MBA in the USA – Cultural consulting by Grayson Leverenz

Play it by Ear (image: gari.baldi)

To play it by ear means to approach a situation without a plan, and let events unfold naturally. Playing it by ear doesn’t happen often in the US, especially in business, because a lot of Americans plan everything they do from careers to meetings to social events. However, students tend to their manage time in a more fluid manner. You might hear someone say, “There are three events I’m interested in attending tomorrow at lunch: the H1-B visa guidelines, the Marketing Club brown bag, and the Adventure Club introduction to white water rafting. I’m not sure which one is going to be the most valuable; so I’m just going to play it by ear.”

The term originates from the world of music. When a person plays a musical piece without referencing the sheet music, it’s called playing by ear.

image: y’all smile for the camera – Brandon and I host exchange students for a southern meal in NC

Tim Ferriss, author of best selling “The 4-Hour Work Week,” creator of a truly brilliant life, and one of my current heroes, inspired a new addition to MBA in the USA with his recent blog post about the word y’all. Thanks to Tim, I’m going to complement our Business English buzzwords with Conversational English terms, beginning with y’all.

Y’all is used in the southern United States as the plural for you; it’s a contraction of you all, and serves its purpose quite well. As a South Carolina native, I am intimately familiar with the word y’all. In fact, I didn’t even realize y’all technically is not a word until I was 16 and was introduced to the northern variation “you guys.”

Tim’s post is a great read, and provides a unique opportunity for international students to glean some insights into more conversational English. Read the post here, and be sure to check out the comments. Tim Ferris has such an amazing following; his readers contribute to the posts almost as much as the author himself.

Ooh, and in South Carolina, y’all is plural, period. Some readers comment that y’all can be used as singular or plural, and others say y’all is singular while “all y’all” is plural. Not the case where I grew up. If you’re talking to one person, it’s you. More than one, it’s y’all.

Y’all enjoy Tim’s post!