I am an Italian student and I am writing a thesis comparing our two languages.
I am aware of the fact that you don't say "good job" or "good work", in order to wish someone the best in his/her job. I'd like to know if there is any sociological or sociolinguistic explication for that. In addition, are there any references to find out more?
Clarifying explanation from Davide Loi:
To better explain to people who don't speak Italian the reason why Ale asked this, here is the fact: in Italian, when someone is about to do something, some work, or a specific task, we say "buon lavoro" BEFORE the job/task has been done. The meaning is "I wish you that you can do a good work".
Best Answer
We say "good luck" when we tell somebody we hope they do well in the future.
Both "good job" and "good work" refer to the past (that is, we're saying we approve of what someone has already done).
It's just a matter of specific phrases being linked to the past or future to help with disambiguation. I don't imagine there's any deep sociological reason behind it...