Nov 22, 2010
Thanks Giving and Receiving
Good Monday, and "Thanksgiving Week" in the US:
Every year at this time, besides focusing my gratitude to God for His blessings, the philologist in me unavoidably reflects on our use of "Thanks" in our culture. Specifically I have noticed that the response we all were taught, when someone says, "Thank you," has fallen into disuse.
Most of us were taught "Please," "Thank you," and "You're Welcome," as strictly as ABCs and 1-2-3s. I do a little private survey each year to see how "You're Welcome" is becoming an extinct phrase. Try it yourself.
Over the past week, in shops, post offices, and banks, I tracked 24 times I said "Thank you." I received only one "You're Welcome" in reply. Among the substitutes were "Yup," "OK," "No problem," "Hey, no prob," "You got it," "Sure thing," and "You bet." The most common reply was "Thank YOU."
I always cast broader attention across the cultural landscape, to radio and television. Of 17 examples I recorded, I heard one person, correspondent Malini Wilkes, of FOX News, say "You're Welcome." The speakers ranged from major news figures on NPR to callers and hosts on sports radio WFAN in New York. Also celebrities from my notebook since last Thanksgiving (once you notice this, it's hard to stop noticing):
In July, President Obama was interviewed by Yonit Levi of Israeli TV:
Q: President Barack Obama, shalom, and thank you so much for talking with us today.
The President: Thank you. Thank you very much.
And at the end of this interview:
Q: Thank you so much, Mr. President.
The President: Thank you. I enjoyed it. Take care.
Things were not different when, a few months earlier, Obama was interviewed by the pan-Arabic media site Al Arabiya:
And at the end of the interview, it sounded like Alphonse and Gaston had entered the studio:
Pat Boone was a guest on “The Interview” program from NHK television in Japan.
Q: Pat, thanks for joining us today.
Pat Boone: I enjoyed it.
One of the Republican "young guns" in the House turned the tables in the conclusion of an CNBC interview; he thanked his host, Joe Kernan, first:
Rep. Tim Ryan: Thank you.
Interviewer: OK, Congressman.
Laura Bush, flogging her book, not only abandoned the traditional reply, but the first person pronoun, once a no-no for a school librarian:
Maria Bartiromo: Mrs. Bush, thank you so much for your time today.
Mrs Bush: Thanks.
Bartiromo: Thank you for the service for our country, of course.
Mrs Bush: Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.
The funereal Charlie Rose found a way to avoid his conversation-partner getting the last word, at least when that would mirror his own thanks:
Charlie Rose: It's a pleasure to have you here in New York. Thank you very much.
Eric Schmidt: Thank you very much.
Charlie Rose: Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google.
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