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Greetings and Salutations!

Two men chat at the bar in rather elegant 1930s style.

Don't you think "Good morning/afternoon/evening," or even the more formal "How do you do?" might be preferable to the now oh so common (in several senses) interjection "Hey!", the clownish "How you doin'?", or the truly insipid "T'sup?"?  I am rapidly coming to detest the latter three in my daily journeys through humanity.  Likewise, let's agree not even to mention the hackneyed "Nice to meet you."  Ugh!  What in the world happened to the simple and (almost always) appropriate, "Hello.  How are you?"?

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Comments

  1. Glenda MooreMarch 14, 2015 at 10:05 AM

    Once again, thank you. I do say "Nice to meet you" BUT only in this context and in this way: Someone has told me, prior to meeting the person, very much about the person (for instance a cousin's fiance), so when finally meeting the person (for instance at a family dinner) I can often say, "Hello. It's so nice to meet you. I've heard many lovely things about you. Welcome to the family." Otherwise, it's as you state above.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anglophile TradMarch 14, 2015 at 10:36 AM

    1) I still don't know how to answer "Howzitgoin'?"

    2) I am particularly annoyed by people who reply to "Thank you" with "Sure" or "Uh huh".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WSTKS-FM WorldwideMarch 14, 2015 at 10:53 AM

      Agreed on both points! "No problem" in response to a thank-you is also highly problematic. Lots of people in the so called "service industry" could do with much more comprehensive training when it comes to interacting with customers and clients.

      Best Regards,

      Heinz-Ulrich.

      Delete
  3. guyMarch 16, 2015 at 8:35 AM

    I have never even heard of 'T'sup'. What is it meant to mean? Here in the UK it's 'Alright' (pronounced awwwhite in fake estuary English/ mock Cockney) or 'Alright mate' . I'm all for the maintenance of regional dialects but you soon find out that the speaker has been to Eton College and wouldn't know a real cockney even if he met one.

    Guy

    ReplyDelete
  4. WSTKS-FM WorldwideMarch 16, 2015 at 10:56 AM

    Thank you for your comment and question, Guy. "T'sup?" or more usually "Sup?" is short for "What's up?" Hear most places these, primarily among members of the male gender under 35. About as ubiquitous and awful as the word "Dude!" has become. God help us all.

    -- Heinz-Ulrich

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mr Leavett-BrownMarch 18, 2015 at 12:39 AM

    You might enjoy this. The etymology of 'dude' in the OED is as follows:

    'Late 19th century (denoting a dandy): probably from German dialect Dude "fool"'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WSTKS-FM WorldwideMarch 18, 2015 at 6:14 PM

      Yes, I did. Thank you. 'Fool' is an apt description in most cases where chronic use of the word dude is concerned.

      Best Regards,

      Heinz-Ulrich von B.

      Delete

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All opinions are welcome here. Even those that differ from mine. But let's keep it clean and civil, please.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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