“British humor” is a phrase known not only to anyone who studies English and is generally less familiar with British culture, but also in principle widely known in different countries. What is behind the
British humor and what are some particularly interesting examples of its use in popular culture?
Before considering the cases of application of British humor directly in practice, let's understand its most important characteristics. British humor has long become an integral part of not only culture, but also the daily life of the British in general: it can be heard not only on any popular TV shows, but also in ordinary conversation.
There are several types of features that characterize British humor: irony, sarcasm, and
understatement . The first two points are especially used when the British respond to some frankly stupid and obvious question. After the release of the film “Paper Cities”, Cara Delevingne, who played the main character, in an interview on American television was asked if she read the book itself before filming, Cara replies:
“No, I just winged it ” (“ No, I never read a book or a script, so I just hastily flipped through it ”).
The understatement appears not only as an important component of typical British humor, but also in ordinary British speech: one of the studies revealed that British people often use such words as
“quite”, “rather”, “a bit” every day
, "Actually .
" And, for example,
“a bit” often carries the opposite meaning: it can be compared with the phrase
“Let's go out for a pint” , which means that much more alcohol will follow this than just one pint. As an excellent example of British humor, based on understatement, you can cite an excerpt from the Black Knight episode from the comic group
Monthy Python (Monty Python), when the Black Knight is chopped off his hand and he exclaims
"Tis but a scratch" ("It's just a scratch" ).
There is another factor without which classic British humor does not do:
self-deprecation . Despite the fact that the literal translation of this word sounds like “self-humiliation” when it comes to British humor, it means more the ability to laugh at yourself. The reason for this “ridicule of oneself” can be age, physique, certain specific traits of character, and even such individual elements of appearance, as the absence of hair on the head. For example, David Mitchell, one of the most popular British comedians, is known for his ability to laugh at himself: for example, he once noticed that his beard is just
"a failure in personal hygiene" ("total hygienic failure").
The ability to laugh at yourself is really important for the British: even on the British website
Speak Like a Pro , dedicated to public speaking, it is mentioned that people who can laugh at themselves more often gain the trust, sympathy and disposition of the audience as a whole.
British comedy series are always popular and loved not only by British viewers, but also by foreigners (even if foreigners do not always understand British humor to the full). The most popular themes for British humor in television shows are:
- The absurdity and the banality of everyday life (which is often seen in the series of Monty Python, already mentioned today);
- Various awkwardness in social interaction - especially if the main character does not meet by some criteria of "normality", adopted in society (we all know Mr. Bean is an excellent example);
- Foreigners (very often in the British sitcoms one way or another, national stereotypes, habits and some language aspects are mocked - for example, in the TV series “Allo! Allo!”, Dedicated to stereotypes regarding the British and French);
- The British class system, when the differences between the social status of the characters are shown through a series of comic situations (as in the TV series Blackladder ).
We have gathered some very typical and at the same time interesting examples of British humor:
“I said, 'It's a serious doctor, I've broken my arm in 20 places.'
He said: 'Well stop going to those places.' ”(Tommy Cooper on his show: "I said:" This is seriously a doctor, I broke my arm in as many as twenty places. "He replied," Well, then stop going to such traumatic places ");
“My wedding was like a fairy tale. It wasn't magical; it's just that I've got an ugly sister. ”(Ellie Taylor: "My wedding was like a wedding from fairy tales. Not because there was some magic, I just have an ugly sister");
“Our greatest hits.”(Frank Skinner on the Edinburgh Fringe 2014: “When my wife and I fight, we are like a band that gives a concert: we start with new songs, and then we return to the most famous hits”);
“I wanted a Snowman and the Seven Dwarfs.”(Nick Helm: “I had to pick a password of at least eight characters, so I chose“ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ”);
“It’s a holiday destination.”(Miranda Hart on My, What I Call, Live Show: “I have so poor knowledge of music that I was sure that Kani West is the name of the train station, and Lana Del Rey is of some resort or tourist destination);
"My mum's so pessimistic ... she was fancy her chances."(Nish Kumar: “My mother is a real pessimist, even if the Olympic Games were held according to pessimism, she would not believe that she has a chance to win”);
- What is the longest word in English language?
- “Smile”. Because there is a mile between letters and letters!(“- What is the longest word in English? -“ Smile ”. Because there is a mile between the first and the last letter!” Mile is translated from English as a mile).
Many people like British humor, although it cannot be called too obvious: often, in order to fully understand and appreciate it, it is necessary to have a certain cultural, historical and political background. So if you feel the need to train the skills of perception of the British humor - go ahead, watch the British sitcoms!
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