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[Charles Doyle]

(Sorry about that mis-posting.)

Charlie



---- Original message ----
>Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:37:05 -0400
>From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> (on behalf of Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>)
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
>---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Damn!  Well, I AM, after all, an absentminded professor . . . .
>
>:^)
>
>
>
>---- Original message ----
>>Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:51:26 -0400
>>From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> (on behalf of Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>)
>>Subject: Hollywood and "SIR!"
>>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>
>>---------------------- 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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>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org