least three Royal Garden Parties are held at Buckingham Palace each year and about 8,000 guests attend each one.

Visits

Alongside her other duties the Queen spends a huge amount of time travelling around the country visiting hospitals, schools, factories and other places and organisations.

Queen Elizabeth II

Born: 21 April, 1926.
Queen since 6 February 1952

Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926 in London. Her birthday is officially celebrated in Britain on the 3rd Saturday of June each year.
Queen Elizabeth Il is a 'constitutional monarch'. This means that although she is officially the head of the state, the country is actually run by the government, led by the Prime Minister.
The Queen lives at Buckingham Palace.

Interesting Fact:

There has not been a Queen of England since 1603. Elizabeth I was the last ever King or Queen of England.
From 1603, the monarch, although living in England, has been known as either the Monarch Great Britain (as Queen Anne was) or of the United Kingdom.
When Elizabeth I died, King James VI of Scotland became king of England as well as Scotland, thus uniting the kingdoms of England and Scotland for the first time.

The Official Title of the Queen

Her Majesty The Queen's title in the United Kingdom is:
'Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'.

Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne on February 6, 1952 upon the death of her father, King George VI. Her Coronation, at Westminster Abbey, followed on June 2, 1953.

(A new king or Queen begins to rule as soon as their succession to the throne has been announced. But the coronation - when the crown is placed on the monarch's head - may not happen until months later.)
The queen celebrated her Golden jubilee (50 years since her accession) in 2002.

Head of State

Queen Elizabeth II is the United Kingdom's Head of State. She is queen of 16 former British colonies, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand; and head of the Commonwealth, a multinational body created after the dissolution of the British empire.

The Queen is married to the HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the son of Prince and Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark. They married on 20 November 1947.

The Duke is Queen Elizabeth's third cousin; they share Queen Victoria as a great-great-grandmother.

In the British monarchy, the husband of a female monarch does not have any recognized special status, rank, or privileges.

Prince Philip was a prince from birth. He is the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and was born Prince of Greece and Denmark. Upon his marriage to then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947, Philip was given the title "Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich," and was made a Knight of the Garter. (He became a British citizen around this time and renounced his Greek and Danish titles). Elizabeth II was coronated in 1953, and in 1957, she granted Philip the title "Prince of the United Kingdom."

Interesting Fact:

The wife of a male monarch (e.g. the Queen Mother was the wife of King George VI) takes on her husband's rank and style upon marrying, becoming Queen. She is known as the Queen consort ( wife and consort of a reigning king)

( A consort is a spouse , usually of royalty.)

The British Royal family last name is Windsor.

Royal Homes

Among the official royal residences are Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, St. James Palace, Balmoral Castle, Frogmore House, The Palace of Holyroodhouse, Sandringham House and Kensington Palace.

Interesting Fact:

The only time when there was no King or Queen in Britain was when the country was a republic between 1649 and 1660. ( In 1649 King Charles I was executed and Britain became a Republic for eleven years. The monarchy was restored in 1660.)

Facts about London

London is the biggest city in Britain and in Europe.

London occupies over 620 square miles

London has a population of 7,172,036 (2001)

About 12 per cent of Britain’s overall population live in London

London has the highest population density in Britain, with 4,699 people per square kilometre,

London is in the southeast of England.

London is the seat of central government in Britain.

The tallest building in London is the Canary Wharf Tower.

London was the first city in the world to have an underground railway, known as the 'Tube'.

Some of the most important people from countries all over the world visit the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

There are over 100 theatres in London, including 50 in the West End. London theatre accounts for 45% of all UK theatre admissions and over 70% of box-office revenues. Source: GLA Economics

All about London

London, the capital of England and the UK, is the world's ninth-largest city. Its history spans nearly 2,000 years, beginning with the arrival of the Romans soon after their invasion of Britain in AD43.

London is situated on the banks of the river Thames, in southeast England.

London is made up of two ancient cities which are now joined together.

They are:

the City of London, know simply as 'the City' which is the business and financial heart of the United Kingdom. It is also known as the Square Mile (2.59 sq km/1 sq mi).

the City of Westminster, where Parliament and most of the government offices are located. Also Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the Queen and the Royal family are located there too.

Together they all make up a region known as Greater London.

English or British ?

What are the National identities of the people living in Britain?

Many people thing that 'English' is the same as 'British'. It is not!

People who are English are from the country of England. On the other hand, British people are people who live in Great Britain (Britain) and the UK.

Although everyone in the UK has a British citizenship they have different nationalities.

England is only one of the three countries in Britain (Scotland, England and Wales). The Scots and the Welsh sometimes get angry when they are referred to as 'English'. They do not live in England and they have their own parliaments, so why should they take their identity from England? They have their own identity.

There are often distinct differences between people living in each of the three countries in Britain. This is because different groups of people tend to develop their own customs and way of life.

