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A bit off-topic: I'm a Jamaican, so perhaps someone can explain for me: Why do Americans yell "Stop!" when chasing someone? Is a person who is running away gonn

by oz 14y ago

A bit off-topic: I'm a Jamaican, so perhaps someone can explain for me: Why do Americans yell "Stop!" when chasing someone? Is a person who is running away gonna stop because you said the 'magic word'? Not being snarky; these cultural differences fascinate me. Another example is Americans beginning the response to a question with "So, ____________"

andyakb 14y ago
If people see somebody running through a crowd they may go "Huh, what a weirdo!" If they see somebody running through a crowd and hear somebody yelling "Stop!" then maybe they will help stop him.
- Wingman4l7 14y ago
  Thus the cliché: "Stop, thief!"
Wingman4l7 14y ago
It's probably just instinct to yell that -- and if you're lucky, maybe instinct for the person yelled at to falter when hearing it. =)
drucken 14y ago
I hope you are not being snarky, because to anyone else the following may be somewhat obvious: "Stop!" is for benefit of others listening, + more attention-grabbing than "Help!" because it could be targeted at anyone in the vicinity or it could be an abbreviated call for action + conveys more information than "Help!" or "Fire!" because it contains the action requested. No idea about "So, ____________" [not an American]. Perhaps in this case it was seeking clear confirmation for the camera, though.
klodolph 14y ago
Back in England, there was something called the "hue and cry". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue_and_cry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue_and_cry Bystanders could be punished if they did not help apprehend the thief.
heed 14y ago
>Another example is Americans beginning the response to a question with "So, ____________" There's no purpose to this really. It's filler, similar to saying "um" in the middle of a sentence.
jrockway 14y ago
In the case of answering a question, it's just an utterance to indicate thinking, like "uh". (In the case of asking a question, which seems more common, it's a softener to make the change of subject less abrupt.) Both are common in other languages, so I don't think Americans are being strange here. Probably why we think other people are rude, though.

by oz 14y ago

andyakb 14y ago

If people see somebody running through a crowd they may go "Huh, what a weirdo!" If they see somebody running through a crowd and hear somebody yelling "Stop!" then maybe they will help stop him.

Wingman4l7 14y ago
Thus the cliché: "Stop, thief!"

Wingman4l7 14y ago

It's probably just instinct to yell that -- and if you're lucky, maybe instinct for the person yelled at to falter when hearing it. =)

drucken 14y ago

I hope you are not being snarky, because to anyone else the following may be somewhat obvious: "Stop!" is for benefit of others listening, + more attention-grabbing than "Help!" because it could be targeted at anyone in the vicinity or it could be an abbreviated call for action + conveys more information than "Help!" or "Fire!" because it contains the action requested. No idea about "So, ____________" [not an American]. Perhaps in this case it was seeking clear confirmation for the camera, though.

klodolph 14y ago

Back in England, there was something called the "hue and cry". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue_and_cry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue_and_cry Bystanders could be punished if they did not help apprehend the thief.

heed 14y ago

>Another example is Americans beginning the response to a question with "So, ____________" There's no purpose to this really. It's filler, similar to saying "um" in the middle of a sentence.

jrockway 14y ago

In the case of answering a question, it's just an utterance to indicate thinking, like "uh". (In the case of asking a question, which seems more common, it's a softener to make the change of subject less abrupt.) Both are common in other languages, so I don't think Americans are being strange here. Probably why we think other people are rude, though.