Comments on: “I Have A Question.”

By: Josh

Josh — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:21:13 +0000

Patrick: Good point, I suppose I could ask those things. More habits, on my part: the pizza places I order from, I’ve been ordering from forever, and so I generally know what I want, when they close, etc. So 99% of the time, when I call, I’m ready to place my order. But still, good point.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:31:00 +0000

Accutly with the pizza thing you could ask them “What time do you close?” Or Where are you located, and directions how to get there. Cause I have called and asked them those questions before. So really the “Hi, I would like to place an order” isn’t necessarily garbage talk.

The caller ID thing, well unless you are in a habit of looking at it. I wound’t go past saying that it has become your habit to just say that when you pick up the phone at work. Just like everyone saying, Hi, whenever you pickup the phone.

By: Josh

Josh — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:33:59 +0000

Zeitlos: See, I’d end up doing the same thing if I had to think – is this a colleague, a big boss, a client? We don’t have caller ID on the phone at the reference desk, and so I answer it the same way regardless of who it is.

By: Zeitlos

Zeitlos — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:15:54 +0000

I work in a really huge company, so I use to say my full name – when I make a call AND if i answer it. Sometimes I forget to. So I pick up the phone and simply say “Hi!”. Of course there is always one of the big bosses at the other end of the line or some customer from Hong Kong or wherever.
And although I can see the name of the caller, if it is an in-house call from a colleague, I sometimes answer the phone with: “Company XY, This Zeitlos, Good Morning, how can I help you?” I guess, some of my co-workers think i’m an idiot.

By: Josh

Josh — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:13:59 +0000

Tom: I must admit, I suffer from the “sorry” thing. My family has actually called me on it a few times – “Stop saying sorry for everything!”

Whoever the person was, he or she sounds interesting.

I agree that some of these expressions are good for breaking the ice, but sometimes it goes over the top. See my example below about pizza places.

Joshua: I could be wrong, but I believe when you sent me those SG-1 DVDs, there was no letter, just a note, and it did not begin with Dear Josh.

Nils: I just learned a new word (phatic), thanks. And yes, if someone called the reference desk and started out by saying “Hi, are you present and listening to me?”, I’d probably think they were a bit off their rocker.

Fig: Reading your story made me realize I do (almost) the same thing when ordering pizza. Here’s how it usually goes:

Pizza place: Hi, [name of Pizza Joint], may I help you?
Me: Yes, I’d like to place an order.

What else would I be calling a pizza place for? A taxi? Things like this and the “I have a question” are the expressions that, when I notice them, make me cringe. Even when I’m the one uttering them. However, while they state the rather obvious, I think Tom, Joshua and Nils are all right in that if I called Papa John’s and immediately said, “I want a large pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms, and my address is [address]“, they’d think I was a jerk. They’re superfluous when it comes to information, but they still serve a purpose.

By: fig

fig — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:55:27 +0000

Around here, when calling to order a pizza, the person answering the phone at the pizza ordering “desk” always says “Name of Pizza Joint, may I help you?”

I find the may I help you to be rather superfluous. However, I say, without fail, “I’d like to order a pizza.”

Of course, I could also be calling to order anything else on the menu.

One day I’m going to ask a question totally unrelated to making an order from a pizza joint. Like, for a bus schedule. Or I’m going to say “Yes! I need help moving.”

By: Nils Geylen

Nils Geylen — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:15:14 +0000

I suppose these are the phatic elements of speech. They don’t mean anything, but they have a function: to check the channel of communication. Is this working, are you hearing me, is this channel open and are you listening to me. We could just say exactly that but we’ll leave that to modems But granted, some people can be too insecure about this and come across very stilted and elaborate.

By: Joshua J. Slone

Joshua J. Slone — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:12:53 +0000

“But I guess it’s meant to put people at ease with each other, the ice-breaking. Imagine getting that call at the library and having someone ask you a question directly… might almost sound like a command.”

Yeah, seems a simple social thing we learn and learn to expect. Like starting a letter with “Dear Suchandsuch”.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:11:07 +0000

Having met a very extraordinary individual, who was perhaps the most incredible person I’ve ever met, I have become aware of these kinds of things.

He’s made me aware of many issue, like, “centred on” and “revolved around” (I hear centred around all the time), “there is a man here to see you” (how can he be “there” but “here”). You don’t talk “about” something but anent it (regarding). It goes on. Another of these useless verbal assaults is the “sorry” phenomenon, where everyone is sorry for everything, especially stores when they don’t have something you want.

But yeah, I know exactly what you’re talking about. Thankfully I’ve managed to cut out much of these things thanks to this person I got to know for a few months.

It’s verbal pollution in a conversation and frustrating. But I guess it’s meant to put people at ease with each other, the ice-breaking. Imagine getting that call at the library and having someone ask you a question directly… might almost sound like a command.

I’m surprised that others have noticed this too (and also find it superfluous).