When I was doing my synthesis program I had a hell of a time getting [n] to not sound like [y].
Ogged: She's new, right?
Him: No, she's used, but she was in almost mint condition. Got an amazing deal on eBay.
6: True, but that would just confuse people.
Depending on how long ago you worked with him, he might have heard you correctly. After all, toddlers aren't exactly "new" children.
Remarkably composed of him, I think.
Kinda cold-fishish of him, no? He's tousling the hair of the little girl in his cart and assumes that I just asked if she's his? And then answers straight? I expect better!
You didn't say anything about hair-tousling.
No, I think you're right. If he was genuinely taken aback, that seems paranoid to me. What was he, wearing a clown suit?
So what were you getting at with "Is she new?" Something along the lines of "How old is she?"
"Is she new" = "You didn't have her when we were working together, did you?" = "Talk about your kid."
"She's new, right?" means "She didn't exist the last time I saw you, right?"
If he was genuinely taken aback, that seems paranoid to me.
Everyone knows Persians kidnap children to sell into slavery.
He may have been confused at first but then thought "well sure, she could be my niece or something".
And then thought "Of course Ogged would not assume she is my own daughter, he comes from a culture of extended families and it taking a village and whatnot."
"extended families" s/b "child brides"
15: Well, if O had said 'fresh,' I could maybe understand. Or if he knew O's recent romantic history, and assumed that O had forgotten how the whole procreation/family ties thing happens.
Or if I'd pointed at the kid and said "deli counter?"
Counter? I hardly know her.
The proper etiquette, you uncouth immigrant, is to ask, "and who's this?" Preferably in a bright, chirpy voice; baby talk optional.
He seems to have already been introduced to the daughter when he asked the question.
21: optional? baby talk should be felonious.
That's why I said you don't have to use it, DUH.
21: But what if Ogged had in fact met her before, but didn't remember, and the ex-coworker clearly remembered that Ogged had seen the child before? Is it still proper etiquette to pull out the "and who is this" line?
Maybe this asymmetry of memory would be unlikely, but still, its not foolproof, right?
The proper etiquette, you uncouth immigrant, is to ask,
"How much do you want for her?"
Soon after we brought our newest home from th hospital a neighbor asked my beloved if she'd planned our daughter. My beloved said "yes." I later told her she should have said "Planned? It isn't even Benton's!"
Doesn't seem like an unreasonable response to me.
"She's new, right?" (I didn't know you had a kid)
"She's mine, yes." (I do)
"Oooh, what a cute kid! Where did you get it? It looks sort of Rumanian, is that where it came from? Which service did you use?"
25: Having a bad memory for anything I haven't read, I always say to the child, "How are YOU doing?" -- in baby talk, of course. This usually prods the parent into making the intro.