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You haven't mentioned which country. It might derive from the classic "how do you do?" to which the correct reply is simply "how do you do?", certainly similar
by mytailorisrich 4y ago
You haven't mentioned which country.
It might derive from the classic "how do you do?" to which the correct reply is simply "how do you do?", certainly similar phrasing is common in the UK, e.g. "you alright?" or indeed "how are you?" You're not supposed to actually reply...
- theonething 4y agoReplying to "How do you do?" by parroting it doesn't sound classic to me. It sounds strange. Do you actually mean literally repeating "how do you do?" as a reply or do you actually mean something like "good and you?"
- mytailorisrich 4y ago"How do you do?" is formal and mostly only used in quite "upper class" circles these days. The formal, proper way to reply is indeed to say the same. It's not an actual question, think of it as a more of a greeting. Some members of the Royal family were reported to refer to the Middletons (Prince William's in-laws) as the "great to meet you" in a condescending way because they were said to be saying that instead of "how do you do?" when introduced to people/them... Language has always been a social class differentiator.