Old-school news, just in time
by Laura Hall BBC I’m in a Copenhagen bakery, standing in line for sugar-dusted slices of lemon cake, delicately plaited cardamom buns and golden-brown cinnamon swirls. When I reach the front of the queue, I’m ready to order in simple Danish. But then I hit a snag: in this country, there is no …
Continue reading “Nordic Languages Have No Word For “Please””
by Mike MacEacheran BBC In the UK, sorry is not simply an apology, it’s a cultural reflex – a five-letter pressure valve used to soften requests, smooth over awkwardness, fill conversational gaps and avoid the national horror of seeming rude. It is perhaps no coincidence that such famously polite characters as Paddington and …
Continue reading “What The British Mean When They Say ‘Sorry’”
