Quote:
Originally Posted by MickeyC
I've always understood the word 'hello' was originally an expression of shock. And when the telephone was invented and first installed in homes, people would, at the sound of the ring, blurt out 'hello' in shock. But, as we got used to phones, it came to be a greeting rather than a way of expressing shock or surprise.
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You're right about it being related to the invention of the telephone, but it's nothing to do with shock or surprise. All the previous greetings that were in common use prior to the telephone were dependent upon social class - you would address someone differently according to whether they were of inferior, equal, or superior social class to you. "Hello" was settled on as a "class neutral" greeting for use on the telephone, because, of course, for the first time you couldn't actually see the person you were talking to. The first telephone operators were colloquially known as "hello girls", because they said "hello" to you.