Umm. "High Folks"...... Umm...... Ergh! I'm afraid Europeans shrink from such jocular familiarity- unless you know the people you are talking to, I think many of the passengers would be screwing their faces up in distaste (or fainting). Not to say it is offensive when the Americans do it- it is one of the things about being American everyone accepts (and quite likes), but not for Europeans. We are far more formal. The most formal of all are the Germans with 2 ways of addressing- intimate for children and close friends, and formal for everyone else. If you seduce a workmate, next day she will still be calling you 'Herr Fantastic"- even then christian names are not in order. Just been reading "Eagle's Wings" by Hajo Herrmann (excellent book), a Luftwaffe officer in the war. Right at the time of defeat, one of his superiors, right at the end says the equivalent of "Well that's torn it Hajo, we're ****ed", and he, instead of replying "Yeah- we're well and truly stuffed, aren't we?", he says "I do not wish to use the intimate form with the Herr General!". Formal to the end. So "Hi Folks"?- not over here!
Irish- it always grates with me when people 'welcome' you everywhere. You can welcome people to your home or your home country, but can you welcome people to somewhere else? Welcome implies coming into 'my space'. I can welcome people to London, but not to Delhi or Cairo-it sounds wrong to me.
Last edited by Notso Fantastic; 11th May 2004 at 00:00.