26 Jan 09
2008-09 Sentence Awards
* Worst Sentence in The Language... "I was just wasting a little time." * Most Honest... "I'm in big trouble and need your help." * Biggest
Weasel/Coward Cop Out... "I was only joking." * Least Frequently Heard... "I was wrong." * Two Most Useful Sentences... "Yes." and "No."
26 Jan 09
1 edit
Originally posted by Grampy BobbyAnd "You're welcome."
* No Longer in Vogue (nearly obsolete) Sentences... "Yes, please." and "Pardon me." and "No, thank you."
* Most Incredible Morph... Many well intentioned counter clerks now say 'yes' with the words, "No problem."
This is what well-mannered people used to reply to "Thank you" before everyone got dumbed down with "No problem."
26 Jan 09
Originally posted by MontyMooseI used to go out with a guy who once said "Do I look like I have a wrench in my hand? No, it's a fork. No, I am NOT still "working on it", but I AM still eating, okay?"
If one more waiter asks, "Are you still working on that?", I'll go insane. I am eating or dining, but NOT working on my food. Ask, "May I take your plate sir?"
26 Jan 09
1 edit
Originally posted by SuzianneYes, "You're welcome." Thanks for including an important one unintentionally omitted.
And "You're welcome."
This is what well-mannered people used to reply to "Thank you" before everyone got dumbed down with "No problem."
* Most Overworked... "He's cool." and "She's hot.' and "Cool, cool, cool."
Note: 'Get a life'... sure, but first get a vocabulary to think and speak with.
26 Jan 09
Originally posted by SuzianneWhy is "No problem" "dumbed down"? It's identical in spirit to, but even more precise than, the French "de rien" and Spanish "de nada", which are hardly neologisms, or impolite.
And "You're welcome."
This is what well-mannered people used to reply to "Thank you" before everyone got dumbed down with "No problem."
Why is "[Doing whatever favour is getting me thanked is] no problem [for me]" any less polite or sensible than "You're welcome [to whatever favour is getting me thanked]"? The second is even perhaps misleading, since it can be interpreted as an invitation to expect the same favour in the future. However, nobody would read such an invitation into it, because phrases like "you're welcome" serve a purely social function, independent of their literal meaning. For instance, a French-English phrasebook might directly translate "de rien" as "you're welcome", because as far as their actual function in the language is concerned, they are the same.
Since "no problem" has the exact same function in the language that "you're welcome" does, there really isn't a reasonable sense in which one can be preferred over the other, unless you disagree that "no problem" is enough of a linguistic habit to give it the same "meaningful meaninglessness" that "you're welcome" enjoys. I agree that there are senses in which the formation of new linguistic mass habits could be called "dumbing down", but that's not a good characterisation in this case, given that both are well-understood expressions of goodwill and neither makes much sense literally.
Incidentally, there's a lot to be said for people who strive to have benign and helpful intentions, to be precise and thoughtful in their communications, etc. A person who needs to look to a list of traits of the "well-mannered" for instruction in this regard would do well to consider xyr own glass house before throwing stones wrt the "dumbing down" thing.