Yeah
No, I'm not talking about the song by Usher. I'm talking about the one Britishism that has crept into my so-far resilient American speech.
The British are a very inquisitive people. They don't say, "It looks like rain today." They say, "It's going to rain, innit?" (That's "isn't it" for the Americans in the audience.) Sentences that would normally be declarative become interrogative, tempting if not forcing you to say something in response.
The most common construction is the addition of "yeah?" to the end of a sentence. In the Marks & Spencer, the woman at the till will say, "So that's all, yeah?" At the bank, they will ask you, "You're opening an account today, yeah?" At the office, they'll say, "I'll take care of that memo right away, yeah?" A little bit different from the way Austin Powers would use the word.
Smitty has noted my adoption of the "yeah?" with some amusement, since he has remained immune to its charms. At least I haven't started calling him "luvvie."
The British are a very inquisitive people. They don't say, "It looks like rain today." They say, "It's going to rain, innit?" (That's "isn't it" for the Americans in the audience.) Sentences that would normally be declarative become interrogative, tempting if not forcing you to say something in response.
The most common construction is the addition of "yeah?" to the end of a sentence. In the Marks & Spencer, the woman at the till will say, "So that's all, yeah?" At the bank, they will ask you, "You're opening an account today, yeah?" At the office, they'll say, "I'll take care of that memo right away, yeah?" A little bit different from the way Austin Powers would use the word.
Smitty has noted my adoption of the "yeah?" with some amusement, since he has remained immune to its charms. At least I haven't started calling him "luvvie."
posted by Mrs. Werbenmanjensen at 7:59 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home