Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ptsfa.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!hpda!fortune!amdcad!amd!dual!ptsfa!kmo From: kmo@ptsfa.UUCP (Ken Olsen) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: Don't mention it Message-ID: <393@ptsfa.UUCP> Date: Fri, 7-Dec-84 18:04:03 EST Article-I.D.: ptsfa.393 Posted: Fri Dec 7 18:04:03 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 10-Dec-84 02:12:18 EST References: <11800001@acf4.UUCP> <17428@lanl.ARPA> Organization: Pacific Bell, San Francisco Lines: 18 > > When Alan Turing was in the U.S. in the late thirties he wrote home > > complaining of Americans' speech habits. Among the things that annoyed > > him was the reply "you're welcome" to "thank you." > > What was he used to hearing instead? > > He was probably used to some variation on 'it was nothing' or 'don't > mention it' (I don't remember the appropriate response in german). > I recall a discussion about 'you're welcome' in a german class though. > It appears that it sounds egotistical or pompous to non-americans. I > always thought 'it was nothing' sounded a bit pompous, but it's all > a matter of upbringing I guess. (umlaut) ^ Auf Deutsch: "Danke [schon]." . . . . . ."Bitte [sehr]." Ken Olsen {ihnp4,ucbvax,cbosgd,decwrl,amd70,fortune,zehntel}!dual!ptsfa!kmo