Simon

For a while now I've been hearing people say "Simon," when they are on the phone, and I've never understood why. At first I thought it might be a word I was unfamiliar with, but when I looked it up, nothing came about. I convinced myself that I was hearing it wrong.

But then I thought that it could be a person's name. The way it was pronounced, "See-mohn" would be a logical answer for the equivalent of the English name Simon. But then I thought about the fact that I've never met a Simon down here, and the only one I've ever heard of was Simon Bolivar. So again, I was confused.

But every once in a while I would walk by someone on the phone and hear "Simon, Simon," and it utterly perplexed me. I wanted to ask them what the deal was, but it's not usually the kind of thing you do, just going up to a stranger on the street and asking them why they're saying something. But finally, I have discovered what Simon means.

As it turns out, they are saying the name Simon. But they are not referencing anyone in particular. Instead, it's just a childish way to say the word "Si," or yes. So when someone is on the phone and in agreement with what is being said, they will sometimes say Simon instead of Si. There is no rhyme or reason to it, and I'm sure we have our own little equivalents in English. Two examples I could quickly think of are "Ready Freddy?" and "No prob, Bob." Of course we are not talking to someone named Fred or Bob, unless by chance we are. But it is understood what we are saying.

But I'm glad that I've finally figured out what one catch phrase means. It's not something that I could have read in a dictionary or found out from a class about grammar. It's just something you learn from immersion and living in a culture. And that's pretty cool. Right, Simon?