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Indirect British Communication

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Collection of British English phrases whose surface meaning differs from the speaker's actual intent, highlighted in Amelia Walter-Dzikowska's talk via a (semi-joke) British-to-Dutch example also applicable Polish↔British: 'with all due respect' ≈ 'I think you are wrong'; 'by the way' introduces the real point of the conversation rather than a side topic; 'please think about that some more' may mean 'it's a bad idea, drop it' rather than 'keep developing it'; 'I'm sure it's my fault' means 'it's not my fault'. Foreigners — even those with high English proficiency — routinely miss these subtleties because they aren't taught.

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Indirect British Communication concept
Walks through British phrases whose literal meaning hides the real intent.

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