«British people as they are» «British people as they are» Ростов-на-Дону 2006 Выполнил: ученик школы 36 Сусликов Георгий
Aims to show you the most famous English traditions and customs; to find differential features of British character and behavior; to learn their habits and manners; to know the differences between Welsh, Scottish and English; to find out stereotypes of British people and their way of life; to inquire if stereotypes are really true today.
Every country has its own customs and traditions, each nation has its own manners and habits, behavior, reputation and character. In Britain traditions play a more important role in the life of people than in other countries. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. The United Kingdom consists of four nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each of them has its own special character. Everybody from the UK is British, but only people from England are English. For other population of Great Britain it is annoying. People from Wales think of themselves as Welsh; people from Scotland as Scottish; people from Northern Ireland as either British or Irish. - Do not call Welsh, Scottish or Irish people "English"
Habit of politeness English people are famous for their habit of politeness. It is considered polite to give up ones seat to a woman who is standing, to open a door for her, carry things for her, and so on. Most British people expect the person in front of them to hold the door open for them. People think you are rude, if you dont do this.
Reserved British The best-known quality of the English is reserve. A reserved person is one who doesnt talk very much to strangers, doesnt show much emotions. He never tells you anything about himself. If a conversation with the stranger starts, personal questions like How old are you? or even What is your name? are not easily asked. Questions like Where did you buy your watch? or What is your salary? are impossible. Closely related to English reserve is English modesty. If a person is, let us say, very good in golf, and someone asks him if he is a good player, he will probably give an answer like Im not bad, or I think Im quite good.
SOCIALIZING If there are several spare seats in a public place, most people will sit away from other people. People will usually apologize if they touch someone accidentally. But on the contrary, English people like to socialize. The queue is the place where the English are allowed to talk to each other without having been formally introduced. The others are when taking the dog for a walk. British people don't like to be embarrassed. They fear that they may not be able to make conversation with you, or to understand what you say to them. They fear they can say something that offends you. They think you won't understand their jokes (you won't!). If you are a woman, a British man may worry that you will feel threatened if he starts speaking to you.
English Manners The English do shake hands with each other, but as little as possible. With acquaintances once in a lifetime is often considered enough. The standard greeting " How do you do" and the reply " How do you do" signal the end of the ritual. Foreigners who assume that " How do you do" comes with a built in question mark and respond accordingly become socially isolated. Most Englishmen never hug or kiss other men. They leave that to football players and foreigners. Women may kiss on one or both cheeks. Men may also kiss women in greeting, but only on the cheek.
Sense of humour They are famous for their specific sense of humor. Its ideal is the ability to laugh at oneself – at ones own faults. He is a man of humor or He has no sense of humor is often heard in Britain, where humor is so highly prized.
Animal lovers British people show great love for animals. They do all they can to make animals feel well in their homes and outside their homes too. There is a pet in nearly every family, and often the family dog or cat has a special chair near the fire, special food and a special place in the hearts of the owners. In Britain there are special shops. Even London Airport has a special "animal hotel". The English believe that they are the only nation in the world that is really kind to animals.
Stay home people The Englishmans home is his castle, is a saying known all over the world. The English are a nation of stay-at-home. There is no place like home, they say. Many people in Britain live in the houses. The most popular reason is gardening. Gardening has been a popular pastime since Roman times. Many people in Britain are proud of their houses and gardens.
The Fireplace in English homes In English homes, the fireplace has always been, the natural centre of interest in the room. In the Middle Ages the fireplaces in large castles were very wide and above them there were usually a clock or framed photos. This tradition has kept through the centuries. In the evening when people come home, they like to sit round the fireplace and have a talk. Of course, nowadays the TV-set is becoming the centre of interest in the room. But in many houses you can still see a fireplace.
Traditional love for tea The English Custom of afternoon tea, it is said, goes back to the late 18th century when Anne, wife of the 7th Duke of Bedford, decided that she suffered from a sinking feeling around 5 p.m. and needed tea to bring back her strength. Today it is common knowledge that the English are very fond of tea. They like to have a nice cup of tea 6 or 8 times a day, sometimes even more. British people are the worlds greatest tea drinkers.
Being into sports The British are known to be great sport- lovers. So when they are neither playing, nor watching games, they like to talk about them. One of the most popular games is cricket. To many Englishmen cricket is both a game and a standard of behavior. When they consider anything unfair, they sometimes say That isnt cricket. Indeed sport in one form or another is an essential part of daily life in Britain.
Scottish people People who live in Scotland are Scots. They are not English and they will be very annoyed if you call them Englishmen. Today Scottish people speak English but with their own accent and speech. The Scottish people are very clever and simple, and they also have a natural sense of humor. They are hard-working and rather serious-minded. Scotsmen are known for their traditional clothes, which are socks, shoes, a kilt, a tie, a jacket and a bonnet.
Scottish people like to dance very much. A lot of people enjoy Scottish dancing.
Welsh people There are no other part of the British Isles where national traditions are more cherished than in Wales. The Welsh are very proud of their language and culture. The Welsh are less reserve than English people. But they are very proud and independent. The Welsh wear the same clothes as the English. But on holidays a Welsh woman wears a red cloak, a long black skirt, an apron and a high back hat on her hand. The men doesnt have a national costume. They smile: We have no money after we have bought clothes for our wives! The Welsh are known in Great Britain for their singing. Welsh people like singing together. Every village has more than one choir. The Welsh are very proud only of their national language and culture, but of Wales too.
Irish people If one asks an Irishman away from home what he misses most about Ireland, he will be probably tell you the greenness. They like to spend their leisure time outdoors. The Irish are very active people and of course they like sport. The Irish are known as constructive people. They famous for their love for dancing and music The Irish character it is known that they are very hardy, suborn and pragmatic people.
Stereotypes Many people associate Britain and its people with: Big Ben, red buses, old traditions, always grey and sullen sky, and about serious, conservative, calm and very stiff people. Most of these things are stereotypes. Today Great Britain is a beautiful modern country.