Thank you for having me (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Jonathan Lighter]

Environment has/ had nothing to do with it.

"You're welcome!" means you're welcome to whatever it is you've just thanked
me for. In other words, "No thanks are necessary!"

Of course, Inglish speakers may well be thinking that "welcome" means only
what it says on a doormat and have been avoiding the polite expression
largely for that reason.

By 2026, it'll be a hearty "Whatev!"

JL

On Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 10:28 AM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Thank you for having me (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Aren't you bothered by the lack of relevance of "you're welcome" to
> the notion of being thanked? If someone is thanking me for something I
> did, my first thought shouldn't be to tell that person, possibly
> falsely, that they I am happy for them to be in my immediate
> environment, should it?
>
> Like "no problem", it's just a convention, and one without direct meaning.
>
> DanG
>
> On Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 9:58 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC
> <Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> > Subject:      Re: Thank you for having me (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > Caveats: NONE
> >
> > I was always taught that "you're welcome" is the gracious way to say
> > "you're welcome".  But this is less bothersome to me than being told "no
> > problem" when telling someone "thank you."
> >
> >
> >>
> >> There is nothing "smarmy" about this phrase. It is a gracious way so
> >> say "you're welcome."
> >>
> >>
> >> >I'd like to nominate "Thank you for having me"
> >> >for smarmy expression of the year.
> >> >
> >> >
> > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > Caveats: NONE
> >
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