On 25.09.18 20:19, Brian wrote: > On Tue 25 Sep 2018 at 14:08:23 -0500, Nicholas Geovanis wrote: > > > Brian wrote: Note to non-English speakers....natural English politeness > > will get you a nod of the head but there will be incomprehension > > in the mind > > > > That also works with Americans who are native English speakers, that same > > mute incomprehension. I think that works with Australians too...... :-) > > Americans? Are you referring to the ones who live in Patagonia? > > Are Australians native English speakers?
That depends. Youth less so¹, I find, but those of us who had the benefit of schoolteachers who were educated prior to WWII retain a certain mastery of English - even realising that it once had a grammar. But back to coaches; here they are only sports coaches. Any other connotation will whistle over the head of an Aussie, unless you put "stage-" in front, to trigger recollection of wild west movies. ¹ Now the young resort to a tautological pidgin indistinguishable from A-mayorkhan, complete with major disregard for singular/plural and many other grammatical niceties. (I thought Socrates had made a similar complaint, but it was more general, it seems.) Erik
