Talking Point
Get the expressions right
As we have seen, there are always a wide variety of options to choose from, whether we are expressing apologies or giving a compliment. And as long as you remember to choose the right expressions based on the context, and then use the expressions with just the right amount of emphasis or intensity (‘cool’ as against ‘coool!’, for example) your speech can be far more effective than if you just used the two standard expressions that you learned from t
he textbooks.
The most effective example for this is perhaps the use of the expression ‘you are welcome’. In most Indian languages, saying thanks for every little thing, simply out of politeness is virtually unknown. We do have other mechanisms for being polite, but ‘thank you’ isn’t one of them.
As a result, most of us, when we switch to speaking in English, work to a strict formula: when someone says ‘thanks’ or ‘thank you’ we respond, completely mechanically, with ‘you are welcome’. There is nothing wrong with this formula, but using it in every possible context, whether you are interacting with teachers, friends, or complete strangers is not a very good idea, especially when there are so many colourful and effective expressions to choose from. Let’s take a look at a couple of them.
No big deal: This is a nice, informal way of accepting somone’s thanks. While the regular ‘you’re welcome’ focuses on the person -- you are effectively saying ‘helping you was nice’ -- this expression focuses on the favour itself. When you say ‘it wasn’t a big deal’ you are giving the message that the favour offered was a small one, and therefore does not require a big thanks. In general, these informal expressions focus on making the other person feel less obliged.
And a quick note: Many people tend to respond with ‘don’t mention it’ or ‘mention not’ when someone says ‘thanks’. Saying ‘don’t mention it’ is fine grammatically correct, but ‘mention not’ is bad grammar, and does not make much sense either.
tips@skillspark.com
www.skillspark.com
NILESH JAHAGIRDAR
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