The Frequency and Perception of Question Tags in British and American English
While comparative statistics on the use of question tags in British and American English are not readily available, it is widely observed that their frequency is greater in British English. This has led Americans to perceive them as a distinctly British characteristic. British speakers, too, are aware of their prevalence, often reacting with the same irritation that Americans reserve for the rhetorical use of you know as a conversational filler or emphasiser.
Historical and Social Context
The use of question tags is an old rhetorical device, but the negative reactions they sometimes provoke suggest that their frequency may have increased in recent years or that certain uses may serve as social markers. For example:
✧ ‘So you decided to stay silent?’ [ ¶ ] ‘It was my right, wasn’t it?’ [¶] Judge Chaytor turned in Tanner’s direction. ‘Do you think you could give your evidence without adding a question to the end of every answer?’ [ ¶ ] Ian Tanner [19-year-old London school dropout, incipient criminal] gave him a blank look. [ ¶ ] ‘Sorry. I don’t get you.’ [ ¶ ] ‘You said, “it was my right, wasn’t it?” and before that, “didn’t have any choice, did I?” ’[¶] ‘Well I didn’t, did I?’ [¶] ‘There, you did it again! Just try and answer the questions without asking your own.’ (1978 Underwood 122)
This exchange highlights how the overuse of question tags can be perceived as a social marker, particularly among certain groups.
Rhetorical and Conversational Use
In some cases, question tags are used rhetorically, not to elicit a response but to emphasize a point or maintain conversational flow:
✧ “Yeah, well, that’s right, isn’t it, luv? We shoulda kept it, I know. Still, as I said – well, we all do things a bit wrong sometimes, don’t we? And we said we was sorry about everything, didn’t we, luv?” [ ¶ ] Morse was beginning to realize that the last three words, with their appropriate variants, were a rhetorical refrain only, and were not intended to elicit any specific response. (1992 Dexter 127)
Downmarket British Phenomenon
The frequent use of question tags is often associated with lower socioeconomic groups in Britain. For instance:
✧ ‘Look, we had to work together, didn’t we? ... And I’d had another bird in between, hadn’t I? No point in bearing grudges, is there?’ (1987 Hart 101)
✧ ‘Well I was tempted wasn’t I ... not paying I mean . . . so I said I’d come a couple of stops, more like ten...they’d been checking hadn’t they. Silly. £400 fine for a 50p ticket – and a day off work at court – I haven’t told them at work. Tricky . . . I work in accounts – it’s not exactly a reference is it...’ (1988 London tube train poster on the consequences of not paying for an underground ticket)
Cultural Impact and Voguishness
The cultural impact of question tags is evident in their use in popular media and literature. A famous example is Mandy Rice-Davies’s sardonic riposte during the Profumo scandal:
✧ ‘He would, wouldn’t he?’ (1984 Smith 199)
✧ ‘Well he would, wouldn’t he?’ (2000 Granger 315)
✧ ‘Well, they would say that, wouldn’t they.’ (2003 Mar. 21 BBC World Service reporting the Turkish response to an avowal by the Kurds that they do not intend to form a separate Kurdish state)
Examples of Common Question Tags
Below is a list of various question tags used in everyday conversation:
✧ ‘They’re all rubbish really, aren’t they?’ (1984 Lodge 258)
✧ ‘We can do that, can’t we?’ (1974 Snow 7)
✧ ‘Didn’t go, did he.’ (1991 Green 266)
✧ ‘Haven’t tried you yet, have I?’ (1982 Brookner 70)
✧ ‘Only it’s not there now, is it?’ (2000 Granger 261–2)
✧ ‘I needn’t tell you what all this is in aid of, need I?’ (1979 Snow 273)
✧ ‘We shall see, shan’t we, one way or the other?’ (1974 Snow 37)
✧ ‘Well, you should have thought of that before you married me, shouldn’t you.’ (1989 Sept. 10 ITV preview of a coming programme)
✧ ‘Well, I wasn’t, was I?’ (1993 Dexter 12)
✧ ‘Then you won’t have been hanging about, will you?’ (1988 Ashford 25)
✧ ‘I wouldn’t anyway, would I?’ (2003 James 147)
✧ ‘She would do, wouldn’t she?’ (2000 Granger 152–3)
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