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Perhaps more interesting that less than sufficiently careful research
is the development of a replacement for 'you're welcome' that I've
noticed, especially among serving people (at least in the Detroit area,
but I suspect it's more widespread):<br>
<br>
Not a problem.<br>
<br>
which seems to be displacing 'you're welcome' in contexts such as these:<br>
<br>
[busboy refills water glass]<br>
Me: Thanks<br>
Busboy: Not a problem.<br>
<br>
While I can construct an appropriate pragmatic pathway for this
development, it's gone beyond anything (etymologically) appropriate and
now seems simply to be the response to 'thanks'.<br>
<br>
Geoff
<pre>-- </pre>
Geoffrey S. Nathan <geoffnathan@wayne.edu>
Faculty Liaison, Computing and Information Technology,</geoffnathan@wayne.edu>
<p>and Associate Professor of English, Linguistics Program</p>
<p>Phone Numbers (313) 577-1259 or (313) 577-8621</p>
<p>Wayne State University</p>
<p>Detroit, MI, 48202
</p>
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