Look at any book or website that teaches foreigners English and one of the first conversations you can learn is about the weather. One site says, “English speakers love to talk about the weather. Learn the proper vocabulary and expressions, and you will find it easy to start a conversation anytime and anywhere with anyone you meet!”

George Mikes in his book about English traits, How To Be An Alien, sums it up perfectly when he says the weather is the most important topic in the land – an ever-interesting, thrilling subject that you must be good at discussing. 

The Irish writer, Oscar Wilde, suggested another reason why people might discuss the weather. In his play, The Importance of Being Earnest, Gwendolen says, “Pray don't talk to me about the weather, Mr. Worthing. Whenever people talk to me about the weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else.”

This is also what Kate Fox, author of Watching The English, thinks – conversations are not really about the weather at all, but code to help us overcome our natural reserve and actually talk to each other. They serve as a simple greeting, an ice-breaker or back-up for when the conversation falters. 

Talking the talk

There are rules to weather-related conversations, however. All writers on the subject agree that you must never contradict anybody when discussing the weather, as this would be very bad etiquette. Even if it is snowing outside and someone says, “Nice weather, isn’t it?” you must reply, “Yes, it is!”

Bill Bryson, the bestselling American writer and journalist, thinks the English weather is not at all fascinating as there is no danger of monsoons, hurricanes or tropical storms - as with many other countries. English broadcaster, journalist and author Jeremy Paxman disagrees, saying Bryson has missed the point, as the interest is in its uncertainty. Despite this, the English are still surprised when the weather changes! With the continuing rise in global warming and resulting change in weather patterns, our awareness and understanding of the weather has never been so important. Find out more about their books on England and Englishness under the What Next? section.

Is there more to talking about the weather than passing the time of day? Throughout history, the weather has been both dreaded and respected for its influence over living creatures. Not only does it control our moods and activities but it has also played a role in England's cultural identity, concept of time, and economic development.  The weather is such a big part of our daily routines that many of us forget how much this powerful force shapes our customs.

Fascinating history

Benjamin Orlove, in his book Weather, Climate, Culture, writes that ways of thinking and talking about the weather have become deeply embedded in the English national culture and that many of the things one hears about the weather reflect uncertainties about England's identity in the modern world. 

Orlove goes on to say that aspects of the English's preoccupation with the weather relate to the country’s experiences during the last few centuries, for example modernisation during the 18th century Enlightenment (a movement that placed importance on scientific truth and reason about the Universe) where new ideas about the national climate came to light. 

In this period there were the beginnings of revolutionary growth in agriculture and industry which brought a new awareness of the environment and the English acquired a sense of their national weather, its peculiarities and regularities, and its role in the life of the nation.

By the late 1700s, the weather started to be catalogued through diary keeping and journalism, making it an everyday affair. This public weather was talked about in many different social situations, becoming comparable with fashion and news.

So the next time someone talks to you about the weather, remember: there's a lot more to it than it might seem!