Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 01:12:35 -0500

From: Leo Horishny Leo_Horishny[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]POL.COM

Subject: Gesundheit!



Perhaps someone can explain for me this puzzle about Cincinnatians...when we

moved here years ago, I caught on to one of the local idiomatic expressions,

"Please?" for whenever a listener wished to have some-

thing repeated. I learned this term, which I had not heard where I grew up,

comes from the German way of speaking; Germans say, "Bitte?" in the same

situations.



Now, I've long wondered if this is so, why is it that they do NOT use the

term, "Gesundheit"? I can't remember hearing this term since moving to

Cincinnati just, "God Bless You" or "Bless You". I do remember hearing it,

from time to time growing up in the West. Nothing as frequent as an,

either/or occurence, but often enough to be aware that these were two equally

appropriate forms of expressing concern for another's soul possibly flying out

of their mouth.



Has anyone come across any reason or research into this blatant disregard for

the Teutonic concern for the souls of others?



leo_horishny[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]pol.com

Rowrbazzle!