UK, Ireland /
What can I say/do about my Polish neighbours in the UK? [65]
I do agree about the Italians especially, both in Italy and abroad:-) I was last in the UK during the '90s and perhaps only a coincidence, but during a guided tour of the BM (British Museum), a youngish, teenage Italian girl on the tour was asking questions to the docent and her voice projection was so almost piercingly loud (not to mention grating due no doubt to being a chain smoker) we scarcely could hear the docent when she was speaking!
Finally, the tour was over, but my ears were still ringing for a good half hour after.
I think that it's a question in this case of the enunciation in a particular language. Italian, more certainly than English, German, Spanish or Polish, is a carefully pronounced language in which it seems every individual letter counts (except perhaps for consonant clusters such as "gl" in "gli" etc.). Therefore, perhaps Italian speakers, both male and female, tend to sound "louder" in even normal speech than speakers from other language groups.
As far though as the main thread question is concerned, among the many factors to consider would be the issue of personal space, not merely voice volume, in other countries compared to the UK. As England especially is a much smaller surface area than Poland, Turkey, Germany, Russia and the US, English people are more conscious of that space and tend not to appreciate people standing to close to them, even if they're whispering:-)
Only my two pence worth.
