"My late father-in-law, who lived to be 104 and was a veteran of the Dunkirk evacuation and the north Africa war, would inevitably respond to the question How are you? (Letters, 23 December) with an enigmatic Surviving. That's the name of the game. The dialogue is now used regularly by members of the family in fond memory of his fortitude. Ray Woodhams Cawthorne, South Yorkshire"
"Re the unwanted health inquiry, as someone in my ninth decade, I've taken to asking How long have you got? Roger Wilkinson Leasgill, Cumbria When my friends ask me how I am, I always reply No better. The alternative, often deployed by my friend Alan, is Bad as I am, better than you. John Young Monkswood, Monmouthshire Many years ago"
"when living in the East Midlands I learned that Not so bad meant you were fine, Not so good meant that you were quite poorly, and Pretty middling meant that you were unlikely to last the night. Florence Challands London As the ageing 81-year-old daughter of an Aberdonian parent, my response to How are you? is I'm haudn thegither. Sadly, living in North Yorkshire, this often requires translation to I'm holding together. Jennifer Williamson Richmond, North Yorkshire"
A series of brief responses to the question 'How are you?' illustrate wit, resilience and regional speech. Examples include laconic replies such as 'Surviving', 'How long have you got?', 'No better', and 'Still above ground.' Several contributions show dialectal expressions like 'I'm haudn thegither' (I'm holding together) and Yorkshire turns such as 'Fair to miserable' or 'Nobbut middling.' Anecdotes reference longevity and wartime service as context for stoic brevity. Some lines invert sympathy into humour, for example 'Bad as I am, better than you.' The overall tone ranges from affectionate remembrance to sardonic humour.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]