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Friendly, but not intimate. That’s a confusing combination, especially if you come from Peru
Many people say that people from the United States are friendly. And what do they mean? Well, US-Americans talk in a very casual way, without many social norms. When they see you, they may say, “Hey!” with exuberance and give you a hug. There’s little formality in the English language, at least not in US-English. People just say, “Hey,” and not, “Good morning, how are you?” People say, “Wanna come over?” and not, “Hello Gina. How are you? I was wondering if you’d like to come over?” People begin their text messages going right to the grain, “Hey, can you send me the PowerPoint?” and not, “Good afternoon, would you have time to send me the Powerpoint?” Not much tentativeness, not much warming up, a little like how you might talk to, I don’t know, a pet that you love.
I’m being exaggerated. But since living in Peru, I’ve noticed that US-Americans are quite informal. This could confuse people from different countries because, in addition to being informal, we shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking we are personal. Because we aren’t. We tend to be very impersonal.
For example, it’s very rare that people sit for a while and dig deep into a conversation. Topics bounce around, in all different directions. People don’t tend to go into how…
