Will visit the US the first time for SIPS. Given how much I despise fake/exaggerated enthusiasm, I expect they'll absolutely hate me there
I disagree. If somebody told me something was "really quite good" that means it's ace.
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depends how it is said - if said with deadpan face and flat voice, probably an insult. If said with even mild enthusiasm, strong endorsement
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British English is carefully constructed around allowing Brits to feel superior by making sure nobody else knows what's going on in convo
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Yep. French people dropped the end off every word to confuse the poor. Brits just mock them mercilessly with words dripping with classism.
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Best resources for learning this are Blackadder and Yes Minister. You can tell when meaning is different than words because audience laughs
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OMG that's what was suggested above, literally 100% identical suggestions. Haha. Great minds, etc.
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Also unless you're from the Anglosphere (with the exception of Americans) nobody tells you British people are old school classist until you
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move here. I was told repeatedly and often "You're foreign — what class is a Cypriot anyway?" or similar so I eventually got the memo.
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fml people actually asked that? that is such an uncouth question
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I think we have to bear in mind that British English contains (originally purposefully) inserted sarcasm which is invisible to many.
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For example "slim chance" and "fat chance" mean exactly the same thing. But I daresay few who say "fat chance" realise this nor that they
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are being sarcastic explicitly.
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yeah, 'fat chance' sounds extremely sarcastic, usually rude or insulting by emphasising unlikelihood, where 'slim chance' can be anything
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Hmm, could be an England/Scotland thing? My Glaswegian partner also thinks "really quite good" < "really good"
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No idea — I'm neither a linguist nor English! Just giving my opinion of noticing speakers over the last decade.
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English people are the only ones who say "floor" for "ground". That one irritates me a lot but sadly even I say it sometimes these days.
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And, 'don't be alarmed by the explosions. You are quite safe' does NOT mean, 'moderately safe', but 'totally safe'. Must be so confusing...
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