BrE: Q: Do you agree? A: I should have thought so ...

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Marius Hancu - 03 Nov 2006 17:19 GMT

Hello:

Wonder if his answer is a a way of saying things in a very indirect,
reserved and polite manner. It definitely seems to be so to me.

---
"Do you agree?" asked Margaret. "Do you think music is so different to
pictures?"

[Young man answers]
"I--I should have thought so, kind of," he said.

E. M. Foster, Howard's End, p. 46
---

She asks a question in the present tense, he answers in a past
conditional, like avoiding the direct answer (should we say contact?:-))
in the present, with "Yes(, I do agree)" or the like.

Now, mind you, this is a very shy man, from what the author says about
him, thus full of reserve.

Is this device still used in the UK?

I don't think I've seen/heard too much of it in North America, not
lately.

Would you care to mention other similar BrE alternatives of replying
super-politely, with a lot of reserve, in this context?

Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Jeffrey Turner - 03 Nov 2006 21:04 GMT

> Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> Now, mind you, this is a very shy man, from what the author says about
> him, thus full of reserve.

And his is a very timid answer. I wouldn't call it especially polite.
Though, if by polite you mean trying hard to avoid disagreement, I can
agree with that.

> Is this device still used in the UK?
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Would you care to mention other similar BrE alternatives of replying
> super-politely, with a lot of reserve, in this context?

--Jeff

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"War is an evil in as much as it produces
more wicked men than it takes away."
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Wood Avens - 03 Nov 2006 23:21 GMT

>> Hello:
>>
[quoted text clipped - 21 lines]
>Though, if by polite you mean trying hard to avoid disagreement, I can
>agree with that.

I've just had a quick but unsuccessful look for the household copy of
Howard's End. Context is important here, and I can't remember it. On
the face of it, though, what the young man says is not simply
indicative of reserve but also of a class difference. I agree with
Jeff. "Kind of" doesn't indicate politeness, it suggests that the
speaker lacks an upper-class education, and is displaying his
gaucheness or his discomfort in this particular social circle. Or
possibly his youth. (As I said, I can't remember.)

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Marius Hancu - 03 Nov 2006 23:29 GMT

> I've just had a quick but unsuccessful look for the household copy of
> Howard's End. Context is important here, and I can't remember it. On
> the face of it, though, what the young man says is not simply
> indicative of reserve but also of a class difference. I agree with
> Jeff.

"Kind of" doesn't indicate politeness, it suggests that the

> speaker lacks an upper-class education, and is displaying his
> gaucheness or his discomfort in this particular social circle. Or
> possibly his youth. (As I said, I can't remember.)

I think you're right on the mark on "kind of" and he really isn't in
the same class (or so it seems from the next chapter, where he
complains to himself about his poor education, etc).

Marius Hancu

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matt271829-news@yahoo.co.uk - 03 Nov 2006 22:43 GMT

> Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
> Is this device still used in the UK?

Yes.

> I don't think I've seen/heard too much of it in North America, not
> lately.
>
> Would you care to mention other similar BrE alternatives of replying
> super-politely, with a lot of reserve, in this context?

All other things being equal, "I should have thought so" is an indirect
way of saying "I think so", almost amounting to "I think I think so".
However, depending on the tone of voice, it can also sound
non-committal or off-hand - as if the speaker hasn't really been
listening and isn't really interested - or even sarcastic, as if
someone has stated the obvious. In fact, I think that the nuances of
meaning are probably dominated by the tone of voice. It's possible to
say "I think so" in a very polite and deferential way, and "I should
have thought so" in a quite abrupt way.

Of course, in your example, the "I--I" and "kind of" make a big
difference too.

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Jonathan Morton - 04 Nov 2006 13:50 GMT

>> Is this device still used in the UK?
>
> Yes.

I should have thought so too.

Regards

Jonathan

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2006

BrE: Q: Do you agree? A: I should have thought so ...