Newsgroups: soc.culture.esperanto,sci.lang,alt.uu.lang.misc,eunet.politics,soc.culture.europe,alt.politics.europe.misc,talk.politics.european-union
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!udel!news.mathworks.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!williamb
From: williamb@netcom.com (richard belcher)
Subject: Re: "long time no see"
Message-ID: <williambDMnt97.KJz@netcom.com>
Followup-To: soc.culture.esperanto,sci.lang,alt.uu.lang.misc,eunet.politics,soc.culture.europe,alt.politics.europe.misc,talk.politics.european-union
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL1]
References: <4bk4cv$mdk@globe.indirect.com> <4elrud$se8@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk> <SDLEE.96Jan31185842@champion.cs.hku.hk> <4f12m6$654@bronze.lcs.mit.edu> <4f18fb$mce@news.ccit.arizona.edu>
Distribution: inet
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 11:00:43 GMT
Lines: 21
Sender: williamb@netcom6.netcom.com

Hung J Lu (hlu@aruba.ccit.arizona.edu) wrote:
: In article <4f12m6$654@bronze.lcs.mit.edu>,
: Seth Gordon <sethg@bronze.lcs.mit.edu> wrote:
: >"Long time no see" is a common phrase in US dialects of English (at least,
: >the dialects that I've heard, which are in New England and Chicago).
: >Did we get it from the HK dialect, or did you get it from us, or what?

: As I understand, it came from Chinese English.
: Just as "walkman" came from Japanese English.
 Robert MacNeil in the PBS special "English" (or whatever it was called) 
said that phrases like "Long Time No See" and several others come from 
the pidgin English that was used between American Indians and fur 
trappers in the American West during the early 1800's there are several 
other examples that escape me at the moment that he cited.

Richard
-- 
  People just don't seem to gavotte and mazurka with the spirit and grace 
that they used to.
                                          Richard Belcher
                                          williamb@netcom.com

