Hello?
Each geographic region has its own language, its own way of doing things. In a world so rich with diversity, it's hard to find phrases that are used by most everyone in the world. An example of such a practice is saying "hello" to answer the phone. Even if I call a non-English speaking country, people answer with "hello". In India, which has a different language for every state, phone rings and they ask "hello?". Why is that? Is it because Alexander Graham Bell was from America? Or do we just like the way the double 'L' and long 'O' roll off our tongue?
Even if people are mad as hell the second before they pick up the phone, in that instant after picking up the receiver, all you hear is a polite "hello" with no trace of the person's previous mood or mindset. Maybe hello is therapeutic; maybe it helps us change gears, to stabilize our mind from whatever rut we were stuck in prior to the phone ringing.
Now I realize that there may be countries or regions where this is not the case, and I would like to learn about their phone M.O. so feel free to educate me. Can we possibly start a trend by maybe saying "Hi!, "Make noise with your mouth", "Speak", or some alternate to the accepted norm?
Until then, all hail hello!
Read the Novels by Chetan Davé click here
Copyright 2006 by Chetan Davé ©, All Rights Reserved.
Even if people are mad as hell the second before they pick up the phone, in that instant after picking up the receiver, all you hear is a polite "hello" with no trace of the person's previous mood or mindset. Maybe hello is therapeutic; maybe it helps us change gears, to stabilize our mind from whatever rut we were stuck in prior to the phone ringing.
Now I realize that there may be countries or regions where this is not the case, and I would like to learn about their phone M.O. so feel free to educate me. Can we possibly start a trend by maybe saying "Hi!, "Make noise with your mouth", "Speak", or some alternate to the accepted norm?
Until then, all hail hello!
Read the Novels by Chetan Davé click here
Copyright 2006 by Chetan Davé ©, All Rights Reserved.
posted by UltimateWriter at 9:03 AM
3 Comments:
It’s funny that you brought this up. I was just talking to my sister on how my grandmother would always pick up the phone and say, “Yellow!” She always had this way about saying ‘hello’ that sounded more like ‘yellow’, every time she picked up the phone.
Even in my girlfriend’s family’s house. They’re all Spanish speaking—but they say, ‘hello’, instead of ‘hola’…
Makes you think…
In Chinese it's
Ni Hao!
But on the phone it's
Wei!
If it's someone more senior...
Nin Hao!
If it's a chinese person in North America is
Herro!
deb: that's interesting...yellow does sound more friendly
ppd: hello all around...don't worry the longer the comment the better...keep writing
mike: i'm liking the variety
jessie: hola it is
gt: suham, we learned something new, thanks!
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