Re:Non-native speakers navigate the world of 'good' and 'bad...
by lovelearning on Sunday May 23, 2021 @02:23AM
(#27252843)
"do the needful" is found in British English books from the 19th century.[1] I suspect it's officialese that never went out of usage in bureaucratic and judicial circles in former colonies.
[1] : https://www.google.com/search?q=%22do%20the%20needful%22&tbm...
Re:Non-native speakers navigate the world of 'good' and 'bad...
by bluepizza on Sunday May 23, 2021 @05:29AM
(#27253619)
This is the correct explanation.
Also: it's not common, but still acceptable and not weird at all in some languages, like the Portuguese "fazer o necessário".
Re:Non-native speakers navigate the world of 'good' and 'bad...
by noisy_boy on Sunday May 23, 2021 @03:39AM
(#27253119)
I didn't know that - thanks for sharing.
Re:Non-native speakers navigate the world of 'good' and 'bad...
by airhead969 on Sunday May 23, 2021 @02:18AM
(#27252823)
My next door Danish neighbors learned English in the late 70's and early 80's by watching TV.
The guy worked at Spectra-Physics and drove a Wankel Mazda RX-7 that he backed-in to their garage.
Re:Non-native speakers navigate the world of 'good' and 'bad...
by WalterBright on Sunday May 23, 2021 @02:43AM
(#27252914)
Ah, Gilligan's Island English :-) I've heard many people tell me they learned English from GI.
Re:Non-native speakers navigate the world of 'good' and 'bad...
by airhead969 on Sunday May 23, 2021 @02:55AM
(#27252955)
Lol. Probably. And MASH.
Interestingly, I can speak four languages (three fluently and one semi-fluently) and there is no equivalent of "do the needful" that is actually used in any of them - you just specify what is required - the closest non-specific equivalent I can think of is "take a look at it"/"take care of it"/"resolve it". God knows where that came from.