U.K & L.A CULTURAL DIFFERENCES PODCAST

Hello and welcome to this podcast brought to you by That´s English! The Spanish Ministry of Education´s official distance learning English course. To find out more about That´s English! go to www.thatsenglish.com or contact your local Official School of Languages.

MAN: In this podcast you are going to hear about some cultural differences between the English and the Californian people of Los Angeles. Let’s find out more.
WOMAN: As we all know, different countries have their own habits and customs and when planning to travel or live in these places it’s important to understand what these are. In Britain for example, it’s ok to get a hug from a family member but not from a work colleague. It’s bad taste to boast about how much money you have and it’s considered rude to pick your nose in public or burp when eating in company. Is it custom to do these things in your culture? In China and Taiwan burping is the highest form of flattery, the host would consider the noise a compliment. So, it’s really important to know what is ok and what is expected behaviour, depending on where you are in the world.
And often cultures can change over time, what was the done thing years ago is not necessarily expected nowadays. For example, in the past, men who used to open doors for women were said to have good manners but nowadays with gender equality, this whole meaning has changed, it can in fact be taken the wrong way and could offend some.
So, what if you were British and were moving to Los Angeles in California. Are there really any cultural differences between the two countries? Let’s hear about someone who had to adapt to life in Hollywood.
MAN: The first thing a British person needs to adapt to when in LA is the optimism. Angelinos tend to present everything positively since, as the writer Julian Fellowes* observes, ‘LA is a town where status is all and status is only given to success’. How's the family? Great! The new job? Best decision I ever made! The house? Terrific! And this is when you both know that our man is bankrupt, the bank is about to repossess his house, his children are on drugs and his wife about to divorce him.’ If you want to fit in in LA society, you too will have to learn this optimism. And this includes getting used to ‘talking up’ your achievements. In Britain, we value modesty and there's a stigma attached to talking about one's own achievements. In fact, the opposite – self-deprecation – is more acceptable. However, in a place where everything – even your shoes – is all ‘great’, it's not a good idea to put yourself down. If you've just won the Nobel Prize for literature, don’t say to people, ‘Yes my last little book did rather well’. People will either be offended by your insincerity, or worse, simply believe that your book really is nothing special.
Another thing that can be a culture shock for Europeans is the American work ethic. My LA friends will go on and on about how hard they work: they're always boasting about their ‘100-hour weeks’ as if they were a status symbol. Hard work is highly valued in American culture, an attitude that dates from the Pilgrim Fathers, the first European settlers. Even now, most American companies only give two weeks' paid annual holiday and workers are expected to arrive early and stay late daily.
The puritanical streak in American culture expresses itself in other ways too. Many of the rules of ‘polite behaviour’ my friends lecture their children about – don’t stare at people or pick your nose in public, put your hand over your mouth when you yawn, don't burp or put your elbows on the table during meals – are also part of British culture. But I was surprised by how much less adult Angelinos swear, drink or tell rude jokes than my British friends, and by the strict laws about swearing and nudity on TV.
But if you can cope with becoming a wildly optimistic workaholic, there is much to enjoy in Los Angeles. It’s easy to like the friendly, physically demonstrative Angelinos. At first, I used to be embarrassed when my colleagues hugged me and slapped me on the back, and when the (male!) receptionist at the studio said, ‘You look great in that sweater, it matches your eyes’, I would find it difficult not to blush. But now, I've started hugging and backslapping myself – and no doubt I'll soon start telling people they look fantastic too. In LA, it's only good manners – and I think I'll miss it when I go home.
WOMAN: So, what are the differences between the British and the Angelinos? Let’s recap. What does the speaker say about success and work? He quoted the writer Julian Fellowes who said ‘LA is a town where status is all and status is only given to success’, so success is necessary for status in LA, status depends on success. The American work ethic can be a culture shock not just for the British but for all Europeans. The Angelinos work very hard and this is highly valued.
And what about modesty? The Angelinos boast about their achievements whereas the British value being modest.
The people in LA are much more optimistic than the British too, always with a positive attitude towards life, even with big problems.
And regarding hugging, in Britain it’s not usual to get a hug from a work colleague whereas the Angelinos are much more friendly and demonstrative, and they show it by hugging people and slapping them on the back. The speaker felt uncomfortable about this at first but now he’s getting used to it.
And what does he say about good manners? It seems that good manners in LA are the same as in Britain, but the Angelinos tend to swear and drink less and don’t tell rude jokes like the British do.
So, some of you may have thought that the British and American cultures were similar but as you can see there are some big differences. And if you’re visiting one or both, it’s always a good idea to learn about them so you fit in and won’t feel out of place. Remember, when in Rome, do as the Romans do!

