介绍:
When people say Thank You!, what is your reply? I’m sure you would say “you are welcome”. Many people, especially in the US, reply to “thank you” with “you’re welcome.”As a Tumblr post points out, this has begun to change, as young people use and hear “you’re welcome” sarcastically.
And it’s not just young people: To people from other parts of the world, “you’re welcome” can sound rude. Brits, for example, can’t help but hear a hint of condescension in there.
But the problem with “you’re welcome” isn’t sarcasm. Well, not the whole problem. It’s about meaning. “you’re welcome” can sound like you’re taking the polite gesture from the thanker, and bringing attention to your kindness. To the unaccustomed ear, it can sound like “yes, I did you a favour, you should be thankful.”
Similarly “no problem”, or the reply favoured by our Australian friends, “no worries”, are both flawed. Often said with a dismissive shrug, “no problem” can be interpreted as simply denying that being kind is an inconvenience. But to those used to hearing “you’re welcome,” “no problem” can be sound like being kind is sometimes an inconvenience…and that you might not have helped if it had been.
Young people tend to respond to being thanked with “no problem”, which older people find rude. So it’s a generational problem, yes, but also a linguistic one.
Both “you’re welcome” and “no problem” are phatic expressions, an expression whose sole function is to perform a social role. We use phatic expressions all the time.
For example when we respond to “how are you?” by saying “good, you?”Often we use a phatic response when we don’t know what else to say. Saying “I’m OK,” for example, even when we’re not. Or to simply acknowledge someone, or something, when there is no need to convey actual information. We know people aren’t (usually) actively asking how we are, so we respond phatically.
So, what are the options? Thankfully, no, the correct way to respond to “thank you” is to say “thank you”. Similarly, you can respond to “cheers” with “cheers”.
This response is still phatic in purpose, but the tone and context can’t be misread. Effectively, you’re thanking the thanker for their thanks. Everybody wins!
