hugely important cultural enquiry about greeting styles

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they wouldn't be spelled difft if they didn't mean difft things:

so what are the difft things?

hallo vs hello vs hullo

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 20 April 2006 09:43 (twenty years ago)

hullo = friendly, possibly more affectionate. hello = formal, boring

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Thursday, 20 April 2006 09:44 (twenty years ago)

hallo ----> hello ----> hullo

cheery -----------> depressed

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 20 April 2006 09:45 (twenty years ago)

And where do "Hi!" and "Hey" and "How Do You Do?" fit into the continuum?

― Henrietta Leavitt and the Cepheid Variables (kate), Thursday, 20 April 2006 09:46 (twenty years ago)

i like "hullo". they use it in the mr men books. "hallo" sounds too spiritual.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 20 April 2006 09:53 (twenty years ago)

'hallo' = quite unnecessarily jaunty, used by people who want to jolly you along
'hullo' = w/evs

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 20 April 2006 09:53 (twenty years ago)

I agree with RJG's analysis, though obviously a lot of it can be heavily modified by tone of voice.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 20 April 2006 09:54 (twenty years ago)

i think "hullo" is quietly impressive and manly

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 20 April 2006 09:56 (twenty years ago)

hey, howz it goin

― Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 20 April 2006 09:57 (twenty years ago)

hullo = I M Jolly innit

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:00 (twenty years ago)

Hullo!

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:03 (twenty years ago)

my name's Terry and I'm a law abider

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:05 (twenty years ago)

Isn't hallo a loud, trumpeting sound used by fox hunters to greet one another across great distances? Nobody, to my knowledge, ever gives a loud hullo.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:09 (twenty years ago)

The thing is, I think "hullo" can often be said in a sulky/let's-acknowledge-that-there-are-issues-between-us way.

I think I say "hallo" quite a lot, but it looks odd written down.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:09 (twenty years ago)

Is "helloo" a variant worthy of attention?

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:10 (twenty years ago)

yes, as is "hellllo"

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:10 (twenty years ago)

Depends if it's a Kenneth Williams type hello-o.

― dr lulu (dr lulu), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:11 (twenty years ago)

ullo ullo ullo

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:11 (twenty years ago)

don't forget about hellooo, the special greeting for lovely ladies.

(xpost with alba)

― estela (estela), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:16 (twenty years ago)

http://www.studencka.pl/templates/artykuly/18/images/duze/allo_allo.jpeg

― phil d. (Phil D.), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:17 (twenty years ago)

all o' a llo!

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:18 (twenty years ago)

It began as "hallo" which came from "hollo" and "holla". People only really began using "hello" as a greeting with the advent of the telephone (preferring "good day" previously). Thomas Edison apparently preferred "Ahoy ahoy" instead of "hello" when using the phone, which is where the Simpsons writers got the line for Monty Burns.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 20 April 2006 10:18 (twenty years ago)

http://www.2b1records.com/images/CDs_DVDs_Posters/CD_Indv-Front/2017PatoB_Front.jpg

"Allo, Tosh, gotta Toshiba?"

― slugbuggy (slugbuggy), Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:26 (twenty years ago)

...long halloos, and screams, and echoes loud
Redoubled and redoubled; concourse wild
Of jocund din!

― William Wordsworth (Archel), Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:32 (twenty years ago)

"Hallo" is German for "hey, you!" Where I come from, "hello" is pronounced "hullo".

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:33 (twenty years ago)

I tend to greet people with "Y'right?" (a slurred "You alright?") but I'm not sure if that's unique and cute or unique and annoying. Or both.

― Johnny B Was Quizzical (Johnney B), Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:34 (twenty years ago)

I don't think I've ever been able to distinguish any difference between spoken versions of hello/hullo/hallo. Is it just a written convention to convey tone of voice?

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:35 (twenty years ago)

I get really confused by greetings that are phrased in the form of questions. Joe's mum used to greet us jauntily with a "Wotcha?" and it took me ages to figure out that all was required was a hearty "Wotcha!" back.

It is subtle changes in the vowel of the first syllable, Archel. Hello/Hullo seem quite common, but I rarely hear Hallo. Except in Neu! records.

― Henrietta Leavitt and the Cepheid Variables (kate), Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:42 (twenty years ago)

WHat do foxhunters shout when they see the fox? Is that "hul-looooo!"? I've never been on a fox-hunt, I'm just remembering from Mary Poppins.

― Johnny B Was Quizzical (Johnney B), Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:49 (twenty years ago)

"Hallo!" is how Cary Grant greets Katherine Hepburn in 'Bringing up Baby' (and 'Holiday' now I think of it) before he realises she is a mentalist. Then I think it changes to a weary "Hullo".

