Speech Etiquette of Great Britain

 

The mentality of each country has unique features, including the culture of communication. If you're going to go to another country, no matter for what purpose, it will be very useful for you to know the speech etiquette and the rules of behaviour of the country. The culture of verbal communication should be an integral quality, characteristic, part of every educated, cultured man. An integral part of this phenomenon is the observance of speech etiquette, culture of behaviour in the speech manifestation.

Etiquette is an integral part of the external culture of the society, a kind of ritual, which is expressed in the elaborate rules of behaviour, which organize the life of society. Basics of etiquette are fairly simple. They are: culture of speech, which involves not only its grammatical and stylistic correctness, but the speech clarity. That means that speech does not have vulgar words, obscene expressions, words-parasites. But the manifestations of these simple rules are different in different countries. In this work it will be considered the speech etiquette of Britain.

English speech etiquette is a set of specific words and phrases that give the polite form of the English language. English speech etiquette has a long and highly respected tradition - any deviation from the speech etiquette is seen as a manifestation of bad manners, or as a deliberate rudeness. English etiquette is the embodiment of rigor and formality. It has a lot of specific rules about every part of people communication from saying hello to saying good bye.

In the English-speaking society communication of cultured people is conducted at three levels of politeness - formal, neutral and familiar. All the polite words and phrases can be classified by stylistic grounds and, accordingly, classified as an official, neutral and familiar speech styles.

Formal politeness level is used in business, and is characterized by rigor and formality. The official level of politeness is the norm in institutions, organizations, businesses, education, health care, etc.

Neutral politeness level is warmer than formal. It is used by strangers or unfamiliar people, for example, when we ask the time in the street, or directions to a certain place.

Familiarity level of politeness is the most informal and friendly. It is characteristic for communication in the family, as well as between friends and acquaintances.

The most common gesture of greeting is a handshake in England, but does not abuse them. Handshake occurs quickly, without delaying another's hand in own hand.

There are universal greetings, which can be used in almost any situation and in any politeness level. They are «Hi» and «Hello». As a rule, added «How are you?" on this question it is accepted to answer, "Fine, thanks," and, in turn, ask: «What about you?» The answer will notify that things are going well (even though it is not quite true). «Hiya!» - Very informal greeting, which is used mostly by teenagers. Means «Hello, how are you?». Also in England there are greetings depending on the time of day: «Good morning!», «Good afternoon!» and «Good evening!». In an informal atmosphere these expressions can be reduced by their informal analogues: «Morning!» and «Evening!».

English etiquette prohibits kissing a woman's hand and making her compliments in the presence of outsiders. Greeted with a woman, a man may do a light bow. Interlocutors rarely touch each other: even the ladies, greeting each other, only pretend that kiss each other on the cheek.

According to the rules of English etiquette, after the greeting it is not accepted to immediately move on to personal matters, you must first talk about neutral topic, often talk about the weather.

Besides greetings, there is a special procedure for acquaintances in England. English etiquette does not involve acquaintances without an intermediary. It happens that the neighbors do not know each other for a long time until someone acquaint them.

When the time comes to say goodbye, you can do it in different ways. «Bye» and «Good bye» are the most common English farewells. They are universal and applicable to almost any situation. You can say «Have a good day» to the business partners and colleagues, polite and courteous farewell. The British can say goodbye with a promise to meet later, for example «See you soon» and «See you later» mean that you will meet later, but it is unknown when. «Good night» means farewell before going to bed. Often farewells accompanied by wishes, such as «Take care!», «Good luck!», «Have a nice day» etc. All these examples are common and formal. But there are a lot of interesting informal farewells used by teenagers or in informal communications. They are «I’m out», «Cheers, mate», «See ya later, Alligator!», «Nightie-night» etc.

Important unshakable rule that you should remember: never be late. The British appreciate the time very much. However, coming to the meeting earlier is not accepted too, so the best way out is to come just in time.

A good form is to keep your hands in sight and do not hide them in pockets. So your partner will think you are open and honest person.

Talking about your personal life and even more complaining about it is not accepted in England because self-esteem is in special honor here. Despite the strong sense of self-esteem the British are very modest. They rarely complain about their own misfortune, and rarely look for sympathy in case of failure. People without sense of self-esteem are not in honor in this country.

The British have an amazing ability to remain calm and equanimity in all circumstances. Restraint is not a consequence of the lack of emotion, as it seems to many foreigners, but the desire to maintain a comfortable communication environment, the reluctance to confuse interlocutor. Restraint is one of the dominant features of the English style of communication and is directly linked to the British politeness.

There is another interesting feature - the British have a tendency to criticize everything that relates to themselves: home, work, appearance, etc. At the same time they expect discussion from interlocutor. This is called «fishing for compliments».

Excessive emotion is a breach of etiquette in England. In conversation you should lead reservedly and try to avoid gestures. But the smile is necessary, because the smile is a sign that the situation is under the control. A smile is a mandatory attribute of educated Englishman. Make compliments to your companion: it is considered a commonplace, and no one thinks that you are flatterer and sycophant. But to brag or praise yourself is not accepted in England. Gentlemen and ladies will rather decrease own dignity than brag yourself.

Despite the fact that the British may seem secretive and restrained in communication at first glance, they have a great sense of humor and they love to joke. It is not accepted to take offense for jokes here, and the ability to laugh at yourself is considered dignity. Your reaction to humor is a kind of test for the possibility of further partnership.

English speech etiquette is important not only for the British, but also for all learners of English as a foreign language. English speech etiquette is original and has its own rules and regulations. Specificity of English etiquette is the emotional and volitional self-control, traditionalism, the sublimation of conflicts and smiling courtesy. Therefore everyone who is going to visit Albion and does not have intention to make a floater should study rules of etiquette of this country.

Научный руководитель – Е.В. Кербер, канд. филологич. наук, доцент кафедры «Иностранные языки» ОмГТУ, Омск

Библиографический список

 

1. Правила хорошего тона [Электронный ресурс]. - Режим доступа: http://www.knigge.ru/

2. Языка и культура [Электронный ресурс]. - Режим доступа: http://www.langust.ru

УДК 378.147:811.111

Исина Д. Ж.

Сибирская государственная автомобильно-дорожная академия (СибАДИ), Омск

Abstract: The article is devoted to the definition of the concept «competence», the most demanded component of the specialists’ features. The results of the survey conducted among the students of the Siberian Automobile and Highway Academy are presented.

Аннотация: Статья посвящена рассмотрению понятия «компетентнось», являющегося ведущим при определении уровня специалиста. В статье также представлены результаты опроса, касающегося данной проблемы, проведенного среди студентов СибАДИ.

 

Keywords: human capital, competences, University, training, professional activity, social policy of the University, professional skills, personal qualities.

Ключевые слова: человеческий капитал, компетенции, университет, обучение, профессиональная деятельность, социальная политика Университета, профессиональные навыки и умения, личные качества.