REGIONAL IDENTITIES

Regional differences can also be seen in Britons' views of each other. Most of these attitudes are ''exaggerated" stereotypes and can be unkind.

Many English people see themselves as either ‘northerners’ or ‘southerners’. The fact that the south is on the whole richer than the north, and the domination of the media by the affairs of London and the south-east, leads to resentment in the north. This reinforces the pride in their northern roots felt by many northerners, who, are apt to claim that they work harder than the Southerners, and are more thorough. They are open-hearted and hospitable; foreigners often find that they make friends with them quickly. Northerners generally have hearty appetites: the visitor to Lancashire or Yorkshire, for instance, may look forward to receiving generous helpings at table. The northerners stereotypically, see themselves as tougher, more honest and warmer-hearted than the soft, hypocritical and unfriendly southerners. To people in the south, the stereotypical northerner (who is usually male) is rather ignorant and uncultured and interested only in sport and beer-drinking.

Northerners may be considered "working class" and "rough" by some people in the South. Southerners may be considered "posh" (socially superior) or snobbish (not liking people they think are lower-class) by people living in the northern parts of Britain.

Even in England there are many differences in regional character and speech. The chief division is between southern England and northern England. South of a line going from Bristol to London people speak the type of English usually learnt by foreign students, though there are local variations. This sort of English is generally heard from BBC announcers.

What southerners say about the North What northerners say about the South

It’s dirty and ugly - miles of factories! They don’t know what ‘real work’ is.

They all live in terraced houses. They all live in big houses.

They can’t speak proper English. They speak with ‘posh’ accents.

They don’t care about people less

fortunate than themselves.

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 1509