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1.4TeEnglishandthePoles—Twodiferentculturesł
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orherimmediatefamily”.AsMiallandMilsted(2011:10)write,uEnglishisland
mentalitytakestheformofawell-developedsenseofindividualpersonalfree-
dom.Teyarefondoftheirrights,especiallytherighttoprivacyandtheright
topreserveone’spersonalspace.Tisisanareasurroundingeachindividual,
whichitisnotgoodmannerstoinvade”.
Whenitcomestoexpressingemotions,utheEnglishfindadisplayofemo-
tiondisconcerting”(MiallandMilsted2011:11).Diniejko(2008:61)mentions
CharlesDickenswho,inhisopinion,isverymuchconcernedwiththerepresen-
tationofanEnglishman.HewritesthatuDickens’constructionsofEnglishness
includeanumberofoverlappingqualities,suchasindustriousness,individual-
ity,practicalityorpragmaticingenuity,personalindependence,moralcourage
blendedwiththegentlemanlyidealandacertaindegreeofeccentricity”.Tatis
whyEnglishsocietyhasanorientationtowardsnegativepoliteness(Jakubowska
1999:33;Stewart2005:118).Nevertheless,theEnglishareverypoliteandhave
goodmanners(Wierzbicka1985;Kleparski2000:34).
FromPolishpointofview,Englishculturemaybeperceivedaslacking
warmth,spontaneityordirectness,andtheEnglishthemselvesasrestrained
andmatter-of-fact(Wierzbicka1999:215,217;Szostkiewicz2005:88-89,90-91;
Tomczak2005:330-331).InherbookLostinTranslation:ALifeinaNewLan-
guage,EvaHofman,aPolishemigrantscholar,writes(1989:146):
MymothersaysI’mbecomingCEnglish’.Tishurtsme,becauseIknowshe
meansI’mbecomingcold.I’mnocolderthanI’veeverbeen,butI’mlearning
tobelessdemonstrative.Ilearnthisfromateacherwho,afercontemplating
thegesticulationswithwhichIhelpmyselfdescribethedigestivesystemofa
frog,tellsmetoCsitonmyhandsandthentrytalking’.Ilearnmynewreserve
frompeoplewhotakeastepbackwhenwetalk,becauseI’mstandingtooclose,
crowdingthem.Culturaldistancesarediferent,Ilaterlearninasociology
class,butIknowitalready.IlearnrestraintfromPenny,wholooksofended
whenIshakeherbythearminexcitement,asifmygesturehadbeenoneof
aggressioninsteadoffriendliness.Ilearnitfromagirlwhopullsawaywhen
Ihookmyarmthroughhersaswewalkdownthestreet—thismovementof
friendlyintimacyisanembarrassmenttoher.
HofmandiferentiatesbetweenEnglishcoldnessandPolishwarmth;between
EnglishlackinfeelingsandPolishintensityandspontaneityofexpressingemo-
tions,whichshedescribesasustorminessofemotion”(Hofman1989:146-147).
Wierzbicka(1985:166)isoftheopinionthattheproductivediminutivederi-
vation,which,inheropinion,inEnglishuhardlyexistsatall”,canserveas
agoodexamplewhichprovesthisbelief.Ingeneral,Englishsocietyseemstobe
morereservedthananyotherEuropeannation(Mikes1987:30-31;Kleparski
2000:34).Jespersen(1972:8)isoftheopinionthat