Typically+British

Most people would associate the words typically British with red telephone boxes, weird police hats, left side driving, fish and chips, football obsessed people and snobby people who are drinking tea and eating biscuits. But what are the correct words to describe British culture? 

**Traditionalism** British people prefer holding on to old traditions. They’re not really interested in adapting to the modern society like other European countries are doing. Driving on the left side and judges who are wearing old-fashioned white wigs in court are examples of British traditionalism. The reason that traditionalism is so important to Britons could be that during their colony period, they were giving away their culture to countries around the world instead of getting influenced by other cultures. By living on an island with colonies in different continents, excluding Europe, European culture didn’t infect Britain.

**Politeness** “Please” and “thank you” are some of the first phrases children are learning. If you don’t say “please” when asking for something or “thank you” when getting something, you’d be considered rude. Being polite in general is what Britons know best. Even if you think you are exaggerating your politeness, it might be just the minimum for the Britons.

**British Humour** The British humour is characterized by irony, understatements and puns. If someone is joking with you, it is often a sign of approval. Oscar Wilde, a British writer is famous for his ironic statements. Here is one example: “I can resist anything but temptations.”

**Class Consciousness** The feudal system, introduced by the Normans, has stayed on in British society. The feudal system consists of three main classes: The upper class, consisting of monarchs, lords and ladies, the middle class were people with more than basic education is placed, and the working class for people employed in trade and industry. We can see the class system when it comes to education. Children with parents of the middle and upper classes are sent to independent schools, while children with parents in the working class are sent to private schools. Some people want to climb the social ladder to a higher class, while others want to remain in the class they’ve been born into.

**Dress Code** In general, British people do not have interest in clothes. They spend less money on clothes than people in other European countries. But at the same time, street fashion of the Britons is setting trends all over the world. British designers are not afraid of creating clothes with unexpected colour combinations and elements of bad taste and humour. At the same time, Britons are very conservative when it comes to clothing. E.g. school uniforms are required for all pupils to wear. Each school has its own colours and styles, and the dress code must be followed strictly. 

**The Pub – a Social Centre** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">The word pub is short for “public house”. In Britain, there are all together 57, 000 pubs. The smallest village is most likely to have a pub. Earlier on, only men would go to the pub, but now it’s a popular place for family outings, like pub lunches. The main reason for people who are coming to the pub is to discuss politics, local affairs and to have a good laugh together with someone else. If you’re looking for the soul of Britain, you’ll find it in the pub. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Recently, British pubs are considered old-fashioned and un-cool to the youngsters. They prefer going to fancy wine and coffee bars. Since less people are coming to the pubs, over 1000 pubs have to close down every year. Back to Front page