Pundit
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 4, 2007
- 3,733
- 123
I think this is mainly an American corruption.Tanzanians being from the Commonwealth will particularly be sensitive to this.America is dumbing down everything, there was a time when CCN used rich and presentable diction, now it seems, at least in the US version, they are dumbing it down to attract ratings.
The entire laisez-faire culture, starting with dressing down to work - some parts of the wild west, especially in the valley, a sure way of saying "I am a butler, a chauffer or somebody equally low in the food chain" is dressing up to work- to butchering the English language (e.g "look!") etc etc.
It is arguable that the American "hey" is an evolved "hi" incubated especially in the south and spread all over,a folksy attempt at closeness, informality and familiarity and closer to Outkast's "Hey Ya" than Pink Floyd's "Hey You".
But it all rests on the tone, there is nothing folksy about an NRA redneck shouting "Hey you, over there" and pointing his gun at you, or anything remotely similar to that.
So it all depends on who is using it, what tone is used, and what follows it.
The entire laisez-faire culture, starting with dressing down to work - some parts of the wild west, especially in the valley, a sure way of saying "I am a butler, a chauffer or somebody equally low in the food chain" is dressing up to work- to butchering the English language (e.g "look!") etc etc.
It is arguable that the American "hey" is an evolved "hi" incubated especially in the south and spread all over,a folksy attempt at closeness, informality and familiarity and closer to Outkast's "Hey Ya" than Pink Floyd's "Hey You".
But it all rests on the tone, there is nothing folksy about an NRA redneck shouting "Hey you, over there" and pointing his gun at you, or anything remotely similar to that.
So it all depends on who is using it, what tone is used, and what follows it.