British Stereotypes - British stereotypes. Topic “British National Character Stereotypes about swearing topic with translation

It’s difficult to speak about a nation as a whole, as in every nation there are both good and bad, honest and dishonest people. Speaking about the national character of the English, one can note the following features:

• conservatism;
• pride;
• love of their home and pets.

The English are very conservative. They have many customs and traditions. They distrust unusual things and like stability.

Their love of home is a symbol of personal independence. However, English people have a real passion for adventure. In the heart of every proud Englishman, there is always a backkoning call of the sea, a romantic craving for distant shores.

The English are considered a very curious nation. For example, in foreign countries, they like to try new cuisine. However, they will not cook new dishes at home, as they are very conservative.

The English are a bit sluggish but strong-spirited. They can easily bear cold and hunger, overcome pain and fear.

English people are extremely friendly and helpful. If you ask an Englishman how to get to the nearest library, he will be glad to show you the way using different “visual techniques”, repeating the same thing several times.

English people are hard working. They work extremely hard, but always find time for rest. Money is the idol of the English. Their first concern is to work hard to earn more.

In addition, the English have a great sense of humor. It is the ability to laugh at oneself. Humor is highly praised in Britain.

English national character - topic in English

It is difficult to talk about a nation as a whole, since in every country there are good and bad, honest and dishonest people. Speaking about the national character of the British, the following features can be noted:

• conservatism,
• pride,
• love for your home and pets.

The British are very conservative. They have many customs and traditions. They don't trust unusual things and like stability.

Their love of home is a symbol of personal independence. However, the British also have a real passion for adventure. In the heart of every proud Englishman there is a beckoning call to the sea, a romantic longing for distant shores.

The British are considered a very curious nation. For example, in foreign countries they like to try new cuisine. However, they will not cook new dishes at home as they are very conservative.

The British are slow-moving, but strong in spirit. They can easily endure cold and hunger, overcome pain and fear.

The British are very friendly and always happy to help. If you ask an Englishman how to get to the nearest library, he will be happy to show you the way, using different “visual methods”, repeating the same thing several times.

The British are hardworking. They work hard, but always find time to relax. Money is the main thing for the British. They work hard to earn more.

In addition, the British have a great sense of humor. It's the ability to laugh at yourself. Humor is highly valued in the UK.

Societies change over time while their reputations lag behind. Many things which are often regarded as typically British derive from books, songs or plays which were written a long time ago and which are no longer representative of modern life. One example of this is the popular belief that Britain is a "land of tradition". This is what most tourist brochures claim. The claim is based on what can be seen in public life and on centuries of political continuity. And at this level - the level of public life - it is undoubtedly true. The annual ceremony of the state opening of Parliament, for instance, carefully follows customs which are centuries old. So does the military ceremony of "trooping the colour". Likewise, the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace never changes.

However, in their private everyday lives, the British as individuals are probably less inclined to follow tradition than are the people of most other countries. There are very few ancient customs that are followed by the majority of families on special occasions. The country has fewer local parades or processions with folk roots than most other countries have. The English language has fewer sayings or proverbs that are in common everyday use than many other languages ​​do. The British are too individualistic for these things. In addition, it should be noted that they are the most enthusiastic video-watching people in the world the very opposite of a traditional pastime!

There are many examples of supposedly typical British habits which are simply not typical any more. For example, the stereotyped image of the London "city gent" includes the wearing of a bowler hat. In fact, this type of hat has not been commonly worn for a long time. Food and drink provide other examples. The traditional "British" (or "English) breakfast is a large "fry-up" preceded by cereal with milk and followed by toast, butter and marmalade, all washed down with lots of tea. In fact, only about 10% of the people in Britain actually have this sort of breakfast. Two-thirds have cut out the fry-up and just have the cereal, tea and toast. The rest have even less. What the vast majority of British people have in the mornings is therefore much closer to what they call a "continental" (i.e. European) breakfast than it is to a "British" one. The image of the British as a nation of tea-drinkers is another stereotype which is somewhat out of date. It is true that it is still prepared in a distinctive way (strong and with milk), but more coffee than tea is now bought in the country's shops. As for the tradition of afternoon tea with biscuits, scones, sandwiches or cake, this is a minority activity, largely confined to retired people and the leisured upper-middle class (although preserved in tea shops in tourist resorts).