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BRITISH SWEARWORDS PODCAST
Hello and welcome to this podcast brought to you by That´s English! The Spanish Ministry of Education´s official distance learning English course. To find out more about That´s English! go to www.thatsenglish.com or contact your local Official School of Languages.
In this podcast you are going to listen to two friends, one of them a linguist, talking about common swear words in English. Let’s listen.

Sarah: Hi Craig how are you?
Craig: I’m good thanks, how about you?
Sarah: Relieved. I’ve just survived a weekend with the in-laws, you know how it is, challenging. My father-in-law loves a good swear, he manages to fit the word ‘bloody’ into most sentences! Could be worse I suppose but he doesn’t realise that some people take offence to it, I do!
Craig: I used to swear often when I was younger, I thought it made me sound good but then my grandma said to me ‘If your vocabulary wasn’t so limited, you wouldn’t need to swear’. I took offence to that but actually she did me a favour because it helped me to decide on my profession and now I’m a linguist and an expert on swearwords but in a different way!
Sarah: That’s funny! I was brought up being told it was extremely rude to swear and, as I never heard any of my family swearing, then I guess that’s why it bothers me so much when I hear them. Even mild ones.
Craig: Yes, did you know that most English swearwords are usually related either to religion, to sex or to bodily functions?
Sarah: Are they? I didn’t realise that but thinking about it you’re right and it’s probably like that in most cultures.
Craig: Yes, it is. A friend of mine is an English teacher in Spain. She needs to know the Spanish swearwords, even though she doesn’t know much Spanish, just so she can make sure her students are not saying any, and as you say, they generally always relate to the same topics that I said.
Sarah: Well even if I knew swearwords in another language I’d never use them, and anyone that does must feel very comfortable with the people they’re with. I think it’s really important to know that you’re not going to offend anyone and that you know how strong the words may come across.
Craig: Very true. Often it depends on how you say the words too though. ‘Bloody’ and ‘hell’ are probably the two most common mild swearwords that British people use and they are both of religious origin. Bloody is a contraction of “by our Lady”, our Lady being The Virgin Mary, Jesus’s mother, but funnily enough most people don’t know that. They just use the word because of the way it sounds.
Sarah: I didn’t know that! I do know though that it’s what we call an expletive– a word used to make an exclamation. I’m right, aren’t I?
Craig: Very good! That’s correct and the hard ‘b’ sound feels satisfying to say when you feel annoyed about something – “My bloody train was late again!” Or, “My bloody boss won’t give me a pay rise.” It helps to express your feelings.
Sarah: What about hell? That’s an expletive as well, isn’t it?
Craig: I thought you said you didn’t swear!
Sarah: Well, we’re having a conversation about them, I’m not using them as swearwords so that’s different.
Craig: I know, just joking. Well, ‘hell’ also has its religious meaning as in the opposite to heaven, but these days people simply use it to add emphasis to a sentence – showing they’re angry or frustrated or just surprised – ‘What the hell was that?’ Or, ‘What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?’
Sarah: That’s offensive to me, and they’re just the mild ones! I’m really bothered by the situation with my father-in-law.
Craig: Maybe you should suggest he tries to tone it down a bit by using softer alternatives to express himself forcefully by using exclamations like “Why on earth did they do that?” Or,
“What in heaven’s name are they doing now, the idiots?”
Sarah: Great idea, thanks for the suggestions, I will raise it with him, but he is set in his ways, it’ll be hard to change him.
Craig: And if he wants to express his negative feelings about someone forcefully, but without swearing, then he could use expressions like the last or the dreaded, for example, “He’s the last person I would consider employing” or “Don’t look now, but the dreaded Sam is coming! Everybody run!”
Sarah: I expect he’ll say that about me but then I do say “Do we have to go to your dreaded Dad’s house for lunch” pretty often which doesn’t go down very well with my husband!
Craig: No, I guess not! Swearing is a very personal thing, what is acceptable for one person might be taboo for another. Let him know how you feel. If he considers you to be a good daughter-in-law then he should make an effort to do something about it, at least in your presence.
Sarah: Yes, I’ll do that. My husband agrees, he’s forever saying ‘For goodness sake, mind your language Dad!’. Thanks for the advice! In fact, I’m going to call my husband about it now while I remember those alternative suggestions. I’ll let you know how we get on.
Craig: Good luck and if he struggles, if he’s just sticking with the milder ‘bloody’ and ‘hell’ then it’s not the end if the world, there are a lot worse words he could be saying!
Sarah: Exactly! See you soon and thanks again!
Craig: Bye, see you.

We hope you found this podcast interesting and useful. Please follow us at That´s English! on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! Goodbye for now!