What was the greeting before hello existed?

Question

I learnt that hello was a greeting when you answered the phone but soon went in to everyday conversations. So what was the greeting before hello? Was it How are you? That's very formal, so what is it?
But it's weird how English is the only language (maybe I'm wrong?) to really use the greeting over phone in everyday conversation. Italian, Chinese and other languages have a different hello over the phone...

Answer 1

In Spanish a typical greeting is "Habla" (conjugated version of hablar, to talk). In the "olden days" they would say "Good morrow!" as a greeting - like "good day!" or "Top of the morning to ya'!"



Alexander Graham Bell actually insisted that the proper telephone greeting was not "Hello," but rather "Ahoy" ... As you know, "Hello" took its rightful place, and it's stuck around ever since.



Before that, as the NWTA link will show you, greetings ranged but generally consisted of introducing yourself or welcoming someone into your home. Back then it wasn't terribly proper to introduce yourself to someone you didn't know, especially in higher circles - you had to be introduced by someone else so it was proper to say, "It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance" or something of the sort.

Check the link below - know that the "replies" and "play page" just reference whatever play or opera the author is referring to -- the greetings were standard in that time:



“Gentlemen, your humble servant.”

“Madam, your humble servant, a happy day to you and to us all.”

“Gentlemen, well met. . . .”

“Dear Madam, your Servant…”

“Welcome, gentlemen, very welcome. This way.”

“Maria, my dear, how do you do?…”

“Ladies, your most obedient.”

“My old friend, Sir Oliver — hey!…”



That last one shows the word "Hey" ... I don't know if this was a 100% accurate greeting but it suggests that hey must have been in use before hello - I always assumed Hey was a shortened/morphed version.



Notice a pattern that a typical greeting would be "Ladies ..." Or, "Gentlemen" ... (or someone's name) which would always be followed by a respectful bow or curtsy. The deeper the bow or curtsy, the more deference you show - for a king or queen, face would be to the floor, as low as you could go. You would bow only slightly to someone of equal rank, and not at all to someone lower.

Answer 2

What was the greeting before hello existed?



I learnt that hello was a greeting when you answered the phone but soon went in to everyday conversations. So what was the greeting before hello? Was it How are you? That's very formal, so what is it?

But it's weird how English is the only language (maybe I'm wrong?) to really use the greeting over phone in everyday conversation. Italian, Chinese and other languages have a different hello over the phone...

Answer 3

I do believe "hail" to be the root of "hello." Also, the original English phone greeting was "Ahoy," until Alexander Graham Bell suggested "hello."

Answer 4

We used to punch people in the gut when greeting one another. After a while we soon realized saying hello was less painful.

Answer 5

not sure but the guy who invented the telephone invented the term : hello , as a means of something to say when somebody rang!!! so i guess it was how do you do :) hope i helped if not sorrrry

Answer 6

If you are far more interested in learning to communicate Spanish than read or create it (they do teach reading and creating but speaking is far much more heavily emphasized)

Answer 7

hail was the greeting as in hail freinds

Answer 8

hi.

Answer 9

It was "Banana", then they changed it due to laziness.



Yup.

Answer 10

They flung poo at each other.