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:50 (twenty years ago)

I thought "Hallo!" is how Cary Grant greeted EVERYBODY.

[/topical comedy]

― Johnny B Was Quizzical (Johnney B), Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:55 (twenty years ago)

I think he greets James Mason in NxNW with a wary "Hello".

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:57 (twenty years ago)

Strange, although I can hear the vowel distinctions I don't picture them as having different spellings. And yet I would use the different versions if I were writing dialogue.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:57 (twenty years ago)

I tend to greet people with "Y'right?" (a slurred "You alright?") but I'm not sure if that's unique and cute or unique and annoying. Or both.

My default greeting for people I'm not necessarily up for having a long conversation with sounds something like "y'righ'may'owzitgoan". And then I scuttle off before they have time to answer.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:59 (twenty years ago)

the cary grant analysis combined with his present-day equiv rjg makes me think that the total continuum is merely simply available for everyone to personalise!

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 20 April 2006 12:05 (twenty years ago)

Hillo!

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 20 April 2006 15:41 (twenty years ago)

i have always enjoyed "hi" used NOT as a greeting but as a synonym for "listen up, you!"

for some reason i think of this as a "northern thing."

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 20 April 2006 16:12 (twenty years ago)

americans of the under-35-ish generation say "hey" 100% of the time

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 20 April 2006 16:13 (twenty years ago)

2 words i associate w/ mark sinker are 'hullo!' and 'hoo-ray!'

― -+-++-+-++, Thursday, 20 April 2006 16:16 (twenty years ago)

i like "hi" when the speaker is approaching someone in a confrontational, "intervening" way. politeness soaked in barely concealed contempt.

― stockholm cindy: comedy vigilante (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 20 April 2006 16:17 (twenty years ago)

"Hi" is such an interesting word. In addition to its conventional usage, I used it in this sarcastic mode: "He told me that I needed a library card before I could check out books. It's like, hi, I wasn't born yesterday."

Also sometimes as a way of interrupting an awkward silence -- of which I can think of two scenarios. 1) Staring at the face of a new girlfriend right after we've kissed, I just say "Hi." As in, "So here we are, and this is nice, right?" 2) I've just made a fool of myself somehow, like I've spilled coffee all over my shirt, and people are waiting for me to react, and I just say "Hi." I guess that's just short for "Hi, I'm an idiot," which may be related to the sarcastic mode above.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 20 April 2006 16:20 (twenty years ago)

what if youve just made out with a bicurious guy

― -++-+-++, Thursday, 20 April 2006 16:23 (twenty years ago)

"howdy"

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 20 April 2006 16:24 (twenty years ago)

ПРЕВЕД!

― dar1a g (daria g), Thursday, 20 April 2006 16:26 (twenty years ago)

Hi comes from Ahoy, not Hello.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:12 (twenty years ago)

hi hi!

― ilx scandinavian black metal dudes (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:15 (twenty years ago)

prove it

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:17 (twenty years ago)

http://www.stonelittletheatre.co.uk/productions/simplythebest/images/hi-de-hi.jpg

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 20 April 2006 18:28 (twenty years ago)

hallo = hunting parties

― vv, Friday, 21 April 2006 06:22 (twenty years ago)

hello= rude, hullo = sleazy
Or hallo = peasant drinkers roistering, hello = diffident people being polite, hullo = gruff Kurt Cobain who secretly likes you. This is all based on statistics.

― vv, Friday, 21 April 2006 06:25 (twenty years ago)

hillo hollo hello

what does that come from?

― emsk ( emsk), Friday, 21 April 2006 18:10 (twenty years ago)

HI DERE, I R doctor.

― StanM (StanM), Saturday, 22 April 2006 04:16 (twenty years ago)

I say "hey" 90% of the time, "howdy" the rest.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Saturday, 22 April 2006 08:16 (twenty years ago)

A slightly older co-worker once commented on the emergence of "hey" as a greeting among people from my generation and younger (though probably especially white middle class ones). She seemed to like it.

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 12:42 (twenty years ago)

People in the MMORPG I play seem to heavily favour 'lo' (short for 'hello') as a greeting, resulting in the common exchange

-hi!
-lo

― Zora (Zora), Saturday, 22 April 2006 12:49 (twenty years ago)

What about just nodding your head, sometimes accompanied with a "Yes", "Yes boss", "Yes rudey", or other such ethnic greetings?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 22 April 2006 12:54 (twenty years ago)

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