Manners that matter

The English are famous for their manners. The phrase, “Manners maketh the man” was coined by Englishman William of Wykeham back in 1324. But they’re just as important today. Books are written on the subject, advice columns in magazines tell people how to behave, and “finishing schools” still exist to ensure that young girls become young “ladies”.

The best example of English manners is in their mastery of the art of forming a queue. It is a popular joke in England (the land of sporting failures) to say, “If only queuing was an Olympic sport, we’d win hands down.” No one knows exactly how and when it started, but queuing plays an integral role in the English social make-up. School children are taught to queue for roll-call, assembly and lunch, and English people across the land form orderly queues at shops, banks, cinemas and bus-stops every day. The English obviously aren’t the only people who queue, but they seem to do it better than anyone else. As one visitor said, “I have travelled across Europe, the Middle and Far East and nowhere have I seen the single-file queues which are formed in England.”

Perhaps it is best summed up by the humorist George Mikes who said, “An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue of one.” The English are also famously polite when it comes to language. Whereas many other nations are more direct in their communication, the English prefer a more indirect form of asking for things. For example, an American who wants to talk to a colleague might say, “Got a minute?”; however an English person will often use a more indirect means of requesting the chat, “Sorry to bother you, but would you possibly have a minute or so to have a quick chat if you don’t mind, please?” And in a restaurant, an American might say, “Waiter! Could I have another fork, please?”; whereas an English person would say, “Excuse me! I hate to be a bother, but would you mind awfully changing this fork, please?” Anyone who has seen a Hugh Grant film will recognize his portrayal of the bumbling Englishman and his fondness for indirect speech.

The English also love to apologise for things. When squeezing past someone, people say “sorry”. And they’ll apologise if you bump into them, “Whoops! Sorry! My fault.” In fact, no one seems to say “sorry” as much as the English: “Sorry I’m late. / Sorry about the mess. / Sorry I forgot to call you last night. / I’m sorry you didn’t get the e-mail.” And so on. They also like to use “please” and “thank you” a lot. In a shop, they will say, “I’d like a packet of crisps, please. Thanks.” When getting off a bus, English passengers say “thank you”, British students thank their lecturers, and bosses often thank their employees for doing their jobs.

Anyway, thanks for reading this, and sorry if we’ve taken up too much of your time!