Hollywood and "SIR!"

[Bill Palmer]

"Sir, Yes Sir"  is not heard in the U.S. Navy, or at least it wasn't
practiced during my career, 1959-1985.  On various amphibious ships, I spent
a lot of time with the Marine Corps and, in Vietnam, with the Army, and I
don't recall ever hearing it.

Maybe it's done in USMC boot camp. Or maybe, as you suggest, it's a
Hollywood affectation.

I did hear the occasional "a_HOO_ah"...exclusively from Marines.

Bill Palmer

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan Lighter" <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 6:51 PM
Subject: Hollywood and "SIR!"


> ---------------------- Information from the mail
> header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Hollywood and "SIR!"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Some years ago  I began to notice that movies about the Vietnam War were
> starting to represent enlisted troops in the field as addressing or
> responding to commissioned officers with the barked word "SIR!"  This was
> notably the case in _We Were Soldiers_ (2002), set in 1965.
>
> I don't recall _ever_ hearing this ultra-hearty intonation in earlier
> films
> about World War II, Korea, or even Vietnam.
> Nor can I recall reading any comment to the effect that it was current. In
> basic training, maybe, or at West Point.  But elsewhere?
>
> My suspicion is that this "SIR! Yes, SIR!" is a latter-day (circa
> 1990?) affectation, though I wouldn't be surprised to find that movies
> have
> reinforced it.  ("HOO-ah!" and "OO-rah!" both seem to post-date Vietnam as
> well: they were discussed here a few years ago.)
>
> Wilson, Bill, Jim, Dave, et al. What say you?
>
>
> JL
>
>
> --
> "There You Go Again...Using Reason on the Planet of the Duck-Billed
> Platypus"
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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