"Halloo" = "hello," as simple greeting

[Wilson Gray]

On Aug 11, 2005, at 5:34 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "Halloo" = "hello," as simple greeting
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> OED doesn't adduce any recent "halloas," but it does have " 'allo,
> 'allo ! " from the '70s.  My guess is that

> the Dutch got "hallo" from English

I agree with that, given that The Netherlands is supposed to be the
European country with the highest percentage of English speakers
outside of the British Isles. When I was in Amsterdam, we used to stop
random people on the street and ask for the time. We never found anyone
who was unable to respond. Another time, some Dutch guys tried to con
us into thinking that they were fellow Americans. They were quite good.
Since they weren't trying to whip game on us, we pretended that they
had faked us out.

True story:

Alabamian.  Excuse me. Can you tell us where the [some name] Bar is?
Dutchman.   Wat zei U?
Alabamian.  I say, Can you etc.
Dutchman.   [Long, uncomfortable silence. Finally, the Dutchman asks,]
Do you speak English?

-Wilson

> but what do I know ? It could be a parallel development, I suppose.
>
> The deep question is why it took English 1200 years to evolve "Hello !
> "
>
> JL
>
> Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM> wrote:
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> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Wilson Gray
> Subject: Re: "Halloo" = "hello," as simple greeting
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> Are you certain about that, Jon? I ask because there is a West-Germanic
> language currently spoken and closely related to English, called
> "neerlands" by its speakers, in which "hallo" precisely is, at this
> very day, as you yourself have put it, "a cry for attention,"
> approximating in its meaning the American English "hey, you!" or the
> English English "I say, my man! You there! What?!"
>
> Just messin' witcha, man. I know bedn at.
>
> But, seriously, is "halloa" still a valid alternative spelling? Not
> that it matters. Just idly wondering.
>
> -Wilson
>
> On Aug 10, 2005, at 10:43 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
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>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>> Poster: Jonathan Lighter
>> Subject: "Halloo" = "hello," as simple greeting
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>> -
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>> There's no doubt here that "halloo" (predecessor of "hello") was
>> already established as a simple greeting, as distinguished from a cry
>> for attention or an indicator of surprise :
>>
>> 1833 _Proceedings_ (Old Bailey) (May 16) 470 [
>> http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/facsimiles/1830s/183305160016.html ]
>> _Q._ In what way had he come into the shop? _A._ When he came in he
>> said, "Halloo Harry," in a friendly way, holding out his hand - I
>> said, "Halloo George, who should have thought of seeing you here."
>>
>> Much earlier, but nearly as unambiguous are the following. Note that
>> in 1786 ex., the appropriate response is also "Halloo.":
>>
>> 1765 _Proceedings_ (Old Bailey) (Feb. 27) 90 [
>> http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/facsimiles/1760s/176502270011.html ] I
>> heard a foot coming along pretty briskly from out of the fields: when
>> he came opposite me, I pushed out; I had my lanthorn under my coat; I
>> opened my coat and drew it out: I said, halloo, my friend, what have
>> you got here?
>>
>> 1766 _Proceedings_ (Old Bailey) (Feb. 19) 125[
>> http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/facsimiles/1760s/176602190035.html ] I
>> was a long time before I got out of the ditch: there came a lad that
>> had been robbed; he said, halloo; I said, halloo, who are you. I have
>> been robbed said he. I said, so have I.
>>
>> 1767 _Proceedings_ (Old Bailey) (Sept. 9) 311 [
>> http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/facsimiles/1760s/176709090055.html ]
>> I knocked at an alehouse door, to see if I could get a dram; this was
>> on the 9th of August, past one at night, I could not get in; the
>> prisoner stopped me, and said halloo, where are you going; I said, I
>> am going home; she said if I would go backwards, she could get some
>> liquor.
>>
>> 1784 _Proceedings_ (Old Bailey) (Sept. 15) 1195 [
>> http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/facsimiles/1780s/178409150147.html ] I
>> have seen Pearman before, but I did not know Nash, and then Thomas
>> Defee came up, and said halloo, he said, he knew them.
>>
>> 1786 _Proceedings_ (Old Bailey) (Feb. 22) 406 [
>> http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/facsimiles/1780s/178602220110.html And
>> he says to me, halloo, hostler; I said, halloo, Atkins and Shallard.
>>
>>
>> JL
>>
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