Okay

Posted by Word Camel on July 22, 2004

In Reply to: Okay posted by R. Berg on July 22, 2004

: : : : : : Any one who has ever spoken to an English speaking Canadian has noticed that they say "eh" a lot, usually at the end of a sentence and usually with an interrogative flip. In fact, it seems to me that this is quite similar to the way French speakers use the interjection "hein". Have the Canucks borrowed something from the quebecois?

: : : : : : Am I way off base on this? Any Canadians or canadiens care to st me straight?

: : : : : eh?

: : : : The Canadians and the French aren't on their pat malone with this. In different parts of differents states of Australia, they do the same thing - and there are variations on the same theme too. ie. instead of 'eh', some end their sentences with 'but' or 'well'. I've heard Kiwis do the same. And our heritage isn't French so beats the hell outta me why people do it.

: : : English people often end a sentence with 'you know'. Scousers often use 'like'.

: :
: : Cockneys puncutate their sentences with the rhetorical questions "didn't I?" and "innit?" ('innit' meaning "isn't it?"). There are also some people from the wilds of Woking who who do a similar thing with "'ey?". The question seems to be a way of getting the listener's reassurance that the are listening and understand.

: : I find myself using "okay?" this way with my small son, "Mummy is going to make breakfast now, okay?" The "okay?" means "do you understand?". I thought about it because a friend hears this all the time and thinks parents do it because they are somehow asking permission. I can see how it might be understood that way, but I don't think that's what they mean - at least I don't. Speaking of breakfast...

: 1. What's this about pat malone? A regional expression? I never heard it (U.S.).

: 2. I hear parents using "okay" in contexts that do suggest asking permission or, rather, requesting the child's consent. "Turn off the TV now, okay?" "Go change your shirt, okay?" This use makes me think that families have become much more democratic than they were a few decades ago. Parents gave commands; they didn't invite negotiation.

That's just what my friend thought. I thought so too until I caught myself saying it. I realised then that I was saying it in the sense of "do you follow me?". I don't know that this is the case with all parents. There's certainly a sense in which parents today don't feel confident to issue commands, but I'm not sure the use of 'okay' is really indicative of that.