Hey!

[+ Avalon]

I've noticed that the use of the word "Hey" as a greeting is becoming commonplace. But it's use as such goes back awhile.

 

I remember when I was a boy I had this schoolmate whose father whenever he heard a boy say "Hey" he would say "Hay is for horses".

 

Thus I'd say "Hi" or "Hello".

[+ bashful]

In Finish, and Swedish, the greeting of "hello", or "hi" sounds like "hey". It reminds me of my childhood to hear it. I use it often.

[+ Tarte Gogo]

In Brasil “Oi!” means “Hello!”.

Before I knew that, I was shocked when a friend said ‘Oi!’ to a waiter whose attention he wanted to catch, in a restaurant in Rio.

It sounded to me exactly like if he had said “you, get here!”

I thought “Gee, don’t be rude to waiters, I don’t want spit in my food!”.

Turns out, it wasn’t rude at all, he was just saying hello to a waiter, which is of course, the polite thing to do before ordering.

[+ Avalon]

From watching the Brit soap opera "Coronation Street" I learned that they say "Oi" also.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Still when I hear "Oi" I expect someone to say "Vey"

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oy_vey

 

:p:p:p