Even when a British habit conforms to the stereotype, the wrong conclusions can sometimes be drawn from it. The supposed British love of queuing is an example. Yes, British people do form queues whenever they are waiting for something, but this does not mean that they enjoy it. It would therefore seem wrong to conclude that their habit of queuing shows that the British are a patient people. Apparently, the British hate having to wait and have less patience than people in many other countries.

Nationality Stereotypes

A stereotype is a fixed set of ideas that is generally held about the characteristics of a particular type of person which are wrongly believed to be shared by all the people of that type. In my opinion it is a dangerous thing to judge about a people or a group of people by existing stereotypes but nevertheless a certain stereotype does exist. There are experimental ways of investigating stereotypes. One of the most obvious is to ask a group of people what trades characterize the British, the Russians, the Americans. Results of such studies of the whole agree well with what might have been expected. English are said to be prim. Weather is the most important topic in the land. In English this is an ever – interesting, even thrilling topic and you must be good at discussing the weather. You must never contradict anyone when discussing the weather. Should it hail and snow, should hurricanes up root the trees, should someone remark to you “Nice day, isn’t it?” – without answer hesitation “Isn’t it lovely?” On the continent people either tell you the truth or lie, in Britain they hardly ever lie but they don’t tell you the truth either. The British like people of every country tend to be attributed with certain characteristics which are supposedly typical. However you should be cautious about accepting such characterizations too easily. Societies change over time while their reputations lag behind. Many things which are often regarded as typically British are no longer representative of modern life. One example of this is the popular belief that Britain is a land of traditions. This is what most tourist brochures claim. The claim is based on what can be seen in public life. And at this level – the level of public life it is undoubtedly true. However in private everyday lives the British as individuals are probably less inclined to follow traditions than other people of most other countries. According to the stereotypes English are also thought to be reserved, conservative, shy of strangers, suspicious of change and slow to accept new ideas, responsible, honest and unemotional. But I think this stereotype pictures are far from true, especially in today’s world.

Nationality stereotypes are often described in anecdotes, humorous stories, private diaries. For example American westerns are dynamic and thrilling. They show us men strength in fights, gun fighting and horse riding skills, but to my mind it was various that made American character. You can easily spot Americans abroad by their toughness. It comes from their sense of individual freedom. Americans realize that individuals must rely on themselves, otherwise they risk to loose their freedom. So, self-reliance is usually the second trade and moral value supposed to be obligatory to a true American. The third national value accounts for their confident and unaffected manners. The fourth American value is competition. Sixty percent of the Americans believe in competition and so desire to win is healthy. In spite of the fact that society can’t consist only of winners the Americans are optimistic. They believe that every problem has a solution. The fifth national value is material wealth. Most Americans believe wealth is a reward for hard work and that it’s possible to have a good standard of living if a person works hard. God helps those who help themselves – says the proverb. The sense of humor is often the most revealing aspect of a culture. Surely, humor has never been valued more highly in any other civilization than in this one.

The Russian are considered to be industries, tough, brave and progressive. These stereotypes are derived from books, films and other cultural media. As any nation the Russians have both positive and negative qualities. On the one hand, people who belong to this nationality are hard-working, willing to respect the opinion of other people. They regard other racial or ethnic groups as equal. They are fond of being with other people, enjoying social life, hospitable to foreigners. On the other hand sometimes they are inclined to cheat and unwilling to respect the views, ideas, opinions opposite to their own. This is my point of view on this problem.

I would also like to say stereotypes are a part of human life though they may present one sided exaggerated view of religion, racial ethnic groups of people as well as of classes of people. Stereotypes are certainly not reliable description of individual people but they still exist.

