Saying No
British people have always felt that an outright negative is
rather bald and impolite. There is a tendency, therefore, to bedeck
a negative with evasions and circumlocutions. If, for example, you
ask someone "do you like the meal?", you can be sure that a reply
along the lines of "it's certainly very interesting" is a
resounding negative.
If you ask someone if they want to do something/go somewhere and
they reply, irritatingly, with "we'll see", this probably means
that they want to do nothing of the sort.
Of course, this tendency obscures meaning and can lead to endless
confusion for people who speak as they find. But once you're used
to English evasions, you will become attuned to this trait. You
will certainly notice that true affirmatives, in contrast, are
enthusiastic and heartfelt, and leave no room for ambiguity.
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