"Hey" as a form of greeting

[Pundit]

I think this is mainly an American corruption.Tanzanians being from the Commonwealth will particularly be sensitive to this.America is dumbing down everything, there was a time when CCN used rich and presentable diction, now it seems, at least in the US version, they are dumbing it down to attract ratings.

The entire laisez-faire culture, starting with dressing down to work - some parts of the wild west, especially in the valley, a sure way of saying "I am a butler, a chauffer or somebody equally low in the food chain" is dressing up to work- to butchering the English language (e.g "look!") etc etc.

It is arguable that the American "hey" is an evolved "hi" incubated especially in the south and spread all over,a folksy attempt at closeness, informality and familiarity and closer to Outkast's "Hey Ya" than Pink Floyd's "Hey You".

But it all rests on the tone, there is nothing folksy about an NRA redneck shouting "Hey you, over there" and pointing his gun at you, or anything remotely similar to that.

So it all depends on who is using it, what tone is used, and what follows it.

 

[Nyani Ngabu]

Hivi ukisema kwa kiswahili fulani ni "mnene" utakuwa umemtukana ama kumchukiza? Je ukimwita mtu huyo kwa kiingereza "fat" utakuwa umemchukiza? Kwa nini hapa Marekani mtu ukimwita "mnene"/ "fat" anachukia lakini ukimwita "mwembamba"/ "slim"/ "skinny" hachukii? Mwenzeni hapa nimeshawahi kukasirikiwa kisa eti nimemwuliza (demu) kama ni mjamzito. Akaniuliza why are you asking, are you trying to say I'm fat? Tokea siku hiyo nikaacha kuuliza mademu kama ni wajawazito. Watu siku hizi wako overly sensitive.

 

[LazyDog]

Hey ni salaam ya watu wa scandinavia, sasa ukiwa offended then usikaribie.

Be that as it may, does not change fact that the word is inappropriately used. "hey" is not to be used to greet one, if you have to, use it appropriately, (assuming you understand what "hey" as an interjection is used for.)

Inategemea uko wapi kama ambavyo wengine wamechangia. Wakati Scandinavia wanatumia Hey kama salamu, Waholanzi wanasema Hei.
They don't say "Hey you", or "Hei you" however.



.

 

[Buswelu]

I think this is mainly an American corruption.Tanzanians being from the Commonwealth will particularly be sensitive to this.America is dumbing down everything, there was a time when CCN used rich and presentable diction, now it seems, at least in the US version, they are dumbing it down to attract ratings.

The entire laisez-faire culture, starting with dressing down to work - some parts of the wild west, especially in the valley, a sure way of saying "I am a butler, a chauffer or somebody equally low in the food chain" is dressing up to work- to butchering the English language (e.g "look!") etc etc.

It is arguable that the American "hey" is an evolved "hi" incubated especially in the south and spread all over,a folksy attempt at closeness, informality and familiarity and closer to Outkast's "Hey Ya" than Pink Floyd's "Hey You".

But it all rests on the tone, there is nothing folksy about an NRA redneck shouting "Hey you, over there" and pointing his gun at you, or anything remotely similar to that.

So it all depends on who is using it, what tone is used, and what follows it.

Mzee wa mawe....english yako mkuu ni noma...huwa napitia pitia kuona maneno magumu magumu....

 

[Invisible]

Mzee wa mawe....english yako mkuu ni noma...huwa napitia pitia kuona maneno magumu magumu....

Hahaha, kila mtu ana HERO wake katika jambo flani!

Interesting

 

[Steve Dii]

Hahaha, kila mtu ana HERO wake katika jambo flani!

Interesting

... HEY, wewe hero/heroine wako ni nani?! mtaje basi....

... Wangu ni Mama na KadaMpinzani.

