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Article published In:
Journal of Historical Pragmatics
Vol. 23:2 (2022) ► pp.327–345

“Have nou godenai day”

A phatic mediaeval farewell?

ORCID logo | Georgia Southern University
“Have a good day” and its variant “have a nice day” are among our most common forms of modern leave-taking. Although these expressions may seem modern, they can be traced back to a twelfth century English romance, entitled King Horn, and can also be found in a number of other mediaeval works. Linguists typically treat the expression as token politeness that does not warrant detailed analysis. However, an examination of the mediaeval works containing the expression shows that, from its earliest recording, it appears in unexpected contexts and can carry deeper meaning. Rather than being merely a phatic phrase, the expression has long been used as a meaningful rhetorical device. This diachronic study explores the expression “have a good day” from its earliest occurrence to modern times and shows its potential to move beyond phatic use.
Keywords: diachronic, historical linguistics, history of English, irony, phatic expressions, pragmatics
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Findings
  • 3.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Sources
  • References
Published online: 4 October 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jhp.19010.jam
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