7 Stereotypes About British People - How True Are They?

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[00:00:00.000] - Oliver (Host)

Hello everyone, and welcome to English and Beyond, a podcast for intermediate English learners who want to improve their listening skills through engaging and entertaining topics.

[00:00:13.900] - Oliver (Host)

I also encourage you to read the transcript of this episode on www.morethanalanguage.com. You can find vocabulary flashcards available on the website as well. Make sure to subscribe on your podcast platform so that you receive new episodes automatically when they become available. I'd also love to hear your suggestions and recommendations for future podcast episodes, as well as any feedback on how this podcast could be more useful to you. You can email me at oliver@morethanalanguage.com.

[00:00:57.100] - Oliver (Host)

In the advanced version of this podcast, I recently talked about one particular myth or stereotype about British people. As you may know, a stereotype is a set of characteristics that people associate with a particular group. There are stereotypes about professions, for instance. In many countries, people believe that doctors have terrible handwriting. There are also national stereotypes. For example, if I wanted to choose a positive stereotype that I've heard a lot, people often say the British are polite and punctual.

[00:01:40.920] - Oliver (Host)

Then there are some really weird stereotypes that I've heard of as well. I'm half Scottish. Scotland is one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom. But I recently heard that Hungarians, a country on the other side of Europe, have a whole genre of jokes about this stereotype that Scottish people are incredibly tight-fisted - that is, they're incredibly cheap, very unwilling to spend money. If you're Hungarian, let me know, is that true? And why Scotland of all countries?

[00:02:17.770] - Oliver (Host)

Today, we're going to be talking about stereotypes about the British in general. How do people from other countries see the British? What do they think that we are like? Whenever I ask new students what they know about the United Kingdom and what comes to mind when they think about British people and our lifestyle, I tend to get the same very common answers.

[00:02:43.510] - Oliver (Host)

Number one: the British love tea. Yes, it's a classic stereotype that we, British, are obsessed with tea. People imagine that we spend all day drinking tea, but especially at five o'clock sharp when we settle down to have our afternoon tea. But do you think this is true? Well, I would say that tea is definitely popular, but no one really stops at 5: 00 PM every day for tea unless they're in a very fancy hotel doing a proper afternoon tea with little cakes, mini-sandwiches, and maybe even a glass of champagne, Prosecco, or cava, if you're lucky.

[00:03:26.350] - Oliver (Host)

Most people drink tea in a normal mug, not in a delicate china cup. And many British people these days actually prefer coffee, I would say. I'm one of them. I almost never drink tea, maybe once every year.

[00:03:44.360] - Oliver (Host)

Number two: the British have bad teeth. This stereotype became especially famous in the USA, where people often joke about the bad teeth of the British. It's probably connected to the tea, to be honest. If you drink too many cups of tea, you are likely to end up with your teeth being stained a little bit yellow. It's true that historically, British dental care wasn't as focused on having perfect white teeth as the dentists in America. But these days, with modern dentistry, most people in the UK do have perfectly normal teeth, I swear. However, it is still true, I would that in the UK, we don't care as much about having super white Hollywood smiles as they do in the USA.

[00:04:39.510] - Oliver (Host)

Number three: the British are always talking about the weather. This is unfortunately absolutely true. The weather is one of the most common topics of conversation in the UK. Why? Partially because it's just so unpredictable. One moment it's sunny, five minutes later, it's pouring with rain. But I think more importantly, talking about the weather is also a very safe topic. It's something that you can always mention when making small talk with a stranger, or if you just need to spend 30 seconds with a coworker in the communal kitchen and you don't know what else to say. Though actually, it's such a safe and stereotypical comment to make that it's almost become ironic. If you try to talk to me about the weather, I might just laugh at the awkwardness of the conversation.

[00:05:35.300] - Oliver (Host)

Number four: the British are polite, but do we really mean it? The British are known for saying sorry all the time, even when it's not their fault. For example, if someone steps on my foot in the tube in London, I might be the person to say sorry. But does this mean that British people are really polite? I'd say yes and no. We're socially trained to be polite on the surface, but it doesn't always mean we're being genuinely nice. For example, we often say interesting when we actually mean I don't care at all about what you've just said, or we should definitely meet up soon when we have absolutely no intention of making plans again.

[00:06:26.870] - Oliver (Host)

Number five: the British are bad at foreign languages. This one is mostly true. The British have a terrible reputation for not learning other languages. And one reason for this is that English is a global language, so many people feel they don't need to learn another one. Also, many British people believe that in schools, languages are often taught in a boring, ineffective way, so many students lose interest quickly. Of course, there are many exceptions. Some British people love learning languages, but in general, our level of foreign languages is quite poor in comparison to our fellow Europeans, and likely to get worse because fewer and fewer people are taking languages at A-level.

[00:07:18.020] - Oliver (Host)

Number 6: the British love pubs. Yes, I think this is still almost 100% true. The pub is a central part of British culture. It's where people go to socialise, relax, and complain about the weather. However, not everyone drinks beer. These days, a lot of people go to the pub even for coffee or soft drinks, especially during the day. But it's true that pub culture is still very strong in Britain, though many people are concerned that we're slowly losing many pubs on a national level.

[00:07:56.540] - Oliver (Host)

Number seven, and my last stereotype: the British are always queuing. The British love queuing, or at least that's what people say. And yes, it's true that we take our queues very seriously. If someone jumps the queue, we definitely will not cause a scene, but we will give them a very disapproving look, unless they actually ask us directly, in which case we will say, "Oh, no, no problem at all!" However, some people think this stereotype isn't as true as it used to be. These days, you'll see some impatient people pushing ahead, especially in bigger cities like London.

[00:08:35.370] - Oliver (Host)

Like all stereotypes, some of these have some truth to them while others are exaggerated or outdated. The best way to discover the reality is obviously to come to the UK and see for yourself.

[00:08:49.770] - Oliver (Host)

If you'd like to support the podcast, please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or whatever platform you use. It really helps more people to find it. Don't forget, you can read the transcript of this episode at www.morethanalanguage.com. I hope you have a great weekend and that you practise a little English every day. Thank you, goodbye, and see you next week!