Re: Phrase 'Good morning to you'

Molly Mockford wrote:
> At 13:30:48 on Thu, 27 Oct 2005, Tony Mountifield
> <tony@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
> <djqkq8$epp$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>
>> In article <uA38f.138702$G8.72902@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
>> MS <matthews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>
>>> Has anyone else noticed the rise of 'good morning to you' in BBC
>>> broadcasting? Can anyone explain why it seems to be replacing the
>>> perfectly adequate 'good morning' and why 'good evening to you' has
>>> not also been adopted?
>>
>> I hadn't noticed (probably don't watch enough TV), but the version
>> with "to you" sounds to my ears like some combination of slightly
>> upper-class, rural and 40-50 years ago.
>
> IIRC, "Good Morning To You" was a little song written by a couple of
> American ladies quite some years ago but still in copyright, which is
> why it can actually be illegal to sing "Happy Birthday To You" (which
> is based on it and uses the same tune) in certain circumstances.
>
> If the stress is on the "to you", I would consider this usage as
> American; if it is more of a weak "t'you" added at the end, it sounds
> more Irish. But I've never heard this on the BBC either.

Not just recent and not just the BBC. This isn't the same example as quoted
by Molly (the scasion's different) but many decades ago Judy Garland sang

"Good mornin', good mornin'!
We've danced the whole night through,
good mornin', good mornin' to you."

In this example the "to you" is definitely stressed.


--
Mike Stevens
narrowboat Felis Catus II
Web site www.mike-stevens.co.uk

No man is an island. So is Man.



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