How "Hello" become world standard when answering phone call ?

Answer 1

We say "hello" on the phone because we were saying "hello" commonly before Graham Bell invented the phone in 1876. In 1872, for instance, Mark Twain used 'hello' in his book, Roughing It: "A miner came out and said: 'Hello!'"

Thomas Edison got into the picture in 1877, a year after Bell invented the phone. Edison wrote a letter to the president of the telegraph company in Pittsburgh, saying he didn't think we needed a "call bell as Hello! can be heard 10 to 20 feet away." So, hello was the telephone greeting from almost Day 1, although Bell liked the idea of "ahoy" (nautical) or "hoy hoy", a Gaelic greeting, meaning perhaps 'out there' (Bell was Scottish).

A TV program still uses the expression "hoy hoy." "In one episode of The Simpsons, Mr. Burns, depicted apparently as much as a century old, answers the phone with 'Hoy Hoy'," e-mails linguistics scholar John McWhorter, author of The Power of Babel.

Where did the word hello come from? Stories abound. In about 1600, Shakespeare used "halloo" as a hunting shout in the play Coriolanus.
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Answer 2

"Hello" is a standard polite greeting for any situation really. I assume it's more so with the telephone because you can't actually "see" the person you're talking with.

If you ever wish to change the norm, do what I do when the phone rings and I'm really not in the mood to answer because a phone conversation is really the last thing I need. I just answer "Telford Dogs Home" or any other polite yet random remark that would confuse the caller and discourage them from calling again. A stern and slightly grumpy voice when you speak always helps :-)

Answer 3

Telephone
The word hello is also credited to Thomas Edison specifically as a way to greet someone when answering the telephone; according to one source due to expressing his surprise with a misheard Hullo. Alexander Graham Bell initially used Ahoy as a telephone greeting. However, in 1877, Edison wrote to T.B.A. David, the president of the Central District and Printing Telegraph Company of Pittsburg:

"Friend David, I do not think we shall need a call bell as Hello! can be heard 10 to 20 feet away.
What you think? Edison - P.S. first cost of sender & receiver to manufacture is only $7.00."

By 1889 central telephone exchange operators were known as 'hello-girls' due to the association between the greeting and the telephone

Answer 4

Beechwood 4-5789 - Martha and the Vandellas putting on the telephone - Blondie, The Nerves Ghostbusters- Ray Parker, Jr. ("Who ya gonna call?") Memphis, Tennessee- Chuck Berry (total music is directed to the operator, "long distance suggestion, provide me Memphis, Tennessee..") as quickly as I dangle Up the telephone- Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty Pennsylvania 6-5000- Glenn Miller and his Orchestra

Answer 5

From the Hungarian expression "Hallom!" = I (can) hear you!

Tivadar Puskás [...] began to concentrate on perfecting his scheme to build a telephone exchange. According to Edison, "Tivadar Puskás was the first person to suggest the idea of a telephone exchange". Puskás's idea finally became a reality in 1877 in Boston. It was then that the Hungarian word "hallom" "I hear you" was used for the first time in a telephone conversation when, on hearing the voice of the person at the other end of the line, an exultant Puskás shouted out in Hungarian "hallom". Thus, this word without the letter "m", i.e. "hallo/hello", that we now use every time we speak into a telephone receiver.

Answer 6

Yeah its interesting, dont know how, though I was watching a program recently which explained that the word only came into its current usage not that long ago, round about mid 19th century.Apparently it was originally a shout of recognition rather than a greeting. Another english/American term which is very universal these days is OK',It's spread into virtually every other language

Answer 7

I'm curious about that myself. I've always since childhood answered the phone "Greetings". It drives my husband crazy,LOL! I just always liked to be different from the norm, and my life was such hell as a child "Greetings" just seemed a good thing to say. I guess hoping for a positive response from the other end. Smile!

Answer 8

English.

Answer 9

Although common, it's not really a world standard. In Spain, they answer Dígame (literally, tell me) and in Catalan Manim (same meaning).

Answer 10

We oldies used to give the exchange name and the name of our telephone exchange and then our number. When everything went numerical, it became complicated so people just started saying 'hello', which is not very helpful. I say my surname. In Italy they say 'pronto', which is also not very helpful.