The BBC has highlighted research which reveals the big divide between British and German conversational habits.
According to Professor Juliane House of Hamburg University, the British like to use lots of phrases like "how's things" and "lovely weather, isn't it?" which don't convey hard information but suggest empathy and make other people feel good. Linguists call this 'phatic' communication. But to the Germans, these empty words make the British sound insincere and devious.
Germans don't do small talk. They favour a more direct communication style – but by leaving out polite nothings such as "nice to meet you" and "could you do me a favour?", they come over as rude and abrupt to Britons.
The Germans also fail to understand the British habit of using understated phrases like "there seems to be a little bit of an issue with this" to describe serious problems, says Professor Derek Bousfield, the head of linguistics at the University of Central Lancashire.
When Germany company BMW bought British car firm Rover, the Germans initially failed to appreciate how serious Rover's problems were, because it took British managers' understatement at face value.
The moral of the story seems to be that neither nation's communication patterns are superior – but it pays for both sides to understand them before opening a dialogue. Read the full story here.
