The latest one has become apparent through my recent endeavors in the service industry. Did you know that British people like to stand around thanking each other? To excess. It's true!
Not only do they have far too many words for "thanks" and "thank you" including "ta" and "cheers," but they also like to pair it these words with phrases like "that's great"/"lovely"/"perfect," and often all three in the time that it takes me to clear away a plate.
What's even stranger is that the appropriate response to all this thanking is not "you're welcome" or "no problem" or even the more casual "no worries." No. The appropriate response is to thank that person again.
Yes. You read correctly. Excessive thanking. I'm not really sure this necessarily makes the interaction any more polite, because they're often muttered under their breaths kind of like an extra-polite verbal tic. Consider the following:
Customer: "Oh that's great, cheers, thanks"
Server: "Thanks, can I get you anything else?"
Customer: "No, thanks, that's perfect, cheers"
Server: "Ok, cheers!"
You know how many times they thank each other in this interaction? Six times. Not to mention the affirmations of perfection and greatness ;) Why do they do this? According to my Scottish co-worker back at Greyfriars, it's just what you do-- habit, more than anything. She said once, "I'll go up to a table with their food and thank them, and walk away thinking 'Why did I just do that? I'm bringing their meal to them. I'm doing them a favor!'"
So there you have it. I'm not entirely sure whether British people just hate to miss an opportunity to be polite, or whether it's mere compulsion...But the fact remains: Everybody is sufficiently thanked. All the time.
Similarly, they like to apologise. A lot. As in, I just heard a server in the cafe where I'm sitting walk up to a table and say "Sorry, Americano?" as she brought someone their coffee. I have suspicions that these compulsions are connected. But that's a linguistic adventure for another day.
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