|
What Do You Know About 'You
Know?' |
In the film Caddyshack, American actor Bill Murray plays
a golf caddy. He carries golf clubs for other people and
offers them advice on how to play the sport.
At one point in the film, Murray tells an outrageous
story. He claims to have traveled to the Himalayas and
helped the Dalai Lama play golf. After one game, Murray
says he asked the Tibetan spiritual leader for money.
Here are a few lines from the movie.
"So we finish 18 and he's gonna stiff me. And I say,
'Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something? You know,
for the effort, you know.’ And he says, 'Oh, uh, there
won't be any money. But when you die, on your deathbed,
you will receive total consciousness.'"
Today, we will not explore the world of golf. Instead,
we will consider the meaning of two words: you know. You
heard them used twice in our example.
We will show you how and why Americans use this
expression. You might be surprised to learn how "you
know" has many uses.
Acknowledgement markers
If you listen to Americans as they speak, you will often
hear them say "you know" in strange places in a
sentence. You might hear it at the beginning, middle, or
end of a sentence.
When Americans say "you know," they might mean it in a
literal sense, as in the following:
"Do you know that person?"
"Yes, I know him."
However, today we are talking about how English speakers
use "you know" in other ways. These include social uses,
such as saying "you know" to soften the meaning of a
statement.
Language experts have a term for such an expression: an
"acknowledgement marker."*
You do not need to worry about the term now. Just
remember that English speakers choose some words for
social uses. They mean more than the individual words
suggest.
Do not fear: we will clarify these points by giving you
examples from popular culture.
"You know" in social situations
"You know" gives other people the idea that you have
some kind of shared knowledge with them. People use it
to show that they have a common understanding.
Sometimes people use an acknowledgment marker because
they want to know if you agree with them. Other times,
they use it as a way to fill spaces in a conversation or
discussion. Saying "you know" gives the speaker time to
think of what to say next.
The context tells you which of these purposes "you know"
serves.
Example #1
Let's study an example. Think back to the line from
Caddyshack:
“And I say, 'Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little
something? You know, for the effort, you know.’”
Here, Murray is asking for a tip – a small payment. When
Murray says "you know" before and after the words "for
the effort," he is suggesting that the Dalai Lama knows
he has worked hard.
Murray uses "you know" to offer a suggestion. He does
not want to ask for money directly. He wants to improve
his chances of getting the tip by using indirect
language.
Murray's caddy could have simply said, "Can you give me
a tip for helping you?" Such a direct question would be
considered disrespectful in American culture.
Example #2
Let's look at another example. Consider this exchange
from the 1994 film, Leon The Professional.
- "My parents died in a car accident four weeks ago. It
was terrible."
- "You know, we didn't have the time to get to know one
another when you first came here. But I want you to know
that I'm not the kind of woman who'd let down a child,
whatever her situation, whatever her mistake.
Here, the second speaker begins her sentence with "you
know." In this situation, she wants to gain the trust of
the young girl.
She begins her sentence with "you know" so that it gives
the girl the idea that they have a connection. She wants
to give her new information, but she also wants to make
her words sound familiar. She also wants to improve her
chances of a positive response from the young girl.
Example #3
Here is one final example. Imagine two people are
staying late at work. One person might tell another
person they need to go.
She might say:
"Hey, Jane, you know, the last train leaves in 15
minutes!"
Here the speaker is presenting information about the
train, as if it is known information. Jane probably does
not know that the train is leaving soon. But her
coworker wants to soften the statement by using language
that suggests she does know that the train is leaving.
History and "you know"
The term "you know" is not a new form of slang. "You
know" has a long history, according to John McWhorter, a
language expert.
He says that English speakers have long used words and
expressions such as "you know."
McWhorter points to lines in Geoffrey Chaucer's
Canterbury Tales as an example. Chaucer wrote the now
famous work in the 14th century.
In the Knight's Tale, the character Emily says the words
"thou woost."
The word "thou" later became "you" as the English
language changed over time. "Woost" is the verb that
eventually became "know." McWhorter notes that "thou
woost" was the 14th century version of the modern-day
"you know."*
What can you do?
The next time you are listening to an English speaker,
try to find examples of "you know." How often does the
person use those words? Why do you think they are using
them?
You should be careful about using "you know." Sometimes
English learners become nervous and use "you know" too
often. This overuse of "you know" means that they do not
practice using other expressions or vocabulary.
The point of today's story was to show you how English
speakers use certain words and expressions for social
uses. There are many others – which we can explore in
another Everyday Grammar program.
-"You know, I think we should end our report now."
-"Ok – I think you are right."
I'm Jill Robbins.
And I'm John Russell.
John Russell wrote this story for Learning English.
George Grow was the editor.
*McWhorter, John. Words on the Move: Why English Won't –
and Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally). Henry Holt and
Co. 2016. Pg. 34 |
|
