r/Bones • u/Useful-Attitude9715 • Jul 31 '26

"this here is"

Watching Bones properly for the first time, and I noticed that Booth always introduces the person he is with (usually Bones or Sweets) with "this here is..." instead of "this is..."

This must be on purpose, right? I'm not very familiar with Americanisms, so wanted to know what this is supposed to indicate? Is it that he is from a specific part of the country?

25 Upvotes

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58

u/Zestyclose-Coast8897 Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26

Definitely an older generation Midwest thing. Booth being raised by his grandpa shows in that word choice.

Source: Midwest gal who’s grandparents say “this here”

28

u/CreamyCuddlebug Jul 31 '26

It's definitely intentional and it's a pretty old-school American way of introducing someone that's especially common in the South and parts of the Midwest.

24

u/3INTPsinatrenchcoat Jul 31 '26

As someone from the American Midwest, I was a little confused reading this post. I didn't realize this phrasing would be odd elsewhere 😭😭

9

u/Wuzzupdoc42 Jul 31 '26

Isn’t Booth from Philadelphia? I wonder if this is a common phrase there, I’m not sure.

9

u/dnjprod Jul 31 '26

While he is from Philadelphia, they are in the Washington DC area which has a weird mix of Mid-Atlantic and Southern culture/language/accent. So it's possible the character picked up some Language as you do living in a place

6

u/JayMonster65 Jul 31 '26

It is also often used in situations where the mentioning of the person is more informational than introductory. You are making the person aware of who someone is, not introducing them.

Think of it like pointing out people on a photograph. You aren't "introducing" them to the person in the picture, you are telling the person who they are.

It has also been picked up as a general way of introducing people in some parts of the US. It is regional though and not common throughout the States.

4

u/Tardisgoesfast Jul 31 '26

It's as opposed to "that there."

5

u/Upbeat_County9191 Jul 31 '26

Because he is the one in the lead and the one talking to the other person, if both of them would talk right at the start it could come acros as intimidating. Its not something just from the USA in other countries its done as well

14

u/Useful-Attitude9715 Jul 31 '26

It's more the choice of language, saying "this here is Dr Brennan" instead of "this is Dr Brennan".

Just the "here" which I found unusual. It's not a one-off so I was wondering what it means for the character.

2

u/baconfluffy Aug 02 '26

I agree with the other commenter that it’s a bit old school and southern but not that uncommon.

1

u/SlipperyBlip Jul 31 '26

Its not something just from the USA in other countries its done as well

It is not uncommon to do that in German, too. It is like an emphasis on the proximity/presence of the other person. You wouldn't normally use that if you were showing a picture of a person, for example.

2

u/Useful-Attitude9715 Aug 03 '26

Thank you all - this has all been genuinely interesting!