Teen News: Just a simple "Hello" So as I was writing this entry, I got an IM from my friend who amazingly put forth the same question as I was writing about it. Twas an insanely cosmic moment.
That said, here is my/our question...
Why is it that when you say "Hello" to cleaning people or any other behind-the-scenes employees in a work setting, their reply is almost always "OK"?.
At first I thought maybe it's because they're expecting you to ask "How ya doing?"
My friend postulates that it has to do with their accustomedness to being asked to do something, and the "OK" response is already loaded in the ol' verbal torpedo tube and ready to fire, so out it comes!
I think he's right. After all, it's usually spoken as a response to a command, as in...
"Hey Phil, could you go upstairs and fix that hole in the floor?
"OK".
My favorite aspect of this phenom is how, inflection-wise, you always get a high-O and a low-K, if that makes any sense.
Try it where you work, and let me know what happens.
But remember, DON'T accidentally ask "How are you?".
