I had the opposite TIL when I learned other cultures only apologize for wrong doings and not as a sign of sympathy.
I’m on the other side of the fence for this one.
What do you mean?
He’s the neighbor.
I’m not frustrated at being asked why I’m apologizing. Rather, I’m frustrated that it is the norm to apologize for things that you didn’t do.
You got me curious to find out which meaning of “sorry” came first, so I looked up its etymology.
The modern word came through Middle English, from an Old English word that meant “distressed, grieved, full of sorrow”. The Proto-Germanic root before that had a meaning of “painful.”
A meaning of “repentant, remorseful, contrite” was recorded circa 1200 AD.
The page also notes:
Simple sorry in an apologetic sense (short for I’m sorry) is suggested by 1834
Putting it all together, it seems people initially began saying “sorry” (or the word that would become it) to express that they were feeling some kind of “pain.” At some point it started being used exclusively for emotional pain. Around 1200 AD, it picked up the sense of “remorseful.” However, simply saying “sorry” to express that remorse wasn’t a thing for another 600 or so years.
I’m no professional etymologist, and I only checked this one source, so I could very well be wrong. However, it sounds like the meaning of “feeling sorry” to mean feeling bad (which is what people mean when they say, “I feel sorry for you”) predates using “I’m sorry” to express remorse over one’s actions.
Note - this isn’t intended to support nor sway anyone’s opinion. Language changes, and there is no right or wrong to it. An older meaning isn’t more or less valid than a newer meaning, especially when both meanings have already co-existed for centuries. I just find word history interesting and wanted to share what your comment inspired me to learn. ✌️
That’s super neat, thanks for sharing!
this made me realize that we’ve absorbed “sorry” into swedish with only the meaning of apologizing, specifically for something relatively minor
The norm is to offer sympathy. It’s just the same word can be used for both.
I’m frustrated that it is the norm to apologize for things that you didn’t do.
You just introduced that. No one was talking about that. That’s a you thing, I guess.
Hence why I said I’m on the other side of the fence. I don’t know why so many of you took such great offense!
Why?
Sorry
Because someone else’s misfortune is inherently not my responsibility. I can easily express sympathy in another way.
Ohhhh, so you don’t know what the word means, then.
Why do you reject that sorry can be used to express sympathy without assuming responsibility?
I’ll give you something to be sorry about vibes. I’ll give you something for me to be sorry about?
Prior to this law, millions of people were arrested at funerals.
Police have to pick between arresting the doctor or people paying their last visit. It’s horrible.
why would it be; it just means “i feel bad”. which you could say for things you did but also it should be allowed to feel bad for things you didn’t cause yourself.
“we had to evacuate because of the wildfire”
“oh, I’m sorry”
“I knew it you son of a bitch”
It depends on the context, don’t you think?
I don’t think anyone will assume you started the fire just because you’re sorry someone had to evacuate.
But let’s say you’re out in public, there’s people all over, you bump into someone, or someone bumps into you, you’re not sure, but either way, they fall down and injure themselves. Thanks to this, you can say “I’m sorry” without having a lawyer argue that you accepted guilt for the incident just because you said you’re sorry.
For anyone having trouble understanding the difference between “I’m sorry” and “I apologize,” think of how it would be taken at a funeral.
“I’m sorry for your loss”
Yeah, ive had literally this conversation, word for word.
I’m sorry
Why? What did you DO?
You fucking monster!
Every single time I tell my bf I’m sorry about something bad that happened to him, his response is, “Why? You didn’t do it.”
I wonder if there’s a chance he’s trying to console you. like there’s nothing you could’ve done and it wasn’t your fault so you might as well not worry about it kinda way.
Interesting that it doesn’t apply to criminal cases, just civil ones, and in PEI, only to civil healthcare or defamation cases, nothing else.
Fuck the police
Are we going full gang bang?
I imagine, healthcare case comes from when a medic announces bad news and tries to express compassion only to get sued because obviously that’s the correct person to blame
The fact that this was necessary is so stupid
Law is like that.
Yup. It was necessary because of the lawsuits from our former “neighbors” down south. We tried to stop that shit from coming up here but here we are. Get fucked America (not directed at you op, sorry)
Since I’m Canadian and live in a major city that gets very busy I can kinda understand it. I do it myself. bump into someone or do the side walk shuffle and I said sorry even though it’s not my fault. Like someone will bump into me and I’ll say sorry.
I understand saying sorry. I don’t understand it being legally binding anywhere in the world.
“My bad bro.”
Your bad!
Can I invoke this during family arguments over the holidays?
Legally you’re allowed to use “I’m sorry you feel that way”
Sorry.
The article says they came up with this in 2007. The, in 2008 this happened… 🤔
that’s pretty funny. the culture is acknowledged by law
“I’m so sorry for your loss”
“Murderer!!!”
So I can pummel a home invader while saying sorry and I’m OK?
Not admitting guilt doesn’t make you not guilty
Are Canadians not allowed to pummel home invaders?
Sorry
They’re not. Self defense is illegal. The law requires you say, 'Thank you sir, may I have another?" whenever attacked.
Apologizing doesn’t affect their guilt or lack thereof.
Canadians are allowed self defense within reason
No, it just avoids the typical Murican scene where a person can’t even say they feel sorry for others as that may land them on the shitty end of a lawsuit
But how will you have justice if you dont let people withthe means to access the apparatus of dtate violence use it to lash out at random strangers?
Still can’t stab him while he lies helpless on the ground.
I have to wait for me to be stabbed on the ground? Sorry!
Like you know you’re making bad faith arguments, right? Can we at least establish that before trying to proceed in some manner?
sayeth jerkface