Nationality Stereotypes A stereotype is a fixed set of ideas that is generally held about the characteristics of a particular type of person which are wrongly believed to be shared by all the people of that type. In my opinion it is a dangerou

Although some perceive this as discrimination, there is some kind of established opinion about almost all nations. Often, it is erroneous, with only a small amount of truth. But this opinion has spread so much throughout the world that it has become an inveterate stereotype by which I perceive the entire country and its culture.

There are an incredible variety of such stereotypes about different nationalities. Where they come from remains a mystery. But over time, these stereotypes turn not only into jokes and anecdotes, but become the calling card of the entire nation. We invite you to familiarize yourself with some of the most common stereotypes about various nations.

1. Mandatory tea break

The tradition of drinking tea at five o'clock, despite all the worries and work, is perhaps the main stereotype that exists about the British. But this lovely tradition, today, is dead for 99% of the British.

Due to daily problems, work and other important matters, they simply do not have time for such luxury. The tea tradition has always been more popular among the aristocratic segments of the population. Perhaps they still have the ancient tradition of the “tea schedule” preserved in its original form. In general, the British drink no more tea than any other nation in the world.

But when it comes to milk, this is a very real stereotype. In all cafes, restaurants, houses, if you ask for tea, they will definitely serve it with milk. So, if you prefer a regular drink, you need to warn in advance.

2. All English people are very polite

Politeness is the main feature of the entire English nation. And this is not a stereotype, but reality. But their politeness comes not from goodwill, but from incredible restraint. The British cannot openly express their feelings, because of this they have more complexes than all other nationalities. They are, first of all, obliged to be polite by public opinion. In their hearts they may hate you, despise you, love you, but they will never show it.

3. England – the land of eternal fog

Although the weather in England is not always ideal, this stereotype is completely untrue. Probably, it was imposed on us by films about Sherlock Holmes.

But what the British like to say about the weather is true. They use the topic of weather as a sign that they are interested in you and want to continue the conversation. It is also one of the few topics where controversy can be avoided. But the British hate conflicts and try in every possible way to avoid them.

4. Hindus are poor, stupid and unclean

This stereotype arose due to India's difficult history, which included many years of slavery and disregard for human rights. And although today most Indians live very poorly, the level of development of the country is increasing every year.

India's economy is developing so rapidly that the country is already a leader in the production of medicines and software, as well as in the film industry. So you shouldn’t believe that Indians are stupid and have no education.

Apart from homeless people and very poor people, Indians are very clean when it comes to themselves or their homes. But they don’t worry about the cleanliness of the street, so they have garbage everywhere and it stinks terribly.

5. Americans are the dumbest nation

All other nations like to feed this stereotype, justifying it with the low level of education in America.

They cannot download a thesis from the Internet and have to write it for years, they cannot write off a test, and they can easily be kicked out of the educational institution for failing exams. American education is devoid of most unnecessary subjects. Because of this simplification, many people believe that Americans are stupid.

But in reality, they only receive information that can actually be applied in real life. As a result, children who know what cotangent is and write calligraphy cannot always realize themselves in life. But “stupid” Americans take first place in the world in the number of scientific discoveries. In addition, in the entire history of the Nobel Prize, 326 Americans have received it.

6. Americans are obsessed with eating fast food, which is why they are overweight.

It's sad, but Americans actually rank first in the world in obesity. But most of these people are not native residents, but immigrants or their children (Latinos and African Americans).

Most Native Americans are obsessed with healthy eating and exercise. The addiction to fast food is experienced by visitors who go to America to work and do not have time to cook. Moreover, fast food is not cheap, and Americans prefer not to spend their money on it.

7. Italians only eat pasta

Pasta, or pasta as they are called, is considered a national dish in Italy. The skill of its preparation is so high that ordinary strips of dough are transformed with Italian sauce into a culinary masterpiece.

But Italians don't eat pasta every day. They replace it with rice with vegetables, soups and many other foods. Since Italians tend to be overweight, they simply cannot afford to eat a lot of flour every day.

8. Italian families are the largest

Once upon a time, a truly ordinary Italian family consisted of at least 7 children. Nowadays, Italians follow the European tradition of having children after thirty years of age. Because of this, in Italy the problem of birth rate and population decline comes first.

