Friday, January 30, 2004
I'm curious as to the decline of the use of 'please'. Now maybe it's just me, but first I noticed that people weren't saying 'please' as often as they were saying 'thank you' (or making soem grunt of appreciation before loping off into the distance), and then realised I was doing it too. I first noticed it amongst the body of foreign au pairs that come to our libraries every day to use the computers for one hour free a day. Our chief executive might complain about falling borrower numbers, if we could get these au pairs to take a book out each time they come to use a computer, even if they don't read it, then he'd have numbers that more accurately gauge how much we are being used, but I digress.
Most commonly these girls, central and northern European mostly, would present their cards and say something like "computer". Once assigned a terminal they would thank me. But then I realised that amongst people that would claim English as their first language it's much the same. I don't know if it's a lazy vocal thing, in the same way that you might slur 'government' as 'guvment', you don't bother with superfluous words. I did wonder whether we say 'please' when someone important has the metaphorical power of life and death over whatever endeavor it is that you are trying to pursue, there's no 'please' between perceived social equals. Or perhaps that in our rights obsessed culture people will only say please for things they do not think they have some automatic right to. Someone at work suggested that often tone of voice carries an 'implicit please' within it, if you ask someone you know to pass something over in a pleasant tone of voice you may not say please. Or maybe we just aint brung up proper no more. Please give me your views. Thank you.
Most commonly these girls, central and northern European mostly, would present their cards and say something like "computer". Once assigned a terminal they would thank me. But then I realised that amongst people that would claim English as their first language it's much the same. I don't know if it's a lazy vocal thing, in the same way that you might slur 'government' as 'guvment', you don't bother with superfluous words. I did wonder whether we say 'please' when someone important has the metaphorical power of life and death over whatever endeavor it is that you are trying to pursue, there's no 'please' between perceived social equals. Or perhaps that in our rights obsessed culture people will only say please for things they do not think they have some automatic right to. Someone at work suggested that often tone of voice carries an 'implicit please' within it, if you ask someone you know to pass something over in a pleasant tone of voice you may not say please. Or maybe we just aint brung up proper no more. Please give me your views. Thank you.
