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Japanese
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04:37 |
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J01 |
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Words and Their Stories -- a program in Special English. Every word has
its own story. Where did it come from? How did it get into the language?
Today, our word is "hello. "
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J02 |
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The word, "hello," is probably used more often
than any other one in the English language. Everybody in the United States
and elsewhere uses the word again and again every day of the week. The
first thing you hear when you pick up the phone is "Hello!" unless the
caller is an Englishman, who might say, "Are you there?"
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J03 |
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Where did the word come from? There are all sorts of ideas. Some say it
came from the French Ho and là -- "Ho there." This greeting may have
arrived in England during the Norman Conquest in the year 1066. "Ho there"
slowly changed into other forms. And the word, "hallow," was often heard
in England in the 1300's, during the days of the poet, Geoffrey Chaucer.
Two hundred years later in Shakespear's time, "hallow" had become
"halloo," and later sounds like "halloa" "halloo " and "hollo" were often
used by sailors and huntsmen. The sound, "halloo," is still used today by
fox hunters. As time passed, the sounds of "halloo" and "halloa" changed
into the sound, "hullo." And during the 1800's this was how people greeted
each other in America.
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J04 |
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The American inventor, Thomas Alva Edison, is believed to be the first
person to use the word, "hello," in the late 1800's soon after the
invention of the telephone. At first, people had greeted each other on the
telephone with the words, "Are you there?" They were not sure if the new
instrument could really carry voices. Tom Edison, however, was a man of
few words. He wasted no time. The first time he picked up the phone, he
did not ask if anyone was there. He was sure someone was, and simply said
"Hello!"
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J05 |
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From that time on, only about 100 years ago, the word, "hullo," became
"hello" as it is heard today. Strangely enough, when the first telephone
system was put in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1878, people did not say
"Hello" or "Hullo" or even "Halloo." They answered the phone the way the
sailors hail a ship: "Ahoy, ahoy there " Well, thank God, that form of
telephone greeting did not last long.
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J06 |
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Of course, there are other ways Americans greet one another. Not long ago,
people often said, "How are you?" when they first met someone. This later
became "Hiyah." Then, someone thought that two syllables were too much,
and "Hiyah" became "Hi." Answering a telephone call in America still
presents problems, however. Telephone companies think that Thomas Edison's
short "Hello" is too long.
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J07 |
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"Why waste time!" the phone companies say. "Simply pick up the phone, give
your name, and start talking "
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Voice of America
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[TOP] |
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