Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 18:23:57 EDT

From: Julia Cochran COCPROFS[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UGA.CC.UGA.EDU

Subject: Re: hello/good-bye



On Fri, 24 Oct 1997 12:35:38 -0400 Ron Butters said:



I don't agree. "Bless you!" as conversational opener is pretty rare--the

idea of waiting around for strangers to sneeze before talking to them is

pretty ludicrous.



Of course it is. Conversational openers hadn't really occurred to me. I was

thinking more of an excuse to make contact and acknowledge another human being.

For those so inclined, sneezing provides only one of many such opportunities

-- other such situations abound as well.





happen, as with a dropped package--but conversation-initiation is incidental,

not functional.