7 Quick facts about the word hello
Published on Wed Nov 21 2018 in Community
Bonjour! Kia ora! Ciào! Konnichiwa! There are hundreds of ways to say hello around the world. It’s such an everyday word, that you might not give it much thought.
To celebrate World Hello Day, here are seven fun facts about this popular greeting.
1. Hello didn’t mean “hi” until the telephone was invented
Before hello was used as a greeting, it was a way of getting someone’s attention. In the 1830s you might hear people exclaim things like, “Hello, get over here!” or “Hello! What do you think you’re doing?” It wasn’t until Thomas Edison suggested it as a way to answer the phone that it became the salutation we know today.
2. Alexander Graham Bell wanted us to answer the phone with “Ahoy!”
That’s right—the inventor of the telephone thought the nautical greeting ahoy would be the perfect way to start calls! Why didn’t this catch on? It’s hard to say exactly, but phone books played a part in cementing hello into the English language. The first telephone books included how to sections on phone etiquette, and hello was often listed as the proper greeting.
3. Kia ora is more than just a greeting
Though it’s come to mean “hello” in modern English, this te reo Māori word holds a deeper meaning. Literally translated to “have life be well,” Kia ora can be used to greet people, say goodbye or express thanks. During meetings, it can also be used to show agreement with the speaker.
4. In 1984 a phone operator was nearly dismissed for saying Kia ora
Back when hearing te reo was less common, Naida Glavish was stood down for answering the phone where she worked with a friendly “Kia ora!” She stood her ground, and even gained support from then prime minister Rob Muldoon.
5. Aloha is much more than a way to say hello
Like Kia ora, the Hawaiian word aloha holds great cultural significance. Not only is it used as a greeting and a farewell, the word also embodies the ideas of love, compassion and peace. The Aloha spirit is such a part of Hawaiian culture, that it’s even been written into the state’s law to remind government officials to treat others with care and respect.
6. Other countries use words similar to the English hello
Knowing a few phrases in other languages can come in handy, and a simple “hello” could get you pretty far! Many other countries use greetings that sound a lot like hello—hallo in Afrikaans, halo in Indonesian, halò in Gaelic and halló in Icelandic, to name a few!
7. Students have used “Hello, world!” to learn coding since the 1970s
One of the first things budding computer programmers often learn to do is display the words “Hello, world!” on the screen. This test phrase is credited to Brian Kernigham, who used it in his 1972 book, A Tutorial Introduction in the Language B. It caught on and has been used to teach computer languages ever since.
A friendly greeting could be all it takes to make someone’s day! Try it and these 42 other ways to show a little kindness.
Sources
NPR, A (Shockingly) Short History of ‘Hello’
E-Tangata, Naida Glavish – she wouldn’t comply
University of Hawaii Community Colleges, Aloha: Aloha Spirit
To-Hawaii.com, The Meaning of Aloha
Bilingua, How to Say Hello in 100 Languages
Software Guild, The History of Hello World
About Author: Momentum Life is a leading provider of Life insurance and Funeral insurance in New Zealand.
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