It’s been 200 years since the word “hello” was first used in print – though its beginnings date back to the 15th Century. How has the language of greetings evolved around the world – and what does it tell us about ourselves?
We use “hello” dozens of times a day without thinking – during phone calls, emails and face-to-face encounters. We sing it along with Adele and Lionel Richie, and we have watched it spun into moments of screen gold in Jerry Maguire (“You had me at hello”), and Scarface (“Say hello to my little friend!”). It’s been used to sell everything from mobile phones (Motorola’s “Hello, Moto”) to lingerie (Wonderbra’s iconic “Hello boys”), and it has been borrowed to name computer programs and celebrity magazines.