Reason.com
Friday Marginalia
Some funny observations about British speaking mannerisms, by an American singer/songwriter visiting his in-laws. An excerpt:
Fervent apologies and extravagant expressions of gratitude for trivia are just about the only occasions where British people seem comfortable and unembarrassed by overt demonstrations of emotion -- if "emotion" is the right word for what is really (I think) mostly a histrionic application of some mysterious standard of formal civility. I'm not sure if you'd use "emotion" for the heavy, gloomy, resigned "we're all doomed and there's no point" manner that most Brits seem to affect around 80% of the time: within every man, woman, child, banker, Queen, beggar, glamour girl, or bus conductor, there seems to lurk an inner Morrissey that doesn't have much trouble taking hold of the host organism in most circumstances. Other than that, though, the Brits have the unique ability to be embarrassed by just about everything.
Most Popular Stories
- 5 Classic Teen Sex-and-Drug Freakouts: Rainbow Parties, Butt-Chugging, And So Much More (By Which We Mean Less) (5.27)
- Government Beneficiaries and Other Fairy Tales (5.26)
- Are We Headed for a Fight with China? (5.28)
- Do Organic Consumers Shop Exclusively at the Jerk Store? (5.26)
- Lessons From the United Fruit Company (5.28)
Reason RUPE: Public Opinion Survey
- Reason-Rupe: Wisconsinites Favor Increasing Public Union Retirement Contributions to Address Budget Deficit (5.25)
- Reason-Rupe Poll Finds Support for Public Union Reforms (5.25)
- New Poll: Obama Leads Romney In Wisconsin, But Gary Johnson Could Impact the Race (5.24)
- Wisconsin Recall: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42 Among Likely Voters (5.24)
- Reason-Rupe Poll: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42, Obama Leads Romney 46-36 (5.24)
advertisements
Reason on Facebook
Reason on Twitter
Reason on YouTube
Reason RSSGet Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsSite comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment or disable your ability to comment for any reason at any time.
Ms. Stereo T.|8.31.03 @ 11:39AM|#
Yea, right man!
Been to Holland lately? They ALL were wooden shoes there.
How about Scotland? Not a man left standing who doesn't wear a kilt in Scotland.
And everyone in Texas wears boots, ten-gallon hats, and packs a pair of six-shooters, too.
Mark A.|9.2.03 @ 12:54PM|#
"We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language."
Oscar Wilde
Robert Nabors|9.2.03 @ 12:58PM|#
Heh...
Actually, I was in England for around a month last December.
Let me give you a bit of background info on myself.
I'm a 20 year old guy from alabama, who is no longer typing any capatalized letters because pressing the shift button makes my pinky hurt, as the very tip of it was sliced open, causing much bleeding and pain. anyways, you no doubt have heard of the so called 'southern hospitality'
they didn't quite appreciate it in england. it seems that things such as saying sir and ma'am to people, nodding your head as someone enters, etc. is considered 'cheeky'
odd, no?