Social skills

I have a 16 year-old male student who speaks as though he is a caricature of polite, confident elocution. "If I say thank you he says back in a deep baratone: Well, you are certainly welcome. It is my pleasure." He greets me, head cocked to one side, with: "A very good moring to you. Are you doing well, I hope?" It's a sort of 19th century English, "jolly-up old chap, there's a good fellow," without the accent.

Is he trying to compensate for an inability to know how others perceive him? I really like this kid and at our school he is liked and enjoyed by his peers. In college, though, he could get ostracized.

In junior high he was often absent due to illness and was almost invisible. Now he stands out in an awkward, sometimes embarassing way.

How can I help him to be more natural in his mannerisms and speech? What should I say to his parents?

Thanks

It is hard to change people. Try to show him appreciation when he lives up to your expectations and ignore him when he does not. But probably he will keep his special personality for the rest of his life.