How to recognize an Englishman in a crowd. Life hack

Abstract. Currently, there are many approaches to learning English, but the most effective is direct communication with native English speakers. This article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the British mentality.

Keywords: british people, character traits, mentality.

All foreigners know how to recognize a Russian person abroad. Rosso has an anecdote on this subject:

"A third Russian comes to the cafe. The waiter comes up to him and says:

- You are Russian.

- Yes, but how did you know?"

- You pulled out the boat and put it in your pocket."

In fact, most of us have an idea of the British mentality based on the typical image of an Englishman-Prim, polite and unflappable. But how true are these characteristics? And what exactly are they? Let's get to know the English character better. Here is a list of their main features.

• Frugality

The English are Thrifty. Even if they are well off, they save on things that the Russians do not think to save on. This is their habit and feature of the national character.

The British buy only high-quality and reliable things that are quite expensive. This is also a way to save money – these things last a long time, you don't have to make purchases often. This applies to clothing, equipment, and other items.

• Conservatism

The English are conservative compared to other Nations – this is also not an exaggeration. Of course, not everything and not to the extreme. There are Britons with unstable character, there are absolutely not conservative youth, there are many new and fashionable trends. But in General and on average, the English do not like changes and appreciate traditions. They eat the same traditional English food for Breakfast, lunch and dinner, go to the same pub, love familiar furnishings and Antiques, and appreciate order and discipline. Renovation of the house for them means not a change of furniture and decor, but restoration.

Stability in the character of the English contribute to the preservation of the stereotypical English mentality, which has become known throughout the world since Victorian times. Although there have been many changes in the country and changes are still ongoing, the main features are politeness, self-control and the same conservatism.

• Special sense of humor

The sense of humor stands out among other features of the British mentality in that the British consider it their main advantage. They are proud of their sense of humor – not only its presence, but also its specifics, differences compared to other Nations. And their humor is really special. First, it is often difficult to notice it at all. Second, even if you notice that an Englishman said something funny, you don't necessarily understand the humor. And third, some jokes can hurt or hurt you if you are not used to such humor.

The English love puns, ironic remarks, and understatements. The latter technique is a distinctive feature of the British sense of humor. Keep in mind that if a resident of the UK after watching a great movie calmly says “It was pretty good”, this is not coldness and equanimity, this is humor. Foreigners rarely find it funny, but the English understand such jokes perfectly.

• Composure

The typical image of a Prim English gentleman who keeps his composure in any situation may be a little outdated. It is quite possible to meet emotional and restless Britons. Nevertheless, the famous equanimity of the English is not a myth, but an important feature of the mentality. Equanimity is one of the most worthy traits of character, according to the British.

Self-control is that a person should not show their emotions too clearly. And failure, and success, and grief, and joy should be met with external, and preferably with internal calm. Excessive emotionality, uninhibited behavior, open expression of feelings in public are condemned. Fear, pain, cold, and hunger must be endured selflessly while remaining outwardly unperturbed.

The main reason for this behavior, which is brought up from childhood and becomes an integral part of the mentality, is caring for others.

• Polite

The English are really polite – this is not a myth. They are courteous and helpful to people around them. The English apologize a thousand times a day: they say the words sorry and excuse me, even if someone else is to blame. A passer-by brushed his shoulder – the Englishman will say sorry. Someone stepped on your foot-the British instinctively apologize first. And if he is guilty, he will apologize several times with genuine sincerity. Politeness is also shown in behavior. Englishmen don't crowd around trying to get into a subway car first. They do not try to take someone else's place or will never fit in without a queue. As a matter of courtesy, they don't speak loudly in public. In the metro, for example, most often they are silent, even if they are traveling with a friend or company.

English politeness is called "negative" or "passive". "Active" politeness, which involves showing interest in another person, is considered Intrusive by the British. They think it's polite not to interfere in other people's lives. This is due to another feature of the mentality – a special attitude to personal boundaries.

• Personal boundary

The British are sensitive to privacy. They have strict rules for respecting personal boundaries. The British monitor their own and others ' physical borders. For example, they do not approach people too closely, always intuitively maintaining a certain distance. With strangers, this distance is from 1 to 4 meters, with unfamiliar interlocutors-no more than 85 cm. When communicating with friends, you can approach at a distance of 45 cm. These figures are about 1.5 times higher than in Russia. This is very noticeable in the way the British stand in line, are located in the Elevator, sit in public transport. They always keep their distance.

Physical distance is also expressed in touch. Even among very close people, it is not customary to touch, hug and kiss often. It is considered indecent to touch another person with your body: therefore, in the subway car, the British pave the way through the crowd with their hands. Touching the arm or shoulder is considered normal, the rest is a violation of personal boundaries.