Etiquette is an indivisible ingredient of culture.Different nations have different histories and cultures,so there is no so-called “International Etiquette” existing in the world.But as a matter of fact,there must be something international to guide the involved parties’ manners in the international intercourses,and the generally-accepted etiquette rules in the international society is what we define,in this book,the international etiquette.
In modern global society,Occidental etiquette composes the main portion of the international etiquette.
Occidental etiquette originated from ancient Greek and Roman protocols,which,as a kind of court etiquette,were established upon consideration for the rulers of the authority before they were spread to England.British authority made great contribution to the popularization of the etiquette after a series of conformity,recasting the court etiquette into the etiquette of communities.
Formal etiquette rooted in the French royal court during the 1600-1700’s.The nobles who lived at court did not work,and so they developed elaborate social customs mostly out of boredom.The nobles drafted out a list of proper social behavior and called it etiquette which came from an old French word meaning ticket.This code of behavior soon spread to other European courts and finally was put to use by the upper classes throughout the Western world.
With the colonial expansion initiating from the 16th century,the Western colonizers spread their etiquette,as a part of culture,to nearly every corner of the colonies scattered in every human-inhabiting continent.In the 18th and 19th centuriy,etiquette was usually taught in schools in Western countries,especially in the private schools to which wealthier families sent their children.
From the 1500’s through the early 1900’s,children learned etiquette at school.Children were asked following such points as:
◇the proper way of kneeling before their teachers (whew,glad that’s gone);