The Origins of "Hello"

Natasha Ang

Martina Videla Black

Ivan Singgit

Kathy Yuan

The origins of “Hello”

Have you ever wondered what the origins of hello were? Where did it come from, why was it used, who said it? Based on the Oxford English Dictionary we know that the first published use of "hello" goes back only to 1827. Back then Hello was not a greeting like it is now. People did not say Hello when you saw someone on the street that you knew. Instead, hello was used like onomatopoeia in a sense that Hello was like a sound or a word that called people to attention.

By Land:

Hello was actually an alternative to the common Hullo or Hallo, which was used when hailing a ferryman. The words are actually derived from Old High German, and are the basis for the Hello that we have today.

The transition from Hello to Hi did not happen until the telephone came around. Hi was a quicker way to call the attention because it had fewer letters in it and was a quick sharp impact. Over time you can imagine that Hello and Hi went from words that called people to attention or expressed surprise to a word that was used to greet another person who was passing by.

By Sea:

On the seas there was a different type of Hello that was taking hold. Ahoy, which has been around longer than hello or hullo has been taking the seas by storm, but what kept Ahoy from becoming our potential common day Hello? The answer is in marketing and good communication on the side of the brand.

Hello was featured in telephone books and in greetings to the customers. There was even a myth that said that Thomas Edison told people to say Hello when using his inventions. Whatever the reason it is clear that repetition and gaining public support for using the words was a driving force into turning a hullo into a Hello.

Hey:

One thing that I find quite interesting is that in the older days Hello was used, but then shortened to Hi, which is a two person word. One word that has become increasingly popular in today’s age is Hey. Hey is one letter more than Hi, and if the reasoning behind Hi was to shorten the word Hello, then I really do not understand why anyone would make the word longer by adding the Y and changing the I to and E. I feel like it is an unnecessary addition to the English Language, but Hey, I am guilty of using it frequently as well.