British [n] the people of Great Britain

National identity and citizenship are not always the same thing in Great Britain or the UK
Most white people born in Great Britain, although British citizens, do not regard themselves as British and prefer to state their national identity as English, Scottish or Welsh.

People born in England are called English or British and can say that they live in England, Britain and/or the UK. Most people in England will say they are British rather than English.

Slang terms sometimes used for the English include "Sassenachs" (from the Scots Gaelic), "Limeys" (in reference to the citrus fruits carried aboard English sailing vessels to prevent scurvy) and "Pom / Pommy" (used in Australian English and New Zealand English).

People born in Scotland are called Scottish or British and can say that they live in Scotland, Britain and/or the UK. Most people in Scotland will say they are Scottish rather than British.

People born in Wales are called Welsh or British and can say that they live in Wales, Britain and/or the UK. Most people in Wales will say they are Welsh rather than British.

What is Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain is the official name given to the two kingdoms of England and Scotland, and the principality of Wales. It is an island lying off the western coast of Europe, comprising the main territory of the United Kingdom.

Great Britain is made up of:

England - The capital is London.
Scotland - The capital is Edinburgh .
Wales - The capital is Cardiff.

Great Britain is divided into small regions called counties

Great Britain is very often, but incorrectly, used as a synonym for the sovereign state properly known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). (The clue is the full name of the UK. The UK includes Great Britain AND Northern Ireland)

Great Britain is a political term which describes the combination of England, Scotland, and Wales, the three nations which together include all the land on the island. It is also a geographical term referring to the island on which the greater parts of England, Wales and Scotland are situated.

Great Britain has an area of 229,850 km² (88,745 sq. mi.) and is the largest island of the British Isles.

Is Great Britain the same as Britain?

Yes, sometimes people use the shorten name Britain instead of Great Britain.

Origins of the names

Britain

Britain was the name that the Romans gave the whole island, which contains modern-day England, Wales and Scotland. The name is derived from the Latin name Britannia.

England

England used to be known as Engla land, meaning the land of the Angles, people from continental Germany, who began to invade Britain in the late 5th century, along with the Saxons and Jute.

Great Britain

The term Great Britain was first used during the reign of King James I of England (James VI of Scotland) in 1603, to refer to the separate kingdoms of England and Scotland. on the same landmass, that were ruled over by the same monarch. Despite having the same monarch, both kingdoms kept their own parliaments.

United Kingdom (The uniting of kingdoms)

The 'United Kingdom of Great Britain' was formed in 1707 by the Act of Union that created a single kingdom with a single Parliament. (Scotland has always retained its own legal system)

A hundred years later the Act of Union of 1801 joined Ireland to 'Great Britain' and the name "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" was first used. (Since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom and so the name changed).

About the UK

Where is the UK?

The UK is situated north-west of the European continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. It has a total land area of 244,100 square kilometres, of which nearly 99% is land and the remainder inland water. From north to south it is about 1,000 kilometres long.

The UK part of Europe and is a member of the European Union (EU).

The official name of the UK is the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

The name refers to the union of what were once four separate nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (though most of Ireland is now independent).

The United Kingdom is made up of:
England - The capital is London.
Scotland - The capital is Edinburgh .
Wales - The capital is Cardiff.
Northern Ireland - The capital is Belfast.

People in the UK are called British although they have different nationalities.

England or The U K ?

Why is England or the UK sometimes called Britain?

'When people say England, they sometimes mean Great Britain, sometimes the United Kingdom, sometimes the British Isles - but never England.''How to be an Alien' by George Mikes

"England" is sometimes, wrongly, used in reference to the whole United Kingdom, the entire island of Great Britain (or simply Britain), or indeed the British Isles. This is not only incorrect but can cause offence to people from other parts of the UK.

The diverse history of England, Scotland and Wales has led to very different cultural traditions; The Scots and Welsh have right to feel aggrieved whenever the term 'English' is used wrongly, to mean all three.

Countries within a Country

The name United Kingdom refers to the union of what were once four separate countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland ( though most of Ireland is now independant.)

History of the making of the UK

In 1485, Scotland was separate from England. Wales and Ireland were under some English control buy were not fully part of the kingdom.The four countries were united by 1750. In 1485:
England was ruled by the King of England
Scotland was ruled by the King of Scotland
Wales, a principality, ruled by the Prince of Wales (eldest son of the English King). Wales had its own culture and language.
Ireland - small parts were controlled by the English Kings but in many places the English control was weak. In 1750:

England was ruled by the King of England who was also the King of Scotland
One King ruled both countries.
Wales, remained a principality but more clearly under English control. English language and customs were more fashionable, but the Welsh language and culture was still strong.
Ireland - ruled by the Kings of England. English Kings were also Kings of Ireland.

The UK's full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Great Britain comprises only of England, Scotland and Wales.

Great Britain is the largest island of the British Isles.

British Life and Culture

For those who are studying English and want to learn about British and American culture, I decided to start posting first about British English, and then about American English .

Little by little I will try to make students aware of the great differences between the two cultures.