VOCABLE Du 11 juillet au 4 septembre 2019 (^) • 11
I Destination I ÉCOSSE
Focus
Official languages
Scotland has 3 officially recognised languages: English,
Scots and Scottish Gaelic. Scottish Gaelic, which
became an official language in 2005, is only spoken by
about 60,000 people, while Scots is spoken by about 1.
million people.50% of Scots consider themselves to be non-religious,
while 14% identify as Catholic.
while meanwhile.Symbols
Scotland has its own flag, known as
the saltire or St. Andrews Cross,
coming from its patron saint. The
flower of Scotland is the thistle.
Legend has it that, in the 11th century,
a sleeping party of Scots warriors
were saved from ambush by an
invading Norse army when one of the
enemies trod on the spiky plant.
saltire diagonal cross (heraldic design) / thistle herbaceous plant of the
daisy family with a purple flower / party group / warrior fighter / ambush
trap, surprise attack / Norse Scandinavian / to tread, trod, trod or
trodden on to step on, walk over / spiky with sharp points.Scotland has the highest proportion of redheads in
the world (around 13% of the population!).
redhead person with “red” (ginger, auburn) hair.2
nd
referendum62% of Scots consider themselves
“Scottish only” while 18% of them
consider themselves “as Scottish as
British”. In September 2014, Scottish voters
were asked whether they wanted Scotland
to become independent from the United
Kingdom. 55.3% of them voted against
independence. In May, the Scottish
government, led by Nicola Sturgeon,
published a referendum framework bill
aimed at holding another referendum
before 2021 if the UK is taken out of the EU.
to lead, led, led here, to govern, be leader of the party
in power / framework bill proposed referendum
outline legislation / to aim to intend / to hold, held,
held to organise.Dish
The most infamous Scottish dish is
haggis, made with the heart, liver,
and lungs of a sheep, traditionally
boiled in the animal’s stomach.
dish plate of food / infamous well known
but not necessarily liked / liver organ in the
body that cleans the blood / lung
respiratory organ / to boil to cook sth in very
hot water.Highland games
Held in spring and summer every year,
they celebrate Scottish and Celtic
culture, and revolve around athletic
competitions. Caber toss, stone put,
hammer throwing and backhold wrestling
are among the main activities.
to revolve around here, to feature / caber toss
throwing of tree trunks / stone put rock throwing /
hammer throwing large hammer throwing
competition / backhold wrestling traditional
Scottish form of combat sport / main principal.Alcohol
39 bottles of Scotch whisky are shipped
overseas each second. The whisky economy
boasts 127 distilleries and 10,
employees in Scotland. Last year, Scotland
became the first country to introduce
minimum pricing for all alcoholic drinks,
which resulted in a 3% fall in the
consumption of alcohol.
to ship to transport / overseas abroad, here, to a foreign
country / to boast to claim (sth impressive) /
consumption consuming, here drinking.SCOTLAND
Facts and figures
(Istock)(Istock)(Jane Stockdale/REX/SIPA)(SIPA)(Kieran Dodds/International Herald Tribune) (Istock)AA 11-806-Steph.indd 11 01/07/2019 14: