England and Wales: British politeness is a code — Page 3

England and Wales: British politeness is a code

Then there is the layer underneath: "not bad" meaning good, "interesting" meaning no, "we should do that sometime" meaning we will not. None of it is dishonesty. It is a shared agreement to lower the volume.

Wales changed the tone again. I learned one word, "diolch", and used it in a shop, and the whole conversation warmed by several degrees. One word.

That is the lesson I keep taking to lessons: fluency is not vocabulary. It is knowing what a sentence is doing, not just what it says.

England and Wales: British politeness is a code

The words that opened this door

Five things to say, and when to say them.

You alright?
in British English
A greeting, not concern
Answer "yeah, you?" and keep walking.
Cheers
in British English
Thanks — and also goodbye
Does both jobs, often in the same breath.
Sorry
in British English
Sorry / excuse me / oh dear
Used for apologising, getting past someone, and being bumped into by someone else.
Lovely
in British English
Lovely / great
The all-purpose British compliment.
Diolch
in Welsh
Thank you
In Wales, using it once changes the temperature of the conversation.

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England and Wales: British politeness is a code — Page 3 of 3

The words that opened this door