Posted by Andy Morley on April 26, 1999 at 20:07:22:
In Reply to: Re: Englishness and AR posted by Peter Hyland on April 26, 1999 at 14:37:33:
Peter,
Thank you very much for those two valuable points you have added to our discussion. Now I realise that when you say something is 'irrelevant to Arthur Ransome' it means that it is an idea which makes Peter Hyland uncomfortable. Talking in code is one of the aspects of Englishness that foreigners often find baffling. Brian Maskel has expanded on this elsewhere with regard to the toiletary aspects of life.
The other, related point is that things which make us uncomfortable must be swiftly brushed under the carpet - something which on occasion has to be slowly and carefully explained to the blundering foreigner lest she unwittingly tread on a sensibility. For an even more telling example, those who can should take a quick peek into the Ransome Society's Club Hut. A rough colonial type has burst in there and gone so far as to express an opinion..!! Portly old gentlemen are running busily around him with carpet brushes crying "Oh dear, oh dear.!" and mopping their brows with red and white spotted silk handkerchers. It is an entertaining sight.
And of course, educating foreigners is something that frequently falls to the lot of we British - the silly fellows just can't get it into their heads that while we SPEAK English, we ARE British, and most frightfully so at that. However, one usually finds that if at first they don't understand plain English, when one repeats it more slowly and rather louder, they eventually get the point. But at least 'educating the natives' no longer means making them wear trousers. We've been caught with our own around our ankles too many times to make that appropriate. (sorry Martin, only coddin' yer..! ;-)
Anyway, glad to see you joining in Peter. I expect you'll give us some more insights into Englishness tomorrow.