[Grammar] Native speaker would say "Long time no see"?

[EngFan]

Dear all,

I was wondering if native english speaker would say "long time no see", a part of people say it is a chinglish, but this phrase can be found in dictionaries, please advise.

EngFan

 

[Ouisch]

"Long time no see" is very common in AmE. :-D

 

[Rover_KE]

"Long time no see" is very common in AmE. :-D

. . .and very common in BE.

Rover

 

[SanMar]

"Long time no see" is very common in AmE. :-D

Very common in Canada as well.

Hey stranger, long time no see.

Not a teacher.

 

[TheParser]

Dear all,

I was wondering if native english speaker would say "long time no see", a part of people say it is a chinglish, but this phrase can be found in dictionaries, please advise.

EngFan

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, EngFan:


(1) You say: "Please advise."

(2) Therefore, I advise that you not use this phrase -- especially

to Asian people. Many of them would consider it an insult. They

would think that you were mocking their language or their use of the

English language.

(3) This is only my opinion (at least one moderator admonished me

for making generalizations without stating it was only my opinion).

(4) If you visit the United States, you will -- in my opinion -- have

to be super sensitive with the words that you use in order not to

hurt anyone's feelings. Someone once said that you can forgive

somebody who physically hits you but that it very difficult to forgive

someone who insults you. Words are powerful.


James

 

[5jj]

(2) Therefore, I advise that you not use this phrase -- especially to Asian people. Many of them would consider it an insult. They would think that you were mocking their language or their use of the English language.
[...]

(4) If you visit the United States, you will -- in my opinion -- have to be super sensitive with the words that you use in order not to hurt anyone's feelings.

TheParser generally gives sound advice, but I disagree with him on this point. 'Long time no see' is a common and acceptable expression in most dialects of English, and most, probably all, native speakers consider it to be natural English. In the unlikely event of a person from Asia considering it to be insulting, I should simply explain that it was not.

As for super-sensitivity about words, I would not worry too much. A non-native speaker might occasionally use a word or expression that native speakers consider inappropriate; however, most native speakers would accept that this was an innocent mistake, and provide the more acceptable word or expression.

 

[SoothingDave]

I wouldn't think of Asians with this phrase. It's not like "No ticky, no laundry" or "Me love you long time."

 

[BobK]

The original expression is so common in Br Eng that it is possible to vary the verb - I've heard both 'long time no write' and 'long time no hear'. (These variations are as informal as the original - if not more so.)

b

 

[Raymott]

I wouldn't think of Asians with this phrase. It's not like "No ticky, no laundry" or "Me love you long time."

Yes, but surely that's because the phrase has become so popular. If "Me love you long time" had become the vogue, people wouldn't think of Asians either when they heard it.

In any case, wikipedia says this:
"Long time no see" is an English expression used as a greeting by people who have not seen each other for a while. It is vested in an unconventional grammatical garb, and is an imitation of broken or pidgin English.[1] It may derive ultimately from an English pidgin such as that spoken by Native Americansor Chinese."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_time_no_see

 

[5jj]

Whatever its possible ultimate derivation, it is now a natural English expression, used as such by native speakers.

 

[konungursvia]

Agreed. I don't think any reasonable person would find it mocks any identifiable group.