How important is politeness?
Summary
This episode explores the importance and nature of politeness, questioning whether informal speech is inherently rude or simply a matter of perception. It features anecdotes, including one about poet Michael Rosen and another about a young child, to illustrate the subjective nature of politeness and discuss why it is taught as a fundamental social rule.Episode description
Why are we polite? Does what we say really affect what people think of us?
Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-250605
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