Be careful. She might question what extreme you're talking about. You never know with these Brits. :-)
As for myself, I am now quite mystified - in a 'very' sort of way - about the proper use of the word. Apparently, even though I learned British English in school, I acquired quite a few verbal skills in US, since Ros's post left me open-mouthed. My hypothesis is that the evolution of the meaning of the word on either side of the ocean has to do with cultural attitudes: the reserved British vs. the extroverted Americans.
This reminds me of a story my French teacher told us: When she was in college, she did an exchange program in France. She addressed her French professor 'Monsieur [Last Name]' each time, fully believing she was being polite. He looked embarrassed each time. It was only later that she found out that her manner was a subtle put-down. She was supposed to address him as 'Monsieur.' You only add the name when you address someone you consider inferior in social status (like your cleaning lady, I suppose). Ah, the vagaries of language subtleties...
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Date: 2008-10-24 05:32 pm (UTC)As for myself, I am now quite mystified - in a 'very' sort of way - about the proper use of the word. Apparently, even though I learned British English in school, I acquired quite a few verbal skills in US, since Ros's post left me open-mouthed. My hypothesis is that the evolution of the meaning of the word on either side of the ocean has to do with cultural attitudes: the reserved British vs. the extroverted Americans.
This reminds me of a story my French teacher told us: When she was in college, she did an exchange program in France. She addressed her French professor 'Monsieur [Last Name]' each time, fully believing she was being polite. He looked embarrassed each time. It was only later that she found out that her manner was a subtle put-down. She was supposed to address him as 'Monsieur.' You only add the name when you address someone you consider inferior in social status (like your cleaning lady, I suppose). Ah, the vagaries of language subtleties...