"hi"

Posted by ESC on July 22, 2005

In Reply to: "Hi" Posted by Charles laws on July 22, 2005

: Hi!
: I am searching for time and origins of "hi" in western american.
: I have one story dating from 1938 in northern California.
: Any others?
: Thanks.
: charles

From the archives:

"Hi" preceded "hello." The Oxford English Dictionary says "hi" is a "parallel form of HEY." The first recorded uses of these interjections in writing: "hi," the year 1475; "hey," 1225; "hello" (a variant of "hallo"), 1883.

HELLO, HOWDY, HI - ".or words to that effect, are used by most of us several times a day. 'How do you do?' (literally 'how is your health?'), 'good morning,' 'good afternoon,' and 'good evening' have been English greetings since the mid 15th century.Surprisingly enough, 'hello' didn't become a truly common greeting until the mid 1860s. It comes from 'holla!', stop! (French ho! + la, there); it had been used as a shout to attract attention, hail a coach, ferry, etc." Page 184. From I Hear America Talking: An Illustrated History of American Words and Phrases, by Stuart Berg Flexner, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York, 1976.