wasder., you really neeed to learn how to google!!!!
Gesundheit is the German and Yiddish word for health. When a person sneezes, German, Yiddish, and North American English speakers typically say Gesundheit! to wish them good health, serving much the same purpose as “bless you” in English or “À vos souhaits!” (or “À tes souhaits!” in informal situations) in French. The expression arrived in America with early German immigrants, such as the Pennsylvania Dutch, and doubtless passed into local English usage in areas with substantial German-speaking populations.[1] The expression is first widely attested in American English as of 1910, about the time when large numbers of Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jews immigrated to the United States. The correct Yiddish pronunciation is gezunterheyt ×’×¢×–×•× ×˜×¢×¨×”×™×™×˜. The expression also has been known to mean “Bless You” in some cultures
THL, I’m also an agnostic, which I thought was probably the reason it seems so silly and “Pavlovian”, as you said. Excuse me and thank you make sense to me.
Yes What, its a real mystery why brownstoner didn’t post a queens crime story on a brooklyn blog. No doubt part of the great conspiracy that you understand but everyone else is too stupid to see.
I always say it. I was taught that it was good manners and it’s ingrained. I’m agnostic so it’s definitely not about religion. It’s just a Pavlovian response.
Don’t worry about it too much, the use of “excuse me” and “thank you” have fallen off the radar so I’m sure this will be going buh-bye soon enough as well.
Biff – do you look like you’ve got bubonic plague?
wasder., you really neeed to learn how to google!!!!
Gesundheit is the German and Yiddish word for health. When a person sneezes, German, Yiddish, and North American English speakers typically say Gesundheit! to wish them good health, serving much the same purpose as “bless you” in English or “À vos souhaits!” (or “À tes souhaits!” in informal situations) in French. The expression arrived in America with early German immigrants, such as the Pennsylvania Dutch, and doubtless passed into local English usage in areas with substantial German-speaking populations.[1] The expression is first widely attested in American English as of 1910, about the time when large numbers of Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jews immigrated to the United States. The correct Yiddish pronunciation is gezunterheyt ×’×¢×–×•× ×˜×¢×¨×”×™×™×˜. The expression also has been known to mean “Bless You” in some cultures
I remember going over cultural mores with a new Taiwanese labmate who ended up “blessing” a serial burper in our lab.
Who can translate “gezunteit”?
i try to say it a lot. sometimes i will even get upset when i sneeze and i don’t get a bless you! or at least a guzoomtight!
*r*
THL, I’m also an agnostic, which I thought was probably the reason it seems so silly and “Pavlovian”, as you said. Excuse me and thank you make sense to me.
Yes What, its a real mystery why brownstoner didn’t post a queens crime story on a brooklyn blog. No doubt part of the great conspiracy that you understand but everyone else is too stupid to see.
Biff,
I always say it. I was taught that it was good manners and it’s ingrained. I’m agnostic so it’s definitely not about religion. It’s just a Pavlovian response.
Don’t worry about it too much, the use of “excuse me” and “thank you” have fallen off the radar so I’m sure this will be going buh-bye soon enough as well.
What the hell does any of this mean?