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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
Apart from all the reasons given above the short answer is rather old fashioned baby talk, particularly in the North of England (can't speak for elewhere).
I can hear the parent saying:
Parent: "Say ta" (thank you)
Toddler "ta"
Parent: "Say ta ta" (bye bye)
Toddler: "ta ta"
Parent: "Time for ta tas" (time for a sleep)
I can't imagine how children learn anything!
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
In answer to a PM on the subject, I replied:-
"Ta" is an extremely frequent Brit abbrev. for thank you - sometimes with a superlative added, such as, "Ta much", or even, "Ta a Mill." (million, in case you wondered!)
It can be a bit confusing at times, when we use another abbrev. for "good-bye" - "Tat-ta". If you are ina rush, and someone hands you something just as you rush off, you might find yourself saying, "Ta! Tat-ta." Jo has averred that it is common in the North of England, and I will confirm that it is just as common in the south. "TTFN" - definitely "Ta-ta for now," meaning "good-bye for the present" - came from a radio show that was immensely popular in UK during the Second World War. It was used by comedian Tommy Handley to end the programme each week and very swiftly became a popular "catch-phrase". So far as I can make out, it was a dig at the burgeoning use of initials by the military during the war. EDIT: sorry - just realised I haven't said the name of the show, which is extremely relevant! it was called ITMA - acronym for It's That Man Again! ("that man" being Tommy Handley, of course)Another one that stems from the same period was "DVM&WP" which was used as caveat to accompany a promise of future action, as in, "I'll complete the repair by next Tuesday, DV, M & WP" The usual small, but magnificant, prize for the first ayleur to unravel what that means! 
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 866
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 866 |
Dunno if I stand alone on this in Oz - but I use "ta" all the time.
Used to say ta-ta a lot, but think I use seeya most of the time now.
stales
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
DV, M & WP
I am not an ayleur* (grr), but I tried anyway. Can't think of anything that makes sense for the first 3, but I bet the last 2 stand for weather permitting.
*For new people: ayleur is a word-acronym coined by someone who was here some time ago. Anything You Like Except Unanimous. He added the r because he thought it sounded more like a word that way.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
In the US and Canada, the most likely place where someone has heard "Ta ta for now" is out of the mouth of Tigger, of Winnie-the-Pooh (and Disney) fame. (Of course, all those characters were British originally, but Tigger's pretty US sounding in the cartoon.) Now we know where he got it from!
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
Now we know where he got it from
Strictly speaking, of course, it's where the Disney script-writers got it from - A.A.Milne wrote the Pooh-Bear stories long before the Second World War
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
I always believed 'ta' is an abbriviation for 'thanks a lot'.
If somebody already said that, then ta.ta-ta for now
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 322
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 322 |
taa-daa -- we seem to be getting all ta-ta-logical now!
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear RC: "DVM&WP" = Deo volente, Mood & Weather Permitting
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Posts: 3,409
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409 |
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