ECSTRA/Closing
Apart from this entry cf. also Leave-Taking (ECSTRA).
(1) What do you say in your nation to show that you want to end a conversation
- 1. simply "(ok then,) good-bye" after the interlocutor has finished a sentence
- 2. a phrase like "I want to go now"
- 3. a phrase like "I must go now. I still some things to do."
- 4. a phrase like "It is already late."
- 5. a phrase like "I don't want to bother you any longer."
- 6. a phrase like "We have already talked too long."
- 7. saying what you still have to do (if there is something to do)
- 8. inventing a reason
- other means
(2) Does the other person let you go or does s/he try to convince you to stay?
(Please remember our guidelines.)
AT: Austria
[edit | edit source]Vienna, Lower Austria (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 1 2 5 frequent; 3 4 7 8 very frequent; "It was nice talking to you, but now..."; (2) both possible
BE: Belgium
[edit | edit source]Brussels (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 1 informally; 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8; (2) lets you go (it's not polite to insist)
CH: Switzerland
[edit | edit source]Lausanne (French-speaking area) (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 3 4 5 6, maybe 8; (2) depends on person and relation
CZ: Czech Republic
[edit | edit source]Bohemia (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) "Sorry, but I have to go now", (2) lets you go
DE: Germany
[edit | edit source]Bremen (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 1 2 3 4 7 8; (2) let's you go
south (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 3 4 5 7 8, "So, we'll see each other"; (2) lets you go
Saxony (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 2 3 4 7, 5 6 rarely; (2) lets you go
DK: Denmark
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EE: Estonia
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ES: Spain
[edit | edit source]Andalucía (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 3, (2) lets you go
Castilia y León (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; sometimes 8; 1 rarely; "If you want to join ... I go to ..."; (2) It's rather the case you keep on talking unintentionally
FI: Finland
[edit | edit source]West Finland (Swedish-speaking area) (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 3 4 5 frequent, 6 unusual (mostly between women), 7 very frequent, 1 8 practically never; (2) when you're invited to someone's home yes, in an accidental meeting no
Finnish-speaking area (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 1 3 7 often, 2 sometimes, 4 5 6 8 rarely; (2) usually let's you go; if on a visit, it's polite for the host to say it's not so late yet
FR: France
[edit | edit source]Paris (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 1 (sometimes), 2 (frequent), 3 (of varying frequency), 4 (frequent), 5 (frequent), 6 (of varying frequency), 7 (frequent), 8 (frequent); (2) depends on situation (one informand writes: "They don't let you go immediately but they don't try to persuade you to stay either. They just keep on talking as if they hadn't heard what you said and so you have to say it again."; another informand reports that the inerlocutor would accompany to the place where you want to go)
HR: Croatia
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HU: Hungary
[edit | edit source](1) 1, 7, maybe 5, "I must go now", "See you" (+ agreeing to meet at another time) (ECSTRA-Q)
IE: Ireland
[edit | edit source]Dublin (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 5, 8, sometimes 7, "I'll let you go", (2) normally tries to persuade you to stay
IT: Italy
[edit | edit source]Lombardy (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 1, 3, 4, 8; 2, 5, 7 less frequent; (2) they let you go
Sicily (ECSTRA-Q)
(2) first tries to convince you to stay (ECSTRA-Q)
LT: Lithuania
[edit | edit source](1) 1 2 3 4 6 7 8; (2) depends on the interlocutors, normally person let's you go (ECSTRA-Q)
LU: Luxemburg
[edit | edit source](1) 3, 4, 7, "Make it good", Bis geschwenn; (2) lets you go (ECSTRA-Q)
LV: Latvia
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MT: Malta
[edit | edit source](1) especially 1, also 3; (2) lets you go (ECSTRA-Q)
NL: Netherlands
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NO: Norway
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PL: Poland
[edit | edit source](1) 3 5 6 7, maybe 4, "we can continue the conversation tomorrow, I'll now have to do something else"; (2) both possible (ECSTRA-Q)
PT: Portugal
[edit | edit source]Alentejo (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 1 3 4 7 frequently, 2 6 never, 5 sometimes, 8 rarely, (2) sometimes the other person persuades you to stay but in general s/he lets you go
SE: Sweden
[edit | edit source](1) 3 5; (2) lets you go (ECSTRA-Q)
SI: Slovenia
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SK: Slovakia
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UK: United Kingdom
[edit | edit source]Cambridgeshire (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 1 3 4 5 6 7 frequent; 2 rare; (2) often there's no immediate departure, but a conversation about when the interlocutors will meet again
Glasgow, Scotland (ECSTRA-Q)
(1) 1 3 4 7 8; (2) The person first tries to persuade you to stay by asking a question or keeping the conversation going
Non-European Nations
[edit | edit source]Australia
[edit | edit source](1) 1-8 (ECSTRA-Q)
Colombia
[edit | edit source](1) 1 2 5 6 8 frequent, 3 4 7 very frequent; (2) depends on the situation; usually at a party or an informal and pleasant meeting the other tries to persuade you to stay (ECSTRA-Q)
Greece
[edit | edit source](1) 1 2 3 5 rarely, 4 6 7 8 yes; (2) both possible (ECSTRA-Q)
Lebanon
[edit | edit source](1) 1 2 6 rarely, 4 5 7 8 frequently, making a promise to meet sometime later to talk more; (2) usually the other person tries to persuade you to stay or lets you go with a promise to call or meet soon (ECSTRA-Q)