Long time no see (phrase)
Encyclopedia
"Long time no see" is an English
expression used as a greeting
by people who have not seen each other for a while. It is vested in an unconventional grammatical garb, and is an imitation of broken or pidgin
English. It may derive ultimately from an English pidgin such as that spoken by Native Americans
or Chinese
.
, the earliest appearance of the phrase "long time no see" in print was in 1901 in W. F. Drannan's Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, in which a Native American
man is recorded as greeting the narrator by saying, "Good mornin. Long time no see you." This example is intended to reflect usage in American Indian Pidgin English
.
An earlier use of a similar phrase, but not as a greeting, is from Lieut.-Colonel James Campbell's Excursions, Adventures, and Field-Sports in Ceylon (published 1843): "Ma-am—long time no see wife—want go to Colombo see wife."
Alternately, the phrase may have derived from the Chinese Pidgin English
used to facilitate communication between Chinese and English speakers. It may be compared to the Cantonese phrase 好耐冇見 (hou2 noi6 mou5 gin3) and the Mandarin phrase 好久不見/好久不见 (Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn), which can be translated literally as "long time, no see." This may have entered American English in the 19th century via Chinese immigrants and their descendants, and into British English by way of the Merchant Navy and the Royal Navy
. The lexicographer Eric Partridge
notes that it is akin to the phrases "no can do
" and "chop chop
".
The phrase is a multiword expression
that cannot be explained by the usual rules of English grammar
due to the irregular syntax
.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
expression used as a greeting
Greeting
Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship or social status between individuals or groups of people coming in contact with each other...
by people who have not seen each other for a while. It is vested in an unconventional grammatical garb, and is an imitation of broken or pidgin
Pidgin
A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. It is most commonly employed in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages different from the language of the...
English. It may derive ultimately from an English pidgin such as that spoken by Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
or Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
.
Origin
According to the Oxford English DictionaryOxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
, the earliest appearance of the phrase "long time no see" in print was in 1901 in W. F. Drannan's Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, in which a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
man is recorded as greeting the narrator by saying, "Good mornin. Long time no see you." This example is intended to reflect usage in American Indian Pidgin English
American Indian Pidgin English
American Indian Pidgin English - is an English-based pidgin spoken by Native Americans. It is mentioned in World Englishes, by Andy Kirkpatrick as one of many factors influencing American English....
.
An earlier use of a similar phrase, but not as a greeting, is from Lieut.-Colonel James Campbell's Excursions, Adventures, and Field-Sports in Ceylon (published 1843): "Ma-am—long time no see wife—want go to Colombo see wife."
Alternately, the phrase may have derived from the Chinese Pidgin English
Chinese Pidgin English
Chinese Pidgin English is a Pidgin language between English and Chinese. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, there was also Chinese Pidgin English spoken in Cantonese-speaking portions of China...
used to facilitate communication between Chinese and English speakers. It may be compared to the Cantonese phrase 好耐冇見 (hou2 noi6 mou5 gin3) and the Mandarin phrase 好久不見/好久不见 (Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn), which can be translated literally as "long time, no see." This may have entered American English in the 19th century via Chinese immigrants and their descendants, and into British English by way of the Merchant Navy and the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. The lexicographer Eric Partridge
Eric Partridge
Eric Honeywood Partridge was a New Zealand/British lexicographer of the English language, particularly of its slang. His writing career was interrupted only by his service in the Army Education Corps and the RAF correspondence department during World War II...
notes that it is akin to the phrases "no can do
Chinese Pidgin English
Chinese Pidgin English is a Pidgin language between English and Chinese. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, there was also Chinese Pidgin English spoken in Cantonese-speaking portions of China...
" and "chop chop
Chop chop (phrase)
"Chop chop" is a phrase rooted in Cantonese. It spread through Chinese workers at sea and has been in North America since the 19th century. "Chop chop" refers to "hurry, hurry" and means, something should be done now, advance and without any delay...
".
The phrase is a multiword expression
Multiword expression
A multiword expression is a lexeme made up of a sequence of two or more lexemes that has properties that are not predictable from the properties of the individual lexemes or their normal mode of combination....
that cannot be explained by the usual rules of English grammar
English grammar
English grammar is the body of rules that describe the structure of expressions in the English language. This includes the structure of words, phrases, clauses and sentences...
due to the irregular syntax
Syntax
In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
.