The English Reserve?

[Treffie]

Question

As a child, when learning English as a foreign language, I often heard the phrase "English reserve", which seems to mean that the English people are cold, reserved, find it hard to show their sentiment publicly.

At the moment, I'm working in London and have some English neighbours. While I recognize that they treasure their privacy, I also see that they are very kind, eager to help. In the morning, when we saw each other, they always say hi merrily.

Is there a contradiction here?


Answer

I've never thought the theory of the "British reserve" was ever really true, some people are like that, others aren't and it's the same all over the world. I suspect it comes from the mistaken idea that Victorian attitudes persist to this day, mixed with the idea that because GB was the most powerful nation on Earth a century ago the British people must also be aloof and superior.

Are the English to be considered reserved? I don't think so.

Discuss.

[Albion]

If you compare them to say an Italian, Southern Euro or American I would say we are. Of course that all changes with booze.

[Lucretius]

If you compare them to say an Italian, Southern Euro or American I would say we are. Of course that all changes with booze.

True,I've noticed it also in the football games,people very calm and polite suddenly become more aggressive..

[Albion]

There's a large difference between Southern England and the Midlands+North. The latter tend to be a lot less reserved and more straight talking.
I think the English are less reserved than they used to be, but you've still got to get to know someone for them to really have a meaningful conversation with you.

[El Palleter]

Introverted

A national trait but not a natural one. In my opinion it was engineered in the English society during the Victorian Age with its strict forms of extreme self-restrain and shame

[Bridie]

I think there are still great social pressures in England for people to behave in a reserved manner. But are the English reserved at heart? I don't think so at all.

[Karl]

If you compare them to say an Italian, Southern Euro or American I would say we are. Of course that all changes with booze.

...and if you compare an Englishman with an Estonian/Finn, then the difference is as big as between the English and the Southern-Europeans.

Being reserved and cold goes like this, in my opinion:

Southern-Europeans(Iberians, French, Italians, Balkan ethnicities) ->Eastern-Europeans(Slavs)->Brits->Central-Europeans(Germans, Swiss, Dutch and so on)->Scandinavians->Finnics(Estonians and the Finns).

There's a rather obvious north-south correlation here, with the northernmost Europeans, the Finnic people, being the most reserved and "cold", with the Scandinavians following them and the Southerners being the least reserved.

[Stars Down To Earth]

In my experience, us Scots are a bit less reserved than the English. But it's not a big difference. And the English are incredibly outgoing when compared to, say, Poles.

[Bridie]

It should be said too that there are huge behavioural differences between the classes in England.

I think, snobby upper classes aside, the English are very friendly and warm, but in a held-back, sometimes defensive kind of way, if that makes any sense.

[Beorn]

The English can be divided into 3. West, East and North.

The Western people tend to be energetically curious into YOU and what YOU are doing and how YOU are coping and can they help and YOU should really sit down for a cup of tea and chat and did I tell YOU that my daughter was telling me the other day.

The Northern Folk are just bold as brass and don't give t'fuck, lad.

The Eastern folk tend to be reserved, painfully quiet and seem to really hold back on showing their emotions.

If you want to judge an area, travel by bus.