Va Bene va Bene va be va bo
Okay, okay, okiedokie, okay
As those of you who have visited, or have chatted with me since I came here, probably know that 'Va Bene' (goes well) is the Italian equivalent to Okay, or OK. However, I keep hearing variations of it, just as we hear variations of Okay in English, so this will be about those variations, Okay? And I do not pretend to be a great linguist, so I will not swear that all I am writing is 100 percent correct. Va Bene?
We can start with the various ways English speaking residents of the US of A say Okay. There are a lot of ways of saying Okay, all having to do with what the person means when they say Okay. For instance, if everything is in order and ready to go (tutt 'aposta?) then we hear Okay. The equivalent is Va Bene. Simple and straight forward.
If we are agreeing with a parental type unit who is telling us for the eleventeenth time to pick up our dirty laundry from where we left it hanging on the refrigerator door, we may tend to say oKay. Stangely, or perhaps not so strangely, the Italian equivalent is just about the same. va Bene.
If we are being asked to agree with something a third or tenth time, something we have already agreed with, and then had to listen to the point being labored and belabored beyond endurance, then we are liable to say Okay, Okay. And here in lovely sicily we indeed do hear Va Bene Va Bene.
If it is something simple we are responding to, often it is simply the unstressed, and sometimes barely said okay (ok'e). Of course, in Italian, it is va be. That is something one often hears the kids saying, and Fran, when she was heavy into her language teaching mode, would point to something like this as part of her dirty sneakers theory of language, in that the more words get used (the more sneakers get worn), the dirtier they become, and parts start falling off (both the words and the sneakers). (And by the way, I once heard that Okay or OK is the short form for Oll Korrect. )
Now, for me, the interesting part of all this, assuming, of course, that you were bored out of your skull with the previous part. This one has to do with a mixing of two languages, and creating a new form of va bene. It is similar to listening to someone who is telling you about the aliens landing, and starts to explain how the internal flouronickel space drive works, and checks to see if you are following him, and yes, you are indeed following him, but not really buying what he has to say, so you sort of mumble 'okay'
to let him know that you understand him, but you do not think he or you has the answer. Well, hereabouts, there is a useful word, sort of like Homer Simpson's 'Doh'. It is Bo, and it has nothing to do with the great Bo Diddley. Bo means basically 'who knows'. Actually, Sicilian has two such words. Maa and Bo. Bo is more common, and the older folks tend to use maa more. As to the reason for this, maa. I mean bo.
Lately I have heard folks saying, when they are asked if they agree with a discourse so far, or if they are willing to accept a prediction of the future, for the sake of argument, Va Bo as a response. I love it. Whatever you say is Okay with me, but only as long as I am with you and you are watching my face, because I really do not believe a word of it, I do not know what the heck you are talking about, and I think you have little idea of what you are talking about as well. Va Bo.
As those of you who have visited, or have chatted with me since I came here, probably know that 'Va Bene' (goes well) is the Italian equivalent to Okay, or OK. However, I keep hearing variations of it, just as we hear variations of Okay in English, so this will be about those variations, Okay? And I do not pretend to be a great linguist, so I will not swear that all I am writing is 100 percent correct. Va Bene?
We can start with the various ways English speaking residents of the US of A say Okay. There are a lot of ways of saying Okay, all having to do with what the person means when they say Okay. For instance, if everything is in order and ready to go (tutt 'aposta?) then we hear Okay. The equivalent is Va Bene. Simple and straight forward.
If we are agreeing with a parental type unit who is telling us for the eleventeenth time to pick up our dirty laundry from where we left it hanging on the refrigerator door, we may tend to say oKay. Stangely, or perhaps not so strangely, the Italian equivalent is just about the same. va Bene.
If we are being asked to agree with something a third or tenth time, something we have already agreed with, and then had to listen to the point being labored and belabored beyond endurance, then we are liable to say Okay, Okay. And here in lovely sicily we indeed do hear Va Bene Va Bene.
If it is something simple we are responding to, often it is simply the unstressed, and sometimes barely said okay (ok'e). Of course, in Italian, it is va be. That is something one often hears the kids saying, and Fran, when she was heavy into her language teaching mode, would point to something like this as part of her dirty sneakers theory of language, in that the more words get used (the more sneakers get worn), the dirtier they become, and parts start falling off (both the words and the sneakers). (And by the way, I once heard that Okay or OK is the short form for Oll Korrect. )
Now, for me, the interesting part of all this, assuming, of course, that you were bored out of your skull with the previous part. This one has to do with a mixing of two languages, and creating a new form of va bene. It is similar to listening to someone who is telling you about the aliens landing, and starts to explain how the internal flouronickel space drive works, and checks to see if you are following him, and yes, you are indeed following him, but not really buying what he has to say, so you sort of mumble 'okay'
to let him know that you understand him, but you do not think he or you has the answer. Well, hereabouts, there is a useful word, sort of like Homer Simpson's 'Doh'. It is Bo, and it has nothing to do with the great Bo Diddley. Bo means basically 'who knows'. Actually, Sicilian has two such words. Maa and Bo. Bo is more common, and the older folks tend to use maa more. As to the reason for this, maa. I mean bo.
Lately I have heard folks saying, when they are asked if they agree with a discourse so far, or if they are willing to accept a prediction of the future, for the sake of argument, Va Bo as a response. I love it. Whatever you say is Okay with me, but only as long as I am with you and you are watching my face, because I really do not believe a word of it, I do not know what the heck you are talking about, and I think you have little idea of what you are talking about as well. Va Bo.
And yes, I know what you are saying to yourself now. Va bo, or is it Va ma.
posted by Steve at 8:53 PM
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