Growing up in the Midwest, “I tell you what” meant “here is my proposition.”
Later, out in the world and encountering Texans, I’d hear this phrase followed by a firmly-stated declaration, and I’d have to take a moment to try to figure out what deal had been offered.
I’d grown up hearing “let me tell you something,” or “y’know what?” or, in Midwestern Polish enclaves “I tell you this!” Never “I tell you what.”
What does “I tell you what?” convey in your native dialect?
I’m from the Midwest and it means the same to me that it does to you.
It’s pronounced “Teh yuh whut…”
Agreed, another Midwesterner here, and “I tell you what” is followed by some kind of offer or plan.
I’m from the north of England and “tell you what” is usually followed by a proposition or plan, too.
I’m from New York and it means the same to me.
(Chicagoland checking in.) I’m familiar with four versions. They’re almost all conversational fillers, and can’t be taken out of context with the real information in the exchange.
There’s the matter of fact, “I tell you what,” that precedes an offer or plan, and the tone of the phrase is a steady decline. “I tell you what…you pick the kids up from school and I’ll start dinner.”
Then there’s the request for attention. This one is usually said slower and the stress and pitch increase at “what”. It’s also the most likely to take the form of a drawl. “I tell you what…the Bears are gonna whip the Seahawks but good tomorrow!” It’s semantically the same as “Hey, hey, listen to me now.”
Closely related is the use that just means “I agree” or “yes”, unless it means “I disagree” or “I have doubts.” Only tone of voice and expression can make this one clear. This one *can *sometimes stand alone, because body language tells you what it means. “Hey Jim, you think the Bears got a chance tomorrow?” “I tell you what, Bob.” You don’t know what that means in type, but in person you’d see Jim either pump his fist or shake his head sadly.
Fourth is for emphasis or command, generally is a reply to an excuse, and the stress is usually on “tell”, with a secondary stress on “what”. “I *tell *you what, you’re going to finish your homework before the game or you’re not going to join the party!”
I’m from the Mid Atlantic region and I use it before a proposition.
Hank Hill of Arlen, TX uses it for emphasis.
And when he uses it, sometimes it comes after the the thing he’s trying to emphsize. Like “The Dallas Cowboys are the best team in football, I’ll tell you what.”
Here in the South, we seem to also have WhyNot’s four versions. It could mean any of those.
I’ve heard it used this way in Cajun country as well.
It just stands for “I’ll tell you what I think.” So it can mean any of WhyNot’s four versions.
“I’ll tell you what I think we should do- you cook, I’ll clean up.”
“The Steelers are going to mutilate Baltimore today, I’ll tell (read: told) you what I think.”
“Do you think she’ll be on time?” “I’ll tell you what I think…no.”
“I’ll tell you what I think…I think Obama’s kinda tall.”
The first two of WhyNot’s forms correspond, respectively, to the “Midwest” and “Texas” forms in the OP. However, I wouldn’t characterize the “Texas” (which I guess is the primary version across the South) as a “request for attention,” as much as an emphasis as cuauhtemoc says. I think the people who use this form (self included) normally have enough space and comfort in their conversations that requesting attention isn’t necessary. Maybe if a Southerner is talking to a Chicagoan? It is staking out a position, though–maybe that’s a “request” for response if somebody feels differently.
Dang, I missed one!
BTW, I don’t think Hank Hill, or anyone I know, says “I’ll” here.
Maybe my brain is just filling in the contraction but as a midwestern boy I don’t think of it as I tell you what, it’s I’ll tell you what. I’d have to go find some recordings, though to verify. I’ll tell you what is said before a deal is offered. I tell you what is a general exclamation, usually with boy at the end and with a fake foghorn leghorn accent.
In the remote Midwest area where I grew up, the version of “I tell you what” added for emphasis was “Them Packers are the best team in football, I’m here to tell you,” but I’ve never heard anyone outside of that enclave use it. Sometimes the other person will add “I’m telling you,” in agreement.
My mother used to say, “I tell you what: let’s not, and say we did.”
I have a dear friend from North Carolina and he uses the phrase, “I’ll tell you what …” with the unspoken ‘I think’ not tacked on.
I don’t hear the phrase on the Canadian prairies all by itself - here it’s, “I’ll tell you what I’d do”, or, “I’ll tell you what I think …”.
Why the angst? Chalk the phrase down so being peculiar to a group of people /
regionalism, and move along - nothing to see here:)
an seanchai
Me however many - born and bred in southern Ontario.
Other end of England, and it means the same to me too. Often preceding a proposition that involves compromise, or maybe is (hoped by the speaker to be) a novel and satisfactory solution to something that is already in negotiation.