I read in the newspaper here in California that Prince William’s ex-girlfriend’s mother says “pardon?” instead of “what?” when she doesn’t understand what has been said to her. And that this is a “low class” kind of response.
I know that there are many differences between British English and American English, but “pardon?” or “pardon me?” is thought of as being much more polite than just saying “what?” here in the USA. Did my newspaper get this wrong?
Also when she met the Queen, she said, “Pleasure to meet you” and she was criticized for saying this because “everyone is pleased to meet the Queen”. Apparently she should have said, “Hello, ma’am”. Is this right?
I know this doesn’t answer you’re question, but everyone thinks our 2-year-old is the cutest thing because if he doesn’t understand you, he’ll say, “Pardon?” (Actually it sounds like “Pordon?”) They always praise him for being so polite. If you’re right maybe we’re setting him up to fail in British high society.
I was always taught that ‘Pardon?’ was the right way to do it and ‘What?’ was just common.
Incidentally, don’t believe any of this rubbish in the media. There’s no evidence that any of it is true.
As far as form goes, ‘Your Majesty’ is the correct form of address in the first instance, and “Ma’am” thereafter.
Probably because you were “well brought up”. In my experience, “high society” isn’t “well brought up” and acts most hedonistically. If you want to fit in, turn up in a messy suit having clearly made very little effort and refrain from faffing around trying to do the right thing. Also drink a lot.
(Needless to say, I am talking social occasions, not business ones)
This whole story of this woman supposedly being a victim of the legendary British class system seems to have been blown out of all proportions. Nobody knows who is supposed to have made the snide remarks - I suspect they came from the royal press pack themselves, who proceeded to get yards of newsprint out of them - and now we have foreign newspapers quoting our papers about how Mrs. Middleton is a bit common because she says “toilet” rather than “lavatory”. But they were just quoting the unknown gossipers, not expressing that opinion themselves. I hardly think that the blue collar Daily Mirror, for example, would make fun of somebody for being insufficiently posh.
Again, let me assure you that no one educated at a member of the Headmasters’ Conference will be using a word like ‘lavatory’ when ‘toilet’ will do.
I think that your papers have got things the wrong way round!
(Also, I don’t think Kate Middleton was exactly a chav - this may have been the problem, there’s noone that annoys decent people more than the noveau riche, and quite right too…)
“Pardon” or “excuse me” would be classed as being polite by the vast majority of the British public, and likewise “what” would be classed as being rude. The upper classes live in their own little worlds :rolleyes:
So that caustic skeve* on the car insurance commercial with the bad drive-thru speaker is just being an upper class Brit when she keeps screeching “WHAT?” at the guy she can’t understand?
Wow, that whole class warfare thing is really starting to make sense to me now.
This is not what I wanted to call her, but this is GQ after all.
That’s the way round that the Torygraph had it. But what do they know, middle England petit bourgoisie. I think you have a point though - I bet Prince William calls it the “crapper” or something.
There are a couole related principles at work here, according to Fussell’s Class. What I say below is my recollection of his thesis:
The upper class is self-assured and secure, seeing no need to impress others. Therefore, its members don’t use words that appear more “sophisticated” just for the purpose of appearing so. For example, they don’t say “cocktails”, they straightforwardly say “drinks”. They don’t say “limo” or “limousine”, they say “car”, though they may well mean what the middle class calls a limousine. Similarly, “driver” and not “chauffeur”, and “what” instead of “pardon”.
Apart from Fussell I’ve read that “pardon” for “what” is considered too servile and makes the speaker seem inferior.