Look
I refer to the use of "Look" as an introductory interjection (without reference to any particular thing that needs to be looked at).Examples: "Look, just piss off, will you!""Look, I know how you must...
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Not at all uncommon in USlish, but perhaps slightly pass. Prolly morphed into Valley Girl "Like". (Can you believe VG is still around?)
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Perhaps a shortening of "Now look here", meaning to bring your full attention to the point I am making? The shortening could have the effect of making it somewhat less imperative. Just a WAG on my part
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The OED2 cites examples of the idiomatic imperative use of "look" back to Old English, although in some examples the more literal sense of "behold" is also present, as it is not in OP's example. "Look...
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Just a WAG on my part I think you're right PK. An imperative and it has been around for a very long time. The valley girls did not invent it.OED1 4. Idiomatic use of the imperative: See behold and...
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Cassell's has: Look-a-here! [1930s+] (US) an imper. calling on one's attention, esp. before delivering some reprimand or lecture (cf. LOOK HERE!)
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"None of OP's examples would seem odd coming from an American."Danke. I guess the cause was paucity of my imagination. :-)
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Actually, "piss off" (for "go away") isn't so common in the US, but it would be that, rather than the "Look", that might a bit unusual.
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I haven't heard "Look you" since my grandmother's day. "Look" - yes, a lot. Also fairly common is "look at that" meaning "how about that".
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Prolly morphed into Valley Girl "Like". I don't think so. The VG "like" is used differently than the imperative "Look." The VG "like" is a kind of mindless placeholder or filler in a sentence such as,...
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Reminds me of Beowulf's opening Hwaet!, which Heaney translated so simply as 'So.' But I think it's often rendered Lo or Hark or Listen Up or Yo. Or conceivably, if we impute a certain preemptory...
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Reminds me of Beowulf's opening Hwaet!Just so! It also is reflected in the Isaiah passage, "Ho, let all who thirst let them come to the waters." can't find the reference just now. but will do so in...
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Acc. to the OED2, "Hwaet" is the OE form of "what", although the effect of starting a decalamation with "What!" seems to be a bit different today than the sense apparently intended in Beowulf.Not...
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>> The VG "like" is used differently than the imperative "Look."Quite so; that suggestion had been offered facetiously.However, in contrast to our discussion of swearing - why?, I am under the...
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Tipping's question goes not to the meaning or usage of "Look, ...", but to social convention governing its acceptability.It does? I might believe this is he says so, but it sounded like a straight...
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I think we're using the word "usage" to mean two different things here. Yes, I agree his question had to do with geographical range.
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"but it sounded like a straight question about geographical range of usage to me."Quiet so.
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Look, you two. This is not that hard.The meaning and semantic/grammatical 'usage' of look in the given context is the same, whether in Oz, US, or elsewhere.I was positing that it is probably used less...
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