Would I be understood, if I used apropos in my speech for typical New Yorker?
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Related:Does “apropos” take a preposition? How do you use this word, anyway? – Mari-Lou A Nov 06 '14 at 09:36
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As a curiosity, I can never, ever successfully use that word in France! Heh! I think it's just little-used there. – Fattie Nov 06 '14 at 10:18
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The french 'a propos de' as the italian 'a proposito di' are very common expressions in those contries. – Nov 06 '14 at 10:33
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I think you would, but you must be careful what you mean:
Apropos (from M-W)
at an opportune time :
by way of interjection or further comment : with regard to the present topic.
The loanword apropos comes from the French phrase à propos de, meaning with respect to. In English, apropos is conventionally used as a preposition meaning with regard to, and it’s also an adjective for pertinent or to the point.
Apropos is often misused in place of appropriate. This sense of apropos has nothing to do with the original French phrase or the word’s conventional meaning. In such cases, appropriate is a perfectly good replacement. Still, this use of apropos is common that we might simply have to accept that the word has changed.
Ngram shows that the term is fairly common in AmE.
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Ngram shows that it's common in writing. That doesn't necessarily mean it's common in casual conversation, and I suspect it's considered a bit formal. – Barmar Nov 06 '14 at 16:07
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I am not sure it is considered a bit formal..and , as far as I know, it is used in conversation also. – Nov 06 '14 at 16:11
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I think in casual conversation people are more likely to say "regarding" or "about", except in some idioms like "apropos nothing". – Barmar Nov 06 '14 at 16:12
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Since you're essentially canvassing opinion,
yes, you could use it anywhere in the USA.
It could be used, say, in a TV comedy script without hesitation, perhaps by a "snooty" character.
How to use, you simply use it to "begin a sentence". It's almost exactly like saying "So, _ _ _".
Note: an important thing to bear in mind about "the USA". It's a fairly big place with a lot of people. Vast numbers of people in the USA barely speak English, and vast numbers speak it very badly. So, if you asked "do people in NY know what 'ask' or 'brought' means" the answer would be "huge numbers do not". ('aks', 'I brought it at the shop' etc).
Fattie
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