"HEY" another dumb Americanism. Interjection NOT G

ANTARES   Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:02 am GMT
"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.
ANTARES   Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:03 am GMT
FULL TITLE:

"HEY" another dumb Americanism. Interjection NOT Greeting!
Guest   Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:27 am GMT
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.
Uriel   Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:32 am GMT
Hey!

Don't worry -- it's free. We won't even charge you for stealing our word.
Bubbanator   Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:36 am GMT
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.
Guest   Tue Mar 04, 2008 5:11 am GMT
Might any one ever take offense at someone saying 'hey' instead of 'hello'? Or even 'hi' instead of 'hello'?
guest   Tue Mar 04, 2008 5:36 pm GMT
<<"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!
RANDOM GUEST   Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:46 am GMT
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...
Uriel   Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:02 am GMT
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".
guest   Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:26 pm GMT
<<"Hello" is still the norm.>>

I thought in Britain, 'hullo' was more normal than 'hello'
Not any more?
Guest   Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:40 pm GMT
if americans didnt invent it, who did?
Milton   Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:42 pm GMT
EI is an interjection (of calling somebody) in Brazilian Portuguese too:
Ei vocĂȘ - hey you! but in the Capixaba dialect (EspĂ­rito Santo State) EI is used for OI, meaning HI!
Milton   Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:43 pm GMT
''Also they say "chicks" for girls just like the Americans not "birds" like the Brits. ''

Ladybirds LOL
Guest   Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:54 pm GMT
"if americans didnt invent it, who did?"

Some Germanic tribes in Europe thousands of years ago?
Guest   Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:10 pm GMT
what about 'oi'