Use of "Say ..." to begin sentences, particularly in BrE versus AmE?

Question

We were looking at this sentence, or actually a line of dialogue:

They're in the car.

JACK
Say John! I better concentrate. Would you be able to figure out the AC?

Our colleague Jane who is generally British (she has lived mixed in Britain and Euro countries, but never the US) commented:

"Ahah it’s probably because I’m from the UK, but I never hear “Say” to start a sentence to get someone’s attention! As in [that example]. Is it an American thing?"

What is everyone's opinion on this?

Is there any scholarly research on the issue?

(I personally do and have always lived both in the AmE region and BrE region, so I am completely confused on such matters. For example, right now without googling the answer, I do not know which side uses "boot" versus "trunk" on a car, and so on.)

So in BrE, if the Beatles were talking and George said "Say Ringo. Have you seen ..." would that be unusual, AmE-ish, wrong?

For me it's quite a natural thing to say. Example, you're sitting with your spouse, "Say honey. What would you like for dinner." But maybe I'm completely mistaken.

Could it just be archaic? I'm sure I've been in a meeting, for example, where everyone is puzzling over a problem and someone utters "Say. Did we think of changing the batteries..."

What's the deal on "Say."

Answer 1

To my ears, it's very American, the very first thing that comes to mind is this scene from Terminator 2.

As neither a BrE or an AmE speaker (Irish), I can't say what the British equivalent would be, but "I say" sounds rather more like something an American scriptwriter would write for a stereotyped British character than something a real person would say, but the comment above disagrees. Nevertheless, I feel the more natural thing to do in BrE would be to draw out the first word rather than to use an interjection, e.g. "Honey...what would you like for dinner?"

Answer 2

Looking up "say exclamation/interjection" on Google, we see that it is definitely American:

say exclamation
_{(North American English, informal)}

• ​used for showing surprise or pleasure
  Say, that's a nice haircut!

• used for attracting somebody’s attention or for making a suggestion or comment
  Say, how about going to a movie tonight?

(Oxford Learner's Dictionaries)

say interjection
_{chiefly US, informal}

1. used to express surprise, shock, etc.
   Say, isn't that your friend over there?
   Say, that's a wonderful idea.

2. used to attract the attention of someone
   Say there. Can you help me?
   Say, do you want to see a movie tonight?

(Learner's Dictionary)

12. EXCLAMATION

Say is used to attract someone's attention or to express surprise, pleasure, or admiration.

[US, informal]

Say, how would you like to have dinner one night, just you and me?

(Collins)

And then there's "I say", which is British:

I say

1. Used preceding an utterance to call attention to it: I say, do you have the time?
2. Used as an exclamation of surprise, delight, or dismay.

I say! chiefly informal Brit; an exclamation of surprise.

(The Free Dictionary)

I say (idiom)
_{British, old-fashioned}

1. used to express surprise, shock, etc.
   I say! Isn't that your friend over there?
   I say! That's a wonderful idea.

2. used to attract the attention of someone
   I say (there). Can you help me?

(Merriam Webster)

say
_{exclamation; old-fashioned}

used to express surprise or pleasure, or to attract attention to what you are about to say:

• US: Say, that's really good of you!
  
• US: Say, how about going out tonight?
  
• UK: I say, what a splendid hat you're wearing!

(Cambridge)

I say!

This British exclamation of surprise or astonishment dates back to the late 1700s and may be even older. Although still closely identified with proper Englishmen, its use has in fact diminished in recent years, perhaps in part because of its ripeness for parody. It was a favorite interjection of gap-toothed British comedic actor Terry-Thomas, who all but whistled it through his dental cranny.

(ZOUNDS!: A Browser's Dictionary of Interjections)

From Barrie England's answer to What is the origin of the dated British expression "I say!":

It was much used in comedy acts in the 20th century to introduce a joke, particularly in a double act. For example:

FUNNY MAN: ‘I say, I say, I say, my wife’s gone to the West Indies.’

STRAIGHT MAN: Jamaica?

FUNNY MAN: No, she went of her own accord

A common alternative for "say/I say" is "Hey(,)" in the sense of attracting someone's attention:

Hey honey. What would you like for dinner?

Hey Ringo. Have you seen...

Hey. Did we think of changing the batteries...

In British English, it's clear that "I say" is not in use anymore (see "old-fashioned"). I believe "say" (in American English) isn't common either; as opposed to more common calls for attention (such as "Hey", etc.), "say" seems to have become old-fashioned as well.

Answer 3

In BrE, it's not common to announce new speech with "say" (which sounds distinctly AmE, and like Mark Allen my first thoughts were of Robert Patrick's line in Terminator 2).

But it's certainly common enough regionally to announce a repetition (of something said but not heard) by saying more loudly "I say!" - pronounced like "a-SAY" with the emphasis on the second syllable followed by a short pause - with the previous statement then repeated.