To have told SIL "no...NOT Pardon!"?

[MrsMushroom]

We're abroad with DHs family.

DD aged 4 didn't hear something SIL said.....DD said "What?" and SIL said "WHAT? WHAT??? I think you mean PARDON don't you?"

I HAD to say..."No...in England "what" is fine. Or If you prefer..."sorry, I didn't catch that."

Was I rude? I just don't want DD saying "Pardon" or even worse "P'don"

Oh and Merry Christmas everyone!

Never ever 'pardon', well, unless you're the Queen and pardon someone, ie, save them from the gallows.
My nanny would have washed any mouth, that dared to utter the ghastly 'pardon', with soap.

Panto, I'd just hit the gin tbh, then who gives a fuck what's said...

The Queen says "What?"

She also says "I can bloody well say what I want 'cos I'm the fucking Queen!"

"pardon" is lower middle class
"what" is either working or upper class
"sorry" is upper middle

and that's the end of it. There's no right or wrong, it's just another of those class signifiers, that's all.

Honest question: Why do some posters think that "Pardon" is so horrible? What is it that makes it so bad?

2 things. One is that it is short for , "I beg your pardom" = "I can't believe what you have just said"

And it's like 'myself' used instead of my - people use it because they think it sounds better when it is a different word / meaning.

Both seem non-specific and "lazy".
I never find myself saying either, as they don't really help the speaker understand what specifically it is that I've missed, misheard or misunderstood.

Frank I may have had a few glasses of buck's fizz already...

Not 'pardon'. YANBU.
Cn you say that again please?
Sorry, didn't catch that?
What di you say?

Or just plain 'What?'

Also, 'pardon' follows an inappropriate belch in our house

ROFL at 'ehhh?' with a rolly hanging out me mouth.

My boss is vair posh & always says what. It did surprise me when I first got the job but he does say it to everyone, including his family

Personally I say sorry (probably too much).

BTW according to forrin DH it's 'couch' not sofa/settee HTH.

I love how we are all on here on CD discussing language

Cold

I am from a very working class background and was always told 'what' was very rude and made a person sound dim. It was pardon or sorry. DH is middle class, private school etc and also says pardon. I don't care what the DC say as long as its not 'wot' to every question when. I know they have bloody heard!

MrsD

Well 'what' or not - I'm so dead common my kids are all on the xbox and my youungest (11) is half wearing his new onesie.

So this is the first totally relaxed Christmas where we're all doing exactly what we like!

And I like MN

What? what? what?

Dunno where I stand then. I say "Hah?"

Pardon sounds awful. That scene in Gladiator where Commodus is repeating "I PARDON you..." makes me cringe.

I don't think I have ever said pardon in my life.

Until this thread I thought Pardon or Sorry were the correct English RP things to say.

I don't care, but I get arsey if DC expect me to converse from other end of the house, which is what leads to all the "What" "Sorry" etc. comments.

I have never, ever heard this! Maybe because I'm lower middle class

I tend to say "sorry?" but I'm failing to see any marked difference between this and begging someone's pardon.

In the dictionary pardon says amongst other things:

a. sorry; excuse me
b. what did you say?

I'm sticking with sorry, it's safer!

Come to think of it, does it really matter in today's society. People say what they want , spell things how they want and do what they want regardless of other peoples feelings or ideals. It seems like there are no 'set' rules in life today :-(