Britspeak
Herne Consultants Ltd

British politeness and reserve are reflected in their use of language which is often deliberately imprecise and vague, full of hints and subtleties. Direct confrontation and argument may often be avoided and this is reflected in Britspeak:

What they say:	What you may understand:	What they mean!
(Very) interesting...	They are impressed!	I do not agree at all or: I do not believe you
Quite good	Rather good	A bit disappointing
That's not bad	It is not good enough yet	That is very good
I will bear it in mind	They will probably do it	I will do nothing about it
I will think about it	They think it is a good idea Let's go back to this idea later	It's a bad idea I don't want to consider it
Could we consider some other options	They have not yet decided	I don't like your idea
That is an original point of view	They like my idea	You must be crazy!
I hear what you say	They accept my point of view	I disagree and do not want to discuss it further
With the greatest respect	They are interested in what I have to say	We think you are talking nonsense
Oh, by the way...	This is not very important	I am just about to give you the most important bit of information
We will look into it	They are interested	We will do nothing about it
You must come to dinner sometime	I will get an invitation soon	I am not inviting you - I am just being polite!

Do you have other favourite examples of the "British" way of speech?.

Please do send them to us for inclusion.

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©2006 Herne Consultants - Last reviewed 19^th May 2006