"Thank you" (often expanded to thank you very much or thanks a lot, or informally abbreviated to thanks or alternately as many thanks[1]) is a common expression of gratitude in the English language. The term itself originated as a shortened form of the expression "I thank you". Children in certain Western cultures are taught early on to say please and thank you reflexively, and the phrase itself has taken on a variety of nuances based on intonation, and can have various generally positive social effects.
- ^ Geoffrey Leech, The Pragmatics of Politeness (2014), p. 200.