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Wednesday, July 06, 2005
As if I needed another reason to esteem the South over New England:
"I'm up in New England, and it would be very unusual to hear sir and ma'am," Ms. Senning said. "In areas of the South, it's a very polite and mannerly thing to do. The important thing to do is to know the culture of your region."
The use of sir and ma'am flourished in the South more than any other region, says Guy Bailey, a linguistics expert at the University of Texas at San Antonio who grew up in Alabama.
"It's absolutely more prevalent in the South, no question. People in the South have always valued courtesy and polite behavior," he said.
There are bad apples in every tree, but in general, I would have to agree unequivocally with this assessment. In comparison to New Englanders, Texans have been nothing short of courteous and pleasant since we arrived.
When I first moved to the Northeast, it took me weeks to finally meet a Connecticut Yankee who was willing to give me the time of day. I can only speculate, but I think the cold weather, short winter days (sunset at 4 pm!?), and the cost of living create a society of cynicism and abject rudeness unparalleled anywhere this side of France.
That being said, I have a host of friends "up yonder" who I miss greatly. I guess though that there just aren't enough of them to make the place any more appealing than it is.Labels: Archives_2005
.: posted by
Dave
2:30 PM
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