[lit-ideas] Re: "Bless you" (Was: "_God_ bless you")

 
 
In a message dated 7/30/2004 1:48:06 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
Dear  Straight Dope Dude:
Why do we say "nothing to sneeze at?"  

----
 
What Geary fails to respond to is the obvious ellipsis, from "_God bless  
(subjunctive) you" to "Bless you". In Amish Country, the explanation is readily 
 
available, "God" is _never_ mentioned in colloquial speech, and they rather 
have  broken grammar than sacrilege. It's less easy to explain in _other_ less  
religious areas.
 
W. Marston has an issolect for that, noting the dialectal variance between  
'God bless you' -- as a reply to 'Atchoo', and the elliptical 'Bless you', and  
noted it corresponds to the so-called 'Bible Belt'.
 
Yet another case where Linguistics Meets Religion.
 
Another case is the Amish expression, "Oh my", short for "Oh my _God_".  
There may be others. It's never Jesus or Saint Mary that gets deleted, but 
upper  
case letter "God" only.
 
Cheers,
 
JL

 


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