Long time no see: Difference between revisions
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{{wiktionary|long time no see}} |
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"'''Long time no see'''" is an English expression vested in an unconventional grammatical garb and used when people haven't seen each other for a while. Mostly used ironically. |
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==Origin== |
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It has been in British usage since the early 1900s, deriving from [[Far East]], more specifically [[Chinese Pidgin English|Chinese]], [[pidgin]], coming to the UK by way of the Merchant Service and reinforced by [[Royal Navy|the Royal Navy]]. In Cantonese, the phrase 好耐冇見 (jyutping: hou5 loi6 mou5 gin3) can be translated literally as "long time, no see." The lexicographer [[Eric Partridge]] notes that it is akin to the phrases "[[Chinese Pidgin English|no can do]]" and "[[chop chop (phrase)|chop chop]]".<ref>Eric Partridge Paul Beale, ''A dictionary of slang and unconventional English ''(Routledge ISBN 0415291895, 9780415291897) p. 1386.[http://books.google.com/books?id=tvRp1whVFUsC&pg=PA1386&dq=%22long+time+no+see%22&lr=&ei=EeXEStnDDIXiywTWvND1Aw#v=onepage&q=%22long%20time%20no%20see%22&f=false]</ref> |
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The [[North America]]n use of the phrase probably comes from the same source but has been strongly influenced by a couple of widely distributed popular anecdotes, see below. |
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There have been Chinese living and working up and down the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast of North America]] since at least [[the Gold Rush]] days of mid 1800s, and before, so Chinese-English pidgin would have abounded around the time the expression appeared. The influence of Native American Pidgins on [[British English]] is much less likely. |
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==Usage in fiction and television== |
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The 'OED New Supp.' cites the oldest use in literature in 1901 in ''31 Years on Plain'' by W.F. Drannan. |
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::When we rode up to him [an [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]]], he said: "Good mornin. Long time no see you". |
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It is also used in [[H. C. Witwer|Harry C. Witwer]]'s ''Love and Learn'', 1924 (p. 73). |
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More recently, Sir Humphrey makes a pun on this phrase in an episode of [[Yes Minister|Yes, Prime Minister]]: |
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::Peter Harding: Soames has been waiting for a bishopric for years. |
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::Sir Humphrey: Long time, no see. |
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- referring both to the phrase and to waiting a long time for an [[Episcopal see]], the seat of a Bishop. |
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==Notes== |
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<references/> |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Long Time No See (Phrase)}} |
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[[Category:English words and phrases of foreign origin]] |
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[[Category:Proverbs commonly attributed to be Chinese]] |
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Revision as of 20:50, 23 August 2010
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