Formality and informality

The tourist view of Britain involves lots of formal ceremonies. Some people have drawn the conclusion from this that the British are rather formal in their general behaviour. This is not true. There is a difference between observing formalities and being formal in everyday life. Attitudes towards clothes are a good indication of this difference. It all depends on whether a person is playing a public role or a private role.

Lots of men who wear suits during the week can then be seen in old sweaters and jeans, sometimes with holes in them.

This difference between formalities and formality is the key to what people from other countries sometimes experience as coldness among the British. The key is this: being friendly in Britain often involves showing that you are not bothering with the formalities. This means not addressing someone by his or her title, not dressing smartly when entertaining guests, shaking hands when meeting and not saying ‘please’ when making a request. When they avoid doing these things with you, the British are not being unfriendly or disrespectful, they are implying that you are in the category ‘friend’, and so all the rules can be ignored. Most British people so not feel welcomed if, on being invited to somebody’s house, they find the hosts in smart clothes and a grant table set for them. They do not feel flattered by this, they feel intimidated. It makes them feel they can’t relax.

It is probably true that the British, especially the English, are more reserved than the people of many other countries. They find it comparatively difficult to indicate friendship by open displays of affection. If you are in a British person’s house, and you are told to ‘help yourself’ to something, your host is not being rude or suggesting that you are of no importance – he or she is showing that you are completely accepted and just like ‘one of the family’.

III. Find synonyms among the following words:

Typical; honoured; to rely on; peculiar; remarkable; position; to like; obstinate; image; out of date; hostility; individualistic; respected; beautiful; clue; patient; characteristic; apparently; to enjoy; conduct; key; to trust; private; old; behaviour; status; distinctive; notable; coldness; smart; stubborn; symbol; obviously; tolerant; identity; to relax; to feel at ease; token; to rest; to feel welcomed.

a) Find Russian equivalents to:

To lag behind; to derive; to confine; to draw a conclusion; with regard to; to use trickery; for the sake of; to be stubbornly conservative; to shop; idealized vision of the countryside; to earn one’s living; to observe formalities; to make a request; display of affection; to be of no importance.

b) Which of the adjective given below are the most, accurate characteristics of the British people? Explain why?

Careful; creative; confident; emotional; flexible; generous; helpful; logical; motivated; organized; patient; reliable; original; serious; down-to-earth; kind; formal; imaginative; sensible; romantic.

c) Discuss the following:

1) Frequent mention is made in this chapter of British individualism. How

many examples of this can you find? Can you think of any others?

2) It has been said that the British are suspicious of things in public life,

which are logical or systematic. Can you find examples in this chapter,

which could be used to support this opinion?

3) Which (if any) of British characteristics described in this chapter would you regard as also characteristic of people in our country? To what extent?

4) When in early 1990s London’s famous red buses were privatized (sold to

private companies); the different bus companies wanted to paint their

buses in their company colours/ But the government did not let them do it.

Can you explain why?

5) What stereotyped image of the British did you have before reading this

article? How did it change after reading it?

6) What typical British habits and attitudes can you name?

7) Imagine this situation: you are at home, just about to have lunch, when

there is a knock at the door. It is the British friend of yours, not a very

close friend, but closer than a mere acquaintance. He or she has come to

pay you an unexpected visit. You suggest that your friend comes in and

stays for lunch. But your friend is embarrassed to find that he or she has

called at a mealtime and refuses the invitation. You want to persuade

your friend to change his or her mind. In what way would you do it?

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