Rainy Friday snark-check
Okay, friends on the internets...
What is your opinion of native English-speakers who throw around "ciao" when they are:
a) not in Italy
b) not living with an Italian-speaker
c) not in a movie ?
I need help figuring out whether my snark is aimed at a fair target, or if I'm just hitting my threshold in an irritable, unpredictable week. I imagine that I might say "Tschüß!" to a fellow German-speaker very occasionally when I'm home stateside, but I won't go saying it to everyone, right?
posted by Wabes @ 3/13/2009 02:27:00 PM
9 Comments:
with irony, it's fine; without, if it's used by someone i already like, i'll look the other way. if someone i already don't like uses it? damnable!
i like your hierarchy of annoyance, here. i'm definitely feeling the damnable today. i'll tell you someday about German store clerks and the coolness factor with ciao, too.
i also think you should be able to say it at least a few times if you own a vespa, in retrospect. that counts as a free pass, but maybe just the first time you take off on said vespa.
see, in that context i would just be tempted to say "vespa" in a perfume-commercial whisper and then ride away, sweeping my mystery with me.
hmm, yeah, i think i'm with lauren on this one. in our house, we throw around italian phrases all the time (so do we fall under b or no?), and we still don't really use ciao.
it's way worse, though, when people use it in email and actually write "chow." no, seriously. i've seen it done.
i want a vespa.
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This is acceptable. Everything else? Not so much. But I reserve the right to say Tschuss whenever the hell I want. :)
Actually, based on this discussion, may I suggest you all look up "ciao" on urbandictionary.com.
Sample definition:
an italian loan word meaning goodbye. if said by anyone who isn't from italy, it actually means, i think i'm better than you and act pretentious all the time because i think i'm much more interesting than i am. it usually is an invitation to punch them in the face before they leave so long as it isn't used ironically.
I think it becomes a bit difficult to forgive when doubled up (i.e. "ciao ciao"). The double "ciao" can be pretentious when used by a non-Italian speaker. (Apologies if this takes the consideration to a whole other level...)
The single "ciao" is forgivable.
ciao ciao makes me think of the dog breed. i'd agree that it's less forgivable.
i should get everyone to weigh in on the german desire to add an -i to everything. "bis dann-i" is probably my favorite...
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