9. German girls are very ugly

This is a very common stereotype. In contrast to our always elegant girl, German women are dressed simply, modestly, but comfortably. They don't try to stand out from others and look like a prince will appear in front of her at any minute.

Young people, as in other countries of the world, follow fashion trends and choose stylish clothes for themselves. But older girls who are busy with work prefer to spend money on recreation and useful things rather than on cosmetics and clothes.

10. Russians drink vodka for breakfast and dinner.

The main stereotype about Russians, after bears on the street, is vodka. Everyone drinks it, both children and adults. with or without reason, in the morning, at lunch and for dinner.

This is all funny, but Russia actually ranks first in alcoholism in the world. In most cases, only the poor or people in villages drink. Although young people are increasingly adopting this tradition from adults.

11. Ukrainians eat nothing but lard

Until recently, the main stereotype about Ukraine was that no one knew where it was. But since this nuance was corrected, we were glorified by the tradition of eating lard three times a day. Perhaps this was the case in the past, because peasants in villages always kept pigs. But now, most young people advocate a healthy lifestyle and even vegetarianism. So lard is a rare luxury at the dinner table.

12. Every Spaniard knows how to dance flamenco

This stereotype is imposed on us by films. Not every Spaniard knows how to dance it. Moreover, flamenco is not the only popular dance in Spain. Each region of the country is famous for its special dance: chotis, muneira, sardana and others.

13. The main spectacle of Spain is bullfighting

This is another stereotype inspired by romantic films about Spain. Now bullfighting is prohibited in most regions of the country. It is opposed by both animal welfare organizations and human rights activists.

14. Japanese daily food is sushi.

This is another false stereotype. Perhaps sushi is the only popular Japanese dish in our country. But the Japanese eat more rice, vegetables, soups, fish and meat in everyday life.

15. French women are always feminine and stylish

Since Paris is considered the center of world fashion, many people think that Parisian women even go to the store in tight dresses, heels, and red lipstick.

In fact, the French, like all Europeans, dress modestly, and most importantly, comfortably. Most girls wear jeans and sweaters. But what they are very attentive to is makeup. It should always be light, without provocative excesses, and emphasize beauty.

A nation is a group of people who share common history and usually a language and usually, but not always, live in the same area. Culture can be described as our everyday life: how we communicate, what makes us happy and said. It also includes our language, religion, traditions, behavior, way of life – in other words, what we do each day. People that belong to various nations may differ and they always differ from one another.

For example, the Germans are regarded as scientifically-minded and industrial, they"re always considered solid, intelligent and mathematical. And, for instance, Israelis are believed to be mercenary, industrial, shrewd, loyal to family, religious. There is a large amount of examples we can list about national character of different people. Proving the difference of the national stereotypes I want to compare Russian and English nations. There are a lot of features that vary. The Russians are industrial, tough, brave, progressive and suspicious. They are always considered to be nationalistic, over - patriotic (because of this reason they"re good soldiers), we are willing to opinion respect of other people.

Speaking about Englishmen I may note that they"re reserved, tradition-loving, courteous, honest, extremely nationalistic and etc. To my mind, they have a specific sense of humor. They say that they can"t understand our jokes and anecdotes not only because of the different meanings of the words, but because of their humor is more delicate. Looking at these features of the Russians and the Englishmen it is not hard to mark out the differences. The Englishmen are reserved, but the Russians are open-hearted and communicative. The Englishmen are tradition-loving and the Russians, to my mind, don't keep their traditions in such a degree. There is a great majority of factors that influence the nations stereotype and their people's character. People that live in the southern countries have less problems than those who live in the North and because of this they"re more cheerful and artistic. The history also has a great influence on the national character. The peoples in Asia are revengeful because their forefathers often were at war with others. In Africa many countries were colonies of the Great Britain, Holland, Spain and so on and they (Africans) were the slaves and because of this they"re still hard-working and industrial. The National Character exists. It is not a myth, it "s a reality. But the National Character doesn"t describe the character of every person, it describes the character of people of nation in general. Every person has its own character, but according to the person"s belonging to some nation many traits of character are similar and these features may be explained as the national character.