Question tags must

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by banderas

Is it offensive for Canadians if people form other countries call you so? It might be, might it not? (I'd better use "right?").

Not that I'm aware of, Banderas. Is Yank(s)/Yankee(s) at all offensive to you, Ron?

[banderas]

Originally Posted by riverkid

Not that I'm aware of, Banderas. Is Yank(s)/Yankee(s) at all offensive to you, Ron?

Rest assured that Ron will answer you but as I know "Brit(s)" is slightly offensive for the British...

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by banderas

Rest assured that Ron will answer you but as I know "Brit(s)" is slightly offensive for the British...

I guess context/familiarity makes a big difference, Banderas. When I lived abroad
none of my Brit friends had any problem with it.

My friends and I had best friends that we all called "Wop", normally a derisive name and another we called "Spic" or "Spain".

The dictionaries describe these as "usually offensive" and there's no doubt that that's how they were used in the original way, but to us, and the friends that we used them on, there was never any offense whatsoever.

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by riverkid

Not that I'm aware of, Banderas. Is Yank(s)/Yankee(s) at all offensive to you, Ron?

Not particularly.

[Neillythere]

Hi banderas

My goodness! How fast this thread flies. I only posted my response 1st thing yesterday morning and we are up to post 14!

I guess my original response must be a British thing. I notice that all your other responses are from North America.

Many, many years ago, when working for a nationalised British company, I remember I used to add: "Right? OK?" automatically to the end of sentences. I must have been subconsciously trying to check whether the other person understood/agreed with what I had said. I must have picked up the habit from the many American companies I'd worked for previously. One of the die-hard Brits took exception to it and I had to consciously stop it. It's just like the British expression: "Y'know", which dates back to the days of "The Beatles".

With regards to the "Canucks" etc comments, I always use the term Brit. I suspect that the only "Brits" who may take offense might be the Scots, who can be intensely nationalistic - even to the point of (unlike the Welsh or Irish) provocatively wearing the opposing teams colours when England were playing World Cup soccer.

Over here, we also have CanIndians and CanArabs etc who have gained Canadian nationality by working over there for a few years. It entitles them to a "Western Expat" uplift on their basic salary that they wouldn't get otherwise (amomgst other passport-related benefits).

Best regards
NT