Wednesday 22 September 2010

Can I Help you 'Love?'

Something happened twice today which really stood out as quite unusual in this modern day and I wonder if anyone else has noticed an emerging trend?

Now, being familiar with strangers can be achieved quite easily or used to be before the often pathetic politically correct austerity of recent years. Not that people shouldn't be treated with utmost respect, of course they should be. However, the first young lady (around 22 ish) called me 'love', more than once, it seemed quite deliberately as she served me at a well known food chain today. At Sainsburys, the assistant tonight (around 40 - ish) called me 'hunni' as she handled my bread loaf.

This is not the first time in recent weeks where calling someone 'love' in the service industry seems to have come back into vogue and appears to be acceptable across the age range. Now this is fine with me to a point. I guess I've become used, in my politically correct workplace not to being called, 'love' so that's why it sort of stands out. I wonder if this form of familiarity is now acceptable company policy?

Now if you come from Northern Lincolnshire, just across the river from me, you might get called 'ducks' as a familiar term, 'pet' if you come from the north east of England, and 'my lover' if you come from the south west of the UK. My fellow blogger Auntiegwen in her blogs you can find the expression 'hen' (is that from Scotland Auntie?) and my favourite current familiar phrase to those I know very well is 'hunni,' or 'hun' in text speak.

Derek Trotter uses 'pal' all the time, 'governor' is common round here as is 'my mate.' One I don't like is 'darl,' short for darling.

What do you use?

The other thing I need advice about is the ending of texts on the phone and comments on here for example. To women I always use 'x' which is a representation of a kiss I suppose, not literally you understand but a term of endearment or respect.(As a family or with close friends, I always use a formal kiss on the cheek as a greeting or as a goodbye.) What do you do for someone of the same gender particularly blokes on blokes?

Chat soon

Ta-ra.

5 comments:

  1. Hen is West Coast Scottish, I quite often get called chick or me duck in leics where I live now.
    I put kisses on the end of texts to everyone, I really have to stop myself if it's a work thing.

    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Auntiegwen
    Thanks for the information, I haven't heard 'chick' for years.
    I know what you mean about the work thing, it could end up being a 'red faced moment!'
    XXX

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi, my first time here. I'm a fellow fifty-something Yorkshireman though now living in exile. Growing up in Yorkshire, terms of endearment such as 'love' were common place and I missed them after moving down south.
    PS I think "as she handled my bread loaf" is a lovely euphemism!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Troy - you are very welcome, please visit again...
    It's a very natural sounding term for some to use, not everyone can carry it off with sincerity.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Everyone is 'love' here in Sheffield.

    I've fallen into the familiarity of 'sweets' with a broad range of friends, with no objections.

    I also get a peck on the cheek from both male and female friends of whatever sexuality - always.

    I have joked about it now and again, and they've invariably said they've never thought about it. It's something they just want to do, apparently (shrug!)

    ReplyDelete