Welcome! Please say ‘Hello’ in the chat and tell us where you are today! An Introduction to British Culture/s Life in Bristol series Jo Bloxham, Kynfolk “House-keeping” You will be sent the Powerpoint slides! Please do add comments and questions in the chat! Jo Intercultural Trainer at Kynfolk will be presenting today -www.kynfolk.com Carly Supported by Roberts, University of Bristol Student Inclusion Team www.bristol.ac.uk/students/international Jo Born in UK Intercultural trainer 20 years Worked in China, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Russia, India, Thailand. Worked in voluntary, public and private sector in the UK. Do lots of intercultural training in UK unis. Introduction to session aim: to provide an opportunity for further reflection and learning about British culture objectives: by the end of the session you will have: 1. Been introduced to the diversity of British cultures 2. Had an opportunity to find out more about some cultural norms of the UK – communication preferences; attitudes to language; sense of humour; attitudes to hierarchy, time and rules; attitude to equalities; socialising preferences. 3. Been introduced to some further options for learning more about British culture What do we know/think we know? Artwork from Millennium Square, Bristol Diversity of British culture/s Artwork from Millennium Square, Bristol UK: England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland geology.com North-South divide thegryphon.co.uk Religion in the UK “The British” a poem by Ben Zephaniah Serves 60 million Take some Picts, Celts and Silures And let them settle, Then overrun them with Roman conquerors. Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years Add lots of Norman French to some Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously. Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans, Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese, Vietnamese and Sudanese. Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians And Pakistanis, Combine with some Guyanese And turn up the heat. Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians, Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese And Palestinians Then add to the melting pot. Leave the ingredients to simmer. As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish Binding them together with English. Allow time to be cool… “We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Anaïs Nin, French Cuban writer Communication & language *gert lush – very nice (Bristolian English) **Frenchstick – baguette *** Sarnies – sandwiches (informal English) First names culture Greetings Hi! How are you? You alright? Common topics of conversation Weather “In England this [the weather] is an ever-interesting, even thrilling topic…You must never contradict anybody when discussing the weather.” Mikes, 1946 Football Traffic Drinking “I have never seen such public displays of drunkenness as happens here. And the way people talk about it…very strange...Someone who didn't like pubs could feel rather left out of social circles here”. A Canadian employee in the UK, 2009 Taboo topics Politics Religion People’s weight Salary/how much things cost UK: ‘small talk’/’chit chat’ Politeness 1. “Could” or “would” soften an order or a request e.g. "Would it be ok if we...?“ or "I was wondering if you could…" 2. If you are going to refuse to do something or disagree with someone use ‘sorry’ e.g. “I'm sorry I’m not sure I agree 100% with that” or “I’m afraid that won’t be possible” (In reality people are not afraid/scared at all!) “When ordering or purchasing anything in England; in shops, restaurants, trains, buses and hotels, staff expect to be treated politely.” Kate Fox, 2004 Indirectness What do British people really mean? What the British say What the British mean I was a bit disappointed that you… ? I would suggest… That’s an in-ter-esting idea. It was probably my fault. ? ? ? Adapted from Ripmeester in Meyer , 2014 What the Dutch understand They are only a bit disappointed so it doesn’t really matter. Think about this idea and do it if you like. They are interested. I should talk some more about it. It was probably her fault so I don’t need to worry. What the British say What the British mean What the Dutch understand I was a bit disappointed that you… I’m very upset that you… They are only a bit disappointed so it doesn’t really matter. I would suggest… This is an order. Do it or be prepared to justify yourself Think about this idea and do it if you like. That’s an in-ter-esting idea. That’s an idea we won’t be running with. They are interested. I should talk some more about it. It was probably my fault. It was not my fault. It was yours. Adapted from Ripmeester in Meyer , 2014 It was probably her fault so I don’t need to worry. Sense of humour Wordplay Eye contact: 70/30 eye contact/looking away. Smiling very important even if don’t mean it 100%! Body language – 2 examples Communication in the classroom preferred Slang British Slang dodgy illegal or suspicious eg. I think the food was dodgy last night gutted devastated eg. She was gutted she didn’t get first place numpty a foolish person jammy lucky http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/uk-now/read-uk/slang https://jakubmarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/number-of-languages.jpg Attitude to rules Health and Safety Data protection – GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) Attitude to time sayings about time “Time and tide waits for no man” “Don’t put off til tomorrow what you can do today” “There are only so many hours in the day” “He’d be late for his own funeral” “Time is money” “The early bird catches the worm” queueing I am never tired of being surprised at how good the British are at following rules!...Queuing, waiting whatever time it takes to get an answer back, being silent and polite when the train breaks down, following all and each of the procedures, even if they are a bit nonsense, reading the manuals before using a new machine... gosh, amazing! Funny as I am used to an environment where pride comes when you find the shortcuts…“ International student in the UK (Chile) “By and by the most outstanding thing about the UK is that everything is structured, put within a box. There are tick marks to be made, there are standards, orderliness, objectivity etc., whereas in Nigeria and Africa there is a lot more human judgement/involvement”. International student in UK (Nigeria) Socialising 4 most common hobbies in UK: watching sport playing sport listening to music going to the pub Further learning Reading Kate Fox - 'Watching the English' (2004) 'Lonely Planet - British Language and Culture' (2013) 'Culture Smart - Britain' (2015) Youtube/web sites… Europeans talking about British culture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRFkks3cFsY A Canadian view of the UK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHVhKy0eHMU GBMag http://greatbritishmag.co.uk/lifestyle Watch a film… Linkedin: Jo Bloxham Twitter & Instagram: @kynfolkjo Website/ newsletter sign up: Kynfolk.com/contact Email: jo@kynfolk.com Top tips Carly Roberts Student Inclusion Officer (International) 1. Global Lounge Celebrating our intercultural community global-lounge.ac.uk 2. Language Café • Every week • All levels welcome Over 85 volunteers Over 20 languages including Arabic, Spanish, Russian, English, German, Korean, Mandarin, British Sign Language, Greek, Portuguese, Japanese, Bulgarian, Tibetan, Hindi, French, and Italian • • global-lounge.ac.uk 3. Events - virtual and in person 4. Use the available support (you’ve already paid for it) • • • • • • • • Wellbeing support (24/7 anywhere) Healthcare Overseas student assistance Residential Life Just Ask Student Services Careers Service Sport, exercise and health bristol.ac.uk/students/internati onal 5. Find your community • Students’ Networks • Clubs and societies • Global Lounge • Bristol International Student Centre • Multifaith Chaplaincy • Language Café • Postgraduates – get matched with alumni with Bristol Voices • Undergraduates- get be matched with a current student mentor bristol.ac.uk/students/international 6. Stay connected University of Bristol International Students’ Network Global Lounge mailing list Bristol PLUS award You can count attendance at this webinar towards your Bristol PLUS award. New students you can register for the Bristol PLUS award in Welcome Week. Transition to a new place 9 September, 1pm bit.ly/3n9qyBg
