Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why do the British say ‘Sorry’ so much?
Is that the nationality or personality? Instead of saying, “Hey” or “Excuse
me”, Brits seem to say “Sorry.” That doesn’t mean they are apologizing to the
other but just asking for an attention or interruption. It may be part of their
so-called negative politeness attitude, keeping a safe distance from others instead
of being part of others. It is sort of self-protection in a culture where
social classes had existed until recently. The same behavior can also be seen
in Japan where sumimasen, meaning sorry, could mean both apology and calling for
attention.
It may also be because of the weather in England where rain is part of
life. People might feel natural and common to say “sorry about the rain” to
start a conversation. In Japan, people also often start a conversation but in
more positive fashion saying, “good day, isn’t it?”
Enjoy reading and finding this interesting British tendency.
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