Sign Language

Needless to say, things have been very hectic since I've been back home. Rest assured that I haven't forgotten about my blog though!

This entry is one that I've been wanting to write for a long time. As the title suggests, it's about signs!

There are probably two things on your mind right now:

What kind of signs is she talking about? Street signs, but also random notices that I've seen posted around the UK.

This sounds boring. A whole post about signs?

Perhaps this will be slightly more boring to my friends in the UK (and possibly in the rest of Europe; I'm not sure how they structure their signs) than in the U.S., since they see such signs on a daily basis, but I'm hoping everyone will find my comparison of U.S. to UK signs at least slightly amusing.

We're a bit blunt in the U.S., especially in the Northeast region, where I hail from. We don't mince words. We get straight to the point. We also assume certain things and don't bother to spell them out.

Oh no, not the Low Trees! Anything but the Low Trees!

So you'd never see a sign like the one on the right:

My first thought when I saw this sign in London was, "What? Low trees? Why is that on a sign?"

As a double decker whirled past, the meaning became slightly clearer, but as the top of the bus barely brushed the lowest branches of the line of trees, it still seemed rather ridiculous to me. What really amused me though was the sign colouration and the exclamation point. Low Trees! Oh no!

I don't know about you, but it looked fine to me.

Speaking of trees, there was another amusing sign that we came across in Sidmouth that had us roaring with laughter. It's a little hard to read but it says, "This ailing tree will be replaced in the autumn." Well thank goodness! In case you were worried about this little tree that actually doesn't seem like it's doing all that badly, we have you covered. Rest assured, it will be removed. In my hometown, the trees the borough plants along the street turn completely brown half the time and are left there for months. No signs are ever placed on them. We just sort of jog by and go, "Ooh, that tree doesn't look too good," and keep going, only complaining if said tree is directly outside our home.

In case you were wondering why...

Another plant-related sign I noticed was right on the University of Exeter's campus, pictured here. In the U.S., our signs simply say, "Keep off grass." No explanation, no frills. Just do it. In case you were wondering why exactly you should keep off the grass, well you're out of luck in the U.S. England will provide you with an answer.

I'm not trying to make fun of either the UK or the U.S. for their signs. Oh who am I kidding, I suppose I am a little bit, but it's not meant in a mean-spirited way. It's one of those little cultural differences that's amusing, but also perhaps illuminating. The Northeast is sometimes criticized by other regions of the U.S. (particularly our Southern brethren) for being too fast-paced and curt. One of my European friends that I made in Exeter who had visited the Northeast U.S. said much the same thing. Perhaps this is reflected in our signs (or rather lack thereof). Keep off the grass. Low trees? That's your problem. Pole got flattened by a car? Unless it's going to electrocute someone, we're not going to put anything up (London will treat you to a paragraph-long explanation, complete with a number to call in case you're still concerned). England is different. It seemed more laid-back and slower-paced than what I was used to. Even London seemed more relaxed when compared to the cities I'm most familiar with, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C. And perhaps this is reflected in their signs. Time is taken to explain the situation, care is taken to put up a sign to begin with.

I'm not going to say which is a better method. I think there's room for both, don't you agree?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be searching for a place to hide from the fearsome Low Trees.

Thanks for your patience in waiting for this post. Next up: Gardens in the UK!