In late Middle English, a sudden change in pronunciation began, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. Beginning in the 16th century, the British had contact with many peoples from around the world.

This, and the Renaissance of classical learning, meant that many new words and phrases entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. Printing also brought standardization to English. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the dialect of London, where most publishers were located, became the standard. In 1604 the first English dictionary was published.

Germanic people

The Germanic peoples, are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Nordic European origin. They are identified by their use of Germanic languages, which diversified from Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.

The term "Germanic" originated in classical times, when groups of tribes living in Lower, Upper and Greater Germania were referred to by Roman scribes using this label. These tribes generally lived to the north and east of the Gauls. They were reported by historians of Rome to have had a critical impact on the course of European history during the Roman-Germanic wars. particularly in the historic Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, where the defeat of three Roman legions at the hands of Germanic tribal warriors precipitated the strategic withdrawal of the Roman Empire from

Northernmost Europe, in what now constitutes the European plains of Denmark and southern Scandinavia, is where the Germanic peoples most likely originated. This is a region that was "remarkably stable" since the Neolithic Age, when humans began to control their environment through the use of agriculture and the domestication of animals. Archaeological evidence gives the impression that the Germanic people were becoming more uniform in their culture as early as 750 BCE. As their population grew, the Germanic people migrated westward to the coastal floodplains due to soil depletion in their original settlements.

The UK is full of castles, narrow streets, charming little houses and also many traditions that have their origins in ancient times, in the people who occupied the islands, such as the Celts, the Romans and the Vikings. In this summary I will bring you the 3 most unusual and different customs, festivals and traditions that exist in the UK.

1. CHEESE ROLLING - running the cheese down the hill.

One of the funniest customs, precisely because it is a cheese rolling down the hill. Several people go down the hill called Cooper's Hill, and run down to get three giant rolls of cheese (each round weighs four kilos), and the hill is not very straight, it is full of holes, so it is normal to have many accidents. It is believed that this festival has its origins in pagan celebrations, where barrels were thrown down the hill. 

2. SOLSTICE - Summer at Stonehenge                       

This is one of the coolest, which is to see the sun rise on the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge. To celebrate the longest day of the year, hence the name Summer Solstice, many people go to mystical and sacred places like Stonehenge where they have very old stone circles. They spend the night and watch the sunset. It is the only day that Stonehenge opens its doors (its access) for free, so people go to the circle to touch the stones, do rituals and sing with other people.

3. UP HELLY AA - Viking festival with fire

The Vikings invaded Great Britain and settled in several cities, mainly in the islands of Orkney and Shetland, which are islands that lie just north of Scotland. And in Shetland the biggest fire festival in Europe takes place, more than a thousand people dress up as Vikings and they wear shields, helmets, armor, and carry torches through the streets. The goal is to set fire to the replica of a Viking ship, while they sing several songs, it is a celebration of the island's history and also a demonstration of the skill of some locals.

ECONOMY

Cradle of the Industrial Revolution, the UK started its activities in this sector of the economy with the production of steel and textiles. Currently, the country stands out for its great diversity in industrial activities, sheltering a modern industrial park with car, plane and airboat manufacturers. Other important aspects are the financial, commercial, port and tourism centers, in addition to the textile, chemical and petrochemical industries. Fifth largest economy in the world, the UK has not substituted the pound sterling for the euro (official currency of the economic block). The country has one of the largest economies in the world, and is also a member of the select Group of Eight (G-8), which is formed by the seven richest and most industrialized nations in the world.

BREXIT

In recent years, several European countries have suffered economic and political crises and, as could not be otherwise, the European Union has been affected. Specifically, starting in 2016, the process of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union began, known as Brexit (British + exit). In a tight and unexpected result (51.9% x 48.1%) the population of the United Kingdom (which includes Scotland, Northern Ireland, England, and Wales) chose to leave the economic bloc, breaking a 47 years agreement. The population's disbelief in the political system and campaigns based on Fake News contributed to this result. Broadly speaking, the main reasons that led to the Brexit are linked to promises to contain budget spending and focus investment on domestic needs (such as public health) and the migration issue.

GLOBAL INFLUENCE

The UK, the block that at its peak was the largest economy in the world, concentrating 22% of the world territory in the 19th century and with 458 million people, about 20% of the population at the time, and today, even with the decline of the empire and the territory the size of the state of São Paulo, is still the 5th largest economy in the world, with a GDP of 3.1 trillion dollars, being popularly known for the royal family, the industrial revolution and of course for its capital London, which is a global city and one of the main financial centers of the planet. Besides this, colonization was responsible for spreading the country's influence and culture on the world stage, and today English is the most spoken language in the world with more than 1.3 billion speakers, besides several fundamental creations and concepts for the West. Thus, the UK, which is a political union made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, has managed to remain influential as one of the most globalized nations in the world, with military power, nuclear power, and one of the five permanent members of the UN security council.

  Bretix:  Brexit is an abbreviation of two English words: 'Britain' and 'exit' and refers to the withdrawal process of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU).Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union regulates the withdrawal process of any Member State. According to this rule, any Member State of the EU may decide to withdraw pursuant to its constitutional law. After notifying this decision, the EU will negotiate with this State as to the method of its withdrawal and its future relations with the EU.This withdrawal process of the United Kingdom commenced following the referendum held on 23 June 2016 and the subsequent notification to the European Council on 29 March 2017.Although the UK's withdrawal from the European Union took place on 1 February 2020, the Withdrawal Agreement came into force thenceforth, which regulated the orderly withdrawal of the UK from the EU while maintaining the application of the acquis communaitaire in their relations until 31 December 2020.As from 1 January 2021, relations between the UK and the EU are based on the "Trade and Cooperation Agreement" - an ambitious agreement, but one that amounts to a major change for citizens, companies and public authorities in both the EU and the UK.

Global Influence: The UK remains a major force in international diplomacy, one of the world’s leading military powers, the second highest international development donor, and has a huge global cultural influence.  One in four countries currently has a leader who was educated in the UK.  The UK ranks second on Earth for higher education and for science (only the USA has more top-100 universities or Nobel Laureates, with the University of Oxford coming top of the global HE league table).  The same is true in its recent Olympic and Paralympics medal haul, and the English Premier League enjoys unrivalled international popularity. There is also the widespread and growing use of English, which remains the global language of business and the internet and is estimated will be spoken by 25% of the world’s population by 2020.  Indeed, overall the UK is ranked one of the world’s two leading ‘Soft Powers’.

Cheese Roling:Now officially an extreme sport, Cheese-rolling has competitors heading to Gloucester from all over the world. The Cooper’s Hill Cheese Roll is an annual race held at Cooper's Hill, near Brockworth, Gloucester. It attracts people from around the globe who come to chase a Double Gloucester cheese down the 200-yard-long hill.

Major Celebrations:                                                                                                                   Major celebrations in the UK calendar include: Christmas Day (25th December), Boxing Day (26th December), New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, the Queen’s Birthday on the second Saturday in June.Other celebrations are known as Bank Holidays: May Day, celebrated on 1st May, the Spring Bank Holiday on the last weekend of May and the Summer Bank Holiday on the last weekend of August.Bank Holidays take place at the weekend with most other businesses and institutions closed on the following Monday.

Food:
Even if British food has not got an exceptional reputation in the world, there are some traditional foods in the United Kingdom and traditional British beers.
The English breakfast and fish and chips are the most iconic dishes in the UK.
Traditional British foods typically centre around the concept of ‘meat and two veg’, which means in essence that the dish will contain a type of meat (usually beef, pork, lamb or chicken), two types of vegetable (typically root vegetables) and potatoes