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I am Kakhetian (Easternest part of Georgia) and apart from being known as semi-Iranian winemakers Kakhetians are also famous for their supposed "rudeness" which simply means that my folks tend to be open and straightforward (and like to swear a lot).
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Dutch people I've met tend to be very worldly and a bit more "open" than Germans...
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but only in the Netherlands has a friend phoned me up on my birthday to say that she simply did not feel like coming to my party, and that she would rather go for a walk in the dunes.
YepIn Germany, and certainly in the US - not to mention England - the friend would certainly have resorted to a white lie in this case.
If I did that.... I soon wouldn't have many friends.The Dutch however believe you must never lie to your friends, that it is always best to tell them what you think clearly and directly.
Well it depends if you're in the north or south. Northerners are a bit more straight forward and we ask you what the hell you're wearing, southerners go round in circles to address the matter and Midlanders are in the middle of course.When I went to England after six years in the Netherlands, I had to get used to the fact that you never just tell someone what you think there. In the beginning I did not always understand exactly what the English were trying to say. "That’s an unusual outfit" did not mean, "Those clothes are very unique," but rather, "You look ridiculous!" And, "That's an interesting thought," is just a polite way of saying, "That makes no sense all."
I've noticed that. Whenever another person gets in the way both people will say sorry, even I do it. I suppose it's just subconscious politeness taught to us from birth.Even tourists notice that people are much more polite on the London Underground than on a tram in Amsterdam. If you step on a British person's toes, to your amazement he will say, "Sorry." And the way English people queue up is another matter altogether.
Interesting. I wonder how Dutch people react to pompous Londoners then.That is why courtesy is easily seen as insincerity in the Netherlands.
Erm.... no... The Swedish "Anglo expert" doesn't know us well at all. Even low class people will use manners most of the time.In English class society as well good manners were perfected by the upper echelons; they also served to screen them off from the lower classes. Mats Deutschmann, a Swedish anglo-expert, concluded in a 2003 study on English courtesy (Apologizing in British English) that those who often say sorry, pardon and excuse me underline their social position, refinement and high class in doing so.
There's a few distinctions though - higher class are more likely to say "parden" (emphasising the -en slightly) whilst lower class say "Pard'n".
Another one is "excuse me" which becomes abbreviated to (sigh) - " 'scuse" quite often, especially amongst young people.
Nope. Just the people with manners."It is primarily the powerful who excuse themselves to the powerless," Deutschmann says.
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Maybe we could learn a few things from the Dutch, a hybrid where we say what we think but with manners."I say what I think" – and bugger anyone who thinks differently - sums the Dutch attitude up nicely for me. Of course everyone should be able to say what they think, but it matters how you say it. Courtesy is also the art of making unpleasant things clear to others in a pleasant manner.
Outward forms of courtesy and social conventions should never be a goal in themselves of course, but serve as an expression of respect for others. It would certainly do no harm for people to be taught that a bit more at home and at school.
So Dutch - "your clothes are shit" becomes English "your clothes are shit, if you don't mind me saying".
Nah, the class system is fine. If the aristocracy start being patronising you just switch to Latinate / upper class English.I’ve said a great deal here about English courtesy, but in the explicit class society this can also be condescending and accompanied by an icy aloofness. You are certainly not likely to experience that in the Netherlands, where the level landscape traditionally extends into social life.
When the Dutch are friendly, it usually really comes from the heart, and that is the best form of courtesy.
I switch between different types of English all the time, the Scots-like mumbling is what I command my dogs in.
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English: A lot of those look familiar... Damn, my secret's out.
Translation: Oh shit, the jig is up!... They're onto me!
An example with me is when someone shows me something unimpressive, it's not nice to let them down so I usually end up saying "yeah, it's great... really good...." when meaning "no, it's totally shit, what the bloody hell were you thinking?".
Usually you can tell by someone's face whether they're bullshitting or not, but I have a permanent poker face so not with me.
You just don't know English properly yet, its the only language which requires you to learn psychology.And no, the English are actually the opposite. You can never trust their word, until you've known them for quite some time. They'd tell you nice things to make you feel comfortable ... but be always armed with a good dose of skepticism in your dealings with them
We're all evil, plotting schemers.Remember that I told you that that I felt a bit sceptical of the true intentions of people when I was in England ?
Yeah, it comes off as rude a lot of the time. I have to bite my tongue around Aussies a lot of the time. Even Aussie mates will come straight out with things, it's just not cool.That's one thing I like about Australians: they say exactly what they feel and in the roughest way possible.
Simple is better.European guys dress different to English guys too i've noticed that. It's real easy to spot a German or Dutch from a English due to the clothing.
Yeah, yeah, at least our clothing is practical.It is said that Dutch have no sense for style (and that is.. when you compare us to the French or the Italians or the Austrians or even our own Southerners (Belgium) certainly true) but I have never met people that were dressed worse then in England. Although it could have to do with location, social class and thus income.
This is true.That would depend on what part of England they come from. Notherners are much more straight talking than their southern counterparts. Quite similar to Scots and Welsh in that respect.
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