"HEY" another dumb Americanism. Interjection NOT G
"HEY" another dumb Americanism making its way around the Australian continent.
"HEY" - the new "HI" is just an interjection, interjecting of a word or phrase in a conversation; word or phrase inserted in a conversation; exclamation expressing emotion or feeling (Grammar).
Fortunately, the "HEY" interjection is not popular at all in England. Thanks god for that.
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"HEY" another dumb Americanism. Interjection NOT Greeting!
I use this as an interjection, but not as a greeting.
Thank God for that?
Did you have a bad day at work? Hey! It happens to most of us.
Hey!
Don't worry -- it's free. We won't even charge you for stealing our word.
A thought, but it seems that both "Hi" and "Hey" are much less American neologisms than remnants of our linguistic ancestry. In the three closely related languages of Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, "Hej" or some version thereof, is widely used as a GREETING, but not as an interjection, as far as I can tell.
In Danish, for instance, "Hej", pronounced like American "Hi", is used as the standard conversational greeting and "Hej-Hej", pronounced like "Hi-Hi", is the standard thing to say on ending a conversation, for instance on the telephone.
Apparently, these terms are far more ancient than their currency in American English might suggest.
Just a thought.
Might any one ever take offense at someone saying 'hey' instead of 'hello'? Or even 'hi' instead of 'hello'?
<<"HEY" another dumb Americanism making its way around the Australian continent.
>>
Why do you think it's making such good progress?
It's not because we're FORCING it on you--ever think of that?
btw, you're welcome!
Australia = about 21 million people, with a history of about 300 years are easily affected by Americanisms (apropos they use the Australian dollar). A nation prone to adopt neologisms. Also they say "chicks" for girls just like the Americans not "birds" like the Brits.
The UK and Ireland, did not adopt the interjection "HEY" and their primary use is "Hiya" as in "Hi you" very informal by the way. "Hello" is still the norm.
Americanisms are spread out by Hollywood / a slang machine...
But even dollar comes from the German word Taler, and is also used by the fiercely loyal to the commonwealth Canadians ... and half of Latin America uses pesos, which translates loosely to pound (as in weight), so are we now going to accuse those countries of being unjustly Anglicized?:D
And honestly, Americans certainly didn't invent the word "hey", or its use in hailing or greeting people. Nor have we given up "hi" or "hello".
<<"Hello" is still the norm.>>
I thought in Britain, 'hullo' was more normal than 'hello'
Not any more?
if americans didnt invent it, who did?
EI is an interjection (of calling somebody) in Brazilian Portuguese too:
Ei você - hey you! but in the Capixaba dialect (Espírito Santo State) EI is used for OI, meaning HI!
''Also they say "chicks" for girls just like the Americans not "birds" like the Brits. ''
Ladybirds LOL
"if americans didnt invent it, who did?"
Some Germanic tribes in Europe thousands of years ago?