Comments on: How are you? Good, how are you? http://www.pragmatik.org/blog/2010/07/how-are-you-good-how-are-you/ Being of use to the world since 1979. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:48:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Marie http://www.pragmatik.org/blog/2010/07/how-are-you-good-how-are-you/comment-page-1/#comment-61122 Marie Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:50:44 +0000 http://www.pragmatik.org/blog/?p=2868#comment-61122 It's just rude not to reply. I hate that. The other extreme is when you are an applied linguist and for 10 years came across students who said, "fine-thanks-and-you" in a robot-like fashion having no idea what it means. A lot of English language textbooks that were made in non-English speaking countries (or English speaking ones from before the 1960s) have this as a standard reply to the question, "How are you?". There's nothing that follows so, students tend to think it goes: Hi, how are you? Fine thanks, and you? (Said as if it's one long word) Fine thanks, and you? It's total comedy. Gave up teaching and I now write textbooks. Enough said. It’s just rude not to reply. I hate that.

The other extreme is when you are an applied linguist and for 10 years came across students who said, “fine-thanks-and-you” in a robot-like fashion having no idea what it means. A lot of English language textbooks that were made in non-English speaking countries (or English speaking ones from before the 1960s) have this as a standard reply to the question, “How are you?”. There’s nothing that follows so, students tend to think it goes:

Hi, how are you?
Fine thanks, and you? (Said as if it’s one long word)
Fine thanks, and you?

It’s total comedy. Gave up teaching and I now write textbooks. Enough said.

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