Pardon?

[MothersGrim]

AIBU to not bother with the word "Pardon" for my young children? It seems like a generational thing to me but my parents and in laws correct my young children when they ask "What?"

I was just curious what the expectation is nowadays, should I be teaching them 'pardon'? Is it bad manners not to

DelicatePreciousThing1

For a English teacher im very "shocked" you could make such a mistake. Dear me

Wow. Weirder and weirder!

Exactly ego I don't think throwing in loo and sitting room is really going to cut it and you will come across like a right fucking twerp. I agree with Alexander Chancellor people who are still bothered by this nonsense in a world where language is constantly evolving are the only one's to be avoided and laughed at. Sorry supping champers . I like who I am and do not need to join some odd club - good luck to those faking it!

I teach my toddler to say pardon rather than what or huh it's just polite, not rude at all. Grunting huh at someone is rude to me, if u say pardon it is quite clear & polite that u have not understood something

I am very judgey about the use of the word pardon
A simple I'm sorry I didn't hear what you said, would you mind repeating it? Will do much better
For children
I'm sorry me what did you say?

I am very judgey about the use of the word pardon

Pardon means I'm sorry I didn't hear what you said, would you mind repeating it

It's just a lot shorter.

spaghetti is right in that traditionally working classes and upper classes had more language in common. It was the lower middle classes that introduced a lot more genteelisms. There are lots of crossovers.

Working class:
Front room
Toilet
What? / eh?
Settee / Couch (in a house)
Tea (at 5:30/6pm)
Supper (toast about 9pm)
Pudding

Lower middle:
Lounge (in a house) / family room
Toilet
Pardon / I beg your pardon
Couch / settee
Afternoon tea (4/5pm)
Dinner (evening meal)
Dessert / Afters

Middle class:
Living room / sitting room (seen as better)
Lounge (just in an airport)
Loo/ "ladies room" in restaurant
Sorry?
Sofa
Dinner (large evening meal)
Supper (normal evening meal - 7pm ish)
Pudding (occasionally "dessert")

Upper class
Drawing room / sitting room (depends which room)
Lounge (just in an airport)
Loo / bog / lavatory (pron lavutry)
What?
Sofa
Tea (sandwiches and tea about 4/5pm)
Dinner (large evening meal) - later -8pm
Supper (normal evening meal)
Pudding

There was a Horrible Histories sketch about this - when the Normans invaded, some people adopted the Norman language to 'fit in' with the invaders.

And that's when it all started,,,,

I cannot stand the word 'pardon' , never could, even as a child.
There was always some little kid going 'P'dn P'dn', made me cringe for some reason.

Wow, I'm astounded at the level of arrogant smugness in this thread.

All of you still living in the nineteenth century worrying about class distinctions, you do realise that following Brexit, the rest of Europe will be getting on with making the deals whilst your kids are still trying to work out whether to risk wearing the brown shoes?

I cannot stand the word 'pardon' , never could, even as a child

Why? What does it 'do' to you?

dont know Ego, I just cannot stand it. Sorry if that makes me 'arrogant' or 'smug' (I dont think it does in fact). Perhaps my mother had drummed it into me.

I mean obviously I wouldnt 'judge' the person who was saying it as being 'this' or 'that', other things about people are far more important arent they?

It's not a problem if you can't stand it.

It's a problem if you judge someone and treat them differently if someone does use it - but I'm sure you aren't one of those people.

Slight cross post there.

oh goodness no, its just a tiny thing and not very important in the greater scheme of things (eg if someone is kind, generous, easy to get on with, etc)

DelicatePreciousThing1

All the best people are...

I only say "I beg your pardon!" to children when I know damn well what they just said and that they shouldn't have said it!

I tend to say 'what?' or 'sorry?', I agree it's a class thing, though. Pardon is very new-money middle-class. Like serviette or settee.

Watching the English is a great book on this - the upper and working classes have much more in common than either do with the middle classes!

If I've farted though I say 'excuse me'

Whatpardonsorryeh?

Pardon is very new-money middle-class. Like serviette or settee

Who even thinks these things? Do you sit there and judge people for what they say and say 'gosh, they used ;pardon', they must be new money middle class'

I don't know anyone in RL who even thinks about that. Maybe I mix in the wrong circles.

It was the lower middle classes that introduced a lot more genteelisms
The evil bastards.

@user1471734618
I tend to judge people more on their ability to place the full stop, the capital letter and the apostrophe correctly...

It was the lower middle classes that introduced a lot more genteelisms

Do you think they had a meeting?

There's a lot of assumptions that people are being judgey in this thread - being able to tell something about someone's background from the way they speak (the same way as you can with accents) isn't the same as judging them for it.

DelicatePreciousThing - that is quite a crap thing to judge people on - what if they were dyslexic? does that make them a bad person?