Stereotypes of the British
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Common stereotypes[edit]
Politeness[edit]
Both historically and in the present day, the British have often been associated with good manners by many people around the world,[3] similar to Canadians.[4]
Humour[edit]
British people are well known for their use of sarcasm and irony.[5] Some of the most highly-regarded television comedies, such as Fawlty Towers and Mr. Bean, are British.[6]
Football[edit]
Tea[edit]
Tea is seen as a key part of British culture.[9] Originally introducted as a luxury product in the 17th century, cheap imports from colonial india allowed it's consumption to significantly increase during the second half of the 19th century.[10] Today it remains a massively popular beverage. One survey of British adults from 2017 found that almost three quarters of responders drank on average two or more cups a day.[11] Whilst, research from a similar time showed that the UK had the twelfth largest per capita tea consumption in the world.[12] Though other hot drinks such as coffee are also very popular.[13]
Weather[edit]
According to a popular stereotype, weather in the United Kingdom is often seen as being poor,[1] mostly consisting of heavy rain.[19] In reality, British weather is generally fairly mild but changeable. [20] Though, in recent years, climate change has caused the UK's weather to become more extreme with incidents such as heatwaves, heavy snow and flooding occurring more frequently.[21]]
Food[edit]
Jokes are often told about British food being either poor in quality or inedible. Though historically British cuisine was generally fairly bland since around the post-WW2 period onwards globalization and immigration have caused it to become significantly more diverse.[2][22]
Monolingual[edit]
There is a common stereotype that the British are only able to speak English. To a large extent, this stereotype has some level of truth to it and the same trend also exists in many English-speaking countries where levels of bilingualism are relatively low.[23][24][25][26][27]Additionally, the number of people who speak a language other than English as there first language is reasonably low, especially among those who were born in the UK (even among those with immediate immigrant ancestry).[28] However, most British children receive at least a few years tuition and instruction in foreign languages at school. Traditionally, these services were provided to them during their early adolescence.[29] Though, in recent years, the teaching of foreign languages at an earlier age has been viewed as increasingly important.[30][31][32][33]
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