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In Unit 4 we studied other cultures, but one culture we did not study was the British culture. Even though both England and United States use English, the British claim we do not speak English but American. Just as we learned in our study about the regional dialect of the Deep South, we now realize that we may have certain expressions that are unique to our culture. When the British refer to someone living across the pond, they usually mean America and across the Atlantic Ocean.

Once, I remember being in London and needing to return to the airline counter to get a ticket. The agent in his proper British accent greeted me with “Top of the morning to you" and suggested I pop on down in ten minutes for my ticket. At first I was puzzled because, according to my watch, it was close to noon, and since I was on the same floor, I wondered how I could “pop on down." If I translated to “American," I realized the agent was hoping I was having a good morning and that I could return to the counter in ten minutes for my airline ticket.

I love to study other cultures. How about you?