Т.В. Артеменко, Е.В. Кривощекова, Е.В. Кравченко, Н.Е. Николаева - Reader in Language and Culture - Part II, страница 2

And only then because it either makes sense or there's no goodreason not to - given that I am the ultimate judge of both conditions.'7Whoever called the English 'the Island Race' only got it half right. EveryEnglish person is his or her own island. Only wars unite the English, andover the years they have become quite good at them. But natural modestydemands they should always look like losing until just before the end. Itmakes victory that much sweeter, and really annoys the loser.They are fond of their rights, including the right to privacy and the rightto preserve one's personal space.

This is an area surrounding eachindividual, which it is not good manners to invade. People will leave a stepbetween themselves and the next person on an escalator even when it'scrowded, or a vacant seat between themselves and their neighbour in thecinema, even when they know that in due course they are certain to beasked to move along to make more room. This has nothing to do with amorbid fear of body odour, it is more an extension of the 'an-Englishman'shome-is-his-castle' belief. Think of it as an invisible moat.

Learn to shakehands at long distance.Keeping a Stiff Upper LipThis characteristic pose involves keeping the head held high (pride), theupper lip stiff (to avoid the visible tremble which betrays emotion), and thebest foot forward (determination). In this position, conversation is difficultand intimacy of any kind almost impossible. But it portrays the presence ofthat attribute which the English were traditionally expected to project absolute self-control.It has long been acceptable to show one's feelings at football matches,funerals, or when welcoming home someone thought to have been dead.But at all other times English people find a display of emotion disconcerting, though it is more acceptable if the perpetrator looks suitablyembarrassed afterwards.In recent years, however, there have been a increasing number of publicoccasions at which the English have allowed themselves to become8positively Mediterranean.ModerationModeration means a lot to the English, even to those who are incapableof moderate behaviour themselves.

No matter how they are behaving, theyshare a fundamental dislike of any behaviour that `goes too far'.`Going too far' in behavioural terms in polite society covers displayingan excess of emotion, getting hopelessly drunk or cracking off-colour jokesand then laughing at them noisily. Altogether beyond the pale"' is the manor woman who creates a scene in public. The English consider that anyonewho does so is automaticallyy in the wrong, even if they are actually in theright.The whole business of making a fuss has its own vocabulary: guiltyparties being said to be creating a `to do', a hullabaloo, a palaver, akerfuffle, a song and dance - all of which are seen as socially undesirable.When confronted by a kerfuffle in a public place such as a bus,English people will mostly duck down behind their newspapers and pretendit isn't happening. Extreme outbursts, such as road rage or footballhooliganism, will incur a chorus of disapproval.

Even though suchbehaviour is quite common and quite in character, it is still perceived as unEnglish.For the English, the admired way to behave in almost all situations isto display a languid indifference to almost everything. Even in affairs of theheart, it is considered unseemly to show too much enthusiasm.Paradoxically, the sentence `This time you/he/she/they have gone too far'is the unmistakable prelude to a great deal of immoderate behaviour on thepart of the speaker, who will then undoubtedly go too far him- or herself.Two-FacednessWith their emotions buttoned up and their composure in place, the9English present a reassuring consistency to each other and the world atlarge. Underneath, however, they seethe with a kind of primitive unrulinesswhich they have never quite been able to master.There is an unpredictability about the English.

You can never be surewhich stance they are going to take. So, at a supermarket checkout,clutching two items, you may find someone with a trolley-load standingback to let you go first. Yet you may encounter the same person in acrowded pub barging in front of you to get to the bar. Climate has a lot todo with it. Heat waves bring out the beast in the English. Cold and drizzlecalm them down.There is an illogical relationship between the head and the heart. Englishpeople are capable of admiring something without enjoying it, and enjoyingsomething they suspect is fundamentally reprehensible.Such two-facedness in the English character prompts the most commoncriticism of them - that they are hypocrites.

They certainly appear to be, butappearances can be deceptive. The English believe that even the truth hastwo sides.Attitudes and ValuesThe English are governed by a simple set of attitudes and values towhich everyone pays lip service, whether they believe in them or not. Thereis, however, one exception to this rule, and that is:Common SenseCommon sense is central to the English attitude to almost everything inlife. It is common sense to carry an umbrella in case of rain. It is commonsense not to sit on cold stone (which can give you haemorrhoids).

It iscommon sense to wear clean underwear in case you are run over and takento hospital.To fall foul of changing circumstances is inexcusable. Every plan for an10outdoor event will have its indoor alternative in case the worst comes to theworst. Even accounting systems have a line for 'Contingencies'. It iscommon sense to 'Be prepared' at all times.However, the fact that when they sit down to a business meeting theEnglish are more likely than any other nation not to be prepared for it doesnot deter them from believing that common sense will usually prevail.A Good SportIf an English man or woman refers to you as 'a good sport', you willknow that you have really arrived.

For to them this is a qualificationnormally never awarded to a foreigner, and by no means within the grasp ofall the English.The term is not exclusively a sporting one. It describes the sort ofbehaviour both on and off the playing field that characterises everythingthey really respect. In all physical trials, the good sport will play withouthaving been seen to practise too hard and will, ideally, win from innatesuperiority. He or she will then be dismissive of their victory andmagnanimous towards the loser.It goes without saying that the good sport will also be a good loser.There will be no arguing with umpires or outward signs of disappointment.On the contrary, a remark such as "The best man won!" tossed airily to alland sundry is obligatory even in the face of crushing defeat.Don't let this fool you.

The English are fiercely competitive, especiallyin matters of sport, and they would rather be crossed in love than beaten onthe tennis court. But to let their disappointment be seen would be going toofar.StoicismStoicism, the capacity to greet life's vicissitudes with cheerful calm, is anessential ingredient of Englishness. It is not the same as the unfeeling11woodenness implied by the expression 'stiff upper lip', nor is it orientalfatalism or Scandinavian gloom.

It is the extraordinary forbearance thatenables English people to spend long, wearying hours making their way toand from work on a transport system that many third-world nations wouldbe ashamed of and, having arrived, respond to the question "How was thejourney?", with a breezy "Not so bad, thanks."The English, who suspect that all foreigners tend to overreact and 'makea meal of things', will warm to you if you display understated good humourin the face of adversity. You may then achieve the status of ar admirablestoic, such as the circus worker who, having had his arm bitten off by atiger was admitted to hospital and when asked the standard question beforetreatment "Are you allergic to anything?", replied "Only tigers".A Puritan StreakThe English are not a deeply religious nation.

Hundreds of years agothey decided that Roman Catholicism with its teachings about original sinand the unworthiness of the human race could not really have been meantfor them. So they designed a church of their own - the imaginatively-namedChurch of England.Over the years- Protestantism has ramified into a bewildering number ofchurches and sects which cater for every nuance of belief, from 'highchurch' С of E (just a sliver away from Catholicism) to the Seventh-DayAdventists.Attendance at Church of England services is not obligatory and, indeed,not a widespread habit. Membership, on the other hand, is assumed to bethe norm, and any bureaucratic form which requests information about yourreligion mirrors the attitude of the nation to the rest of Christendom in itsinstruction: 'If not С of E, state "Other".'In general, the English do not take soul-searching seriously, and are oneof the least introspective of all peoples.