 

[NaimaOmari]

mimi nachukia sana mtu akiniita "wewe" hakianani vile sigeuki kama atanikimbilia na kunigusa lazima atakoma maana sura yangu tu itamweleza hatari aloisababisha na kama hajanizoea ndo utakuwa mwisho wa kujuana kwetu

 

[Kungurumweupe]

mimi nachukia sana mtu akiniita "wewe" hakianani vile sigeuki kama atanikimbilia na kunigusa lazima atakoma maana sura yangu tu itamweleza hatari aloisababisha na kama hajanizoea ndo utakuwa mwisho wa kujuana kwetu

Kwi kwi kwi kwi....! Punguza hasira mkuu.

 

[Mbiya]

Hey! What an interesting discussion! Mimi ni Mmarekani, natoka Texas, lakini chuo kikuu changu kiko Washington, D.C. It's standard to say "Hey" to greet someone in the US, hata intimate kama alisema Pundit. My roommate in college last year always greeted me saying "Hey, Roomie!" I thought it was really sweet. On the other hand, sometimes I get annoyed that people just say "hey" when they see me on campus and barely even look at me. Like they feel they are forced to say "hey", but they don't really care that they saw me. That's what I think Swahili greetings are nice, because it's not just "Hi. Bye." It totally depends on how the person is using it, so it's not just the word by itself.

Nevertheless, it's a part of my culture. I'm not going to completely change my place in the culture I live in, lakini nikikwenda Afrika ya Mashariki, nitajua kwamba it's perceived as rude... I will try to be respectful, but I hope others will respect as well that this is a legitimate part of my culture. We all have to understand where each other is coming from!

 

[CottonEyeJoe]

As quoted from http://www.thefreedictionary.com:

Traditionally, hey was just an exclamation. Sometimes it expressed delight, sometimes a warning. Nowadays we find it used for emphasis as well, especially in the expression but hey. It is also a greeting. It is a short, colloquial version of How are you? and thus close kin to the informal salutation hi, which it seems to be replacing in many situations. Until recently, this greeting had a distinctly Southern flavor. The national survey conducted in the 1960s by the Dictionary of American Regional English found hey as a greeting restricted chiefly to Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. The friendly hey has since spread throughout the United States.

 

[Steve Dii]

As quoted from http://www.thefreedictionary.com:

Traditionally, hey was just an exclamation. Sometimes it expressed delight, sometimes a warning. Nowadays we find it used for emphasis as well, especially in the expression but hey. It is also a greeting. It is a short, colloquial version of How are you? and thus close kin to the informal salutation hi, which it seems to be replacing in many situations. Until recently, this greeting had a distinctly Southern flavor. The national survey conducted in the 1960s by the Dictionary of American Regional English found hey as a greeting restricted chiefly to Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. The friendly hey has since spread throughout the United States.

CottonEyeJoe, Pia "mambo" ilikuwa salam ya kihuni mid 80's tu, na kwa ma conservatives wengine bado mpaka leo wanachukulia hivyo. Lakini siku za karibuni neno limezoeleka, yaani hata wazee wengine wanatumia mambo... (na siku hizi, thanx to kaka Michuzi - 'mambozzz'). Kwangu mimi hey hainisumbui... as long as iko in context, kama mtu ananishtua -nitashtuka, kama ananisalimia- nitaitikia.

SteveD.

 

[Nyani Ngabu]

CottonEyeJoe, Pia "mambo" ilikuwa salam ya kihuni mid 80's tu, na kwa ma conservatives wengine bado mpaka leo wanachukulia hivyo. Lakini siku za karibuni neno limezoeleka, yaani hata wazee wengine wanatumia mambo... (na siku hizi, thanx to kaka Michuzi - 'mambozzz'). Kwangu mimi hey hainisumbui... as long as iko in context, kama mtu ananishtua -nitashtuka, kama ananisalimia- nitaitikia.

People are just being sensitive Suzies for no good reason(s)....

 

[Sunshine OLD]

How do you feel when someone greets you with "hey" as they would by saying "good morning" "hello" and the like? Or, find email popping up your screen with subject line, "Hey" you ?

Personally, I get offended with this, I am not sure how others feel, or maybe I'm just freaking out for no reason at all, which tends to happen often times these days.

At any rate, what are your views on this subject matter? I have tried to respond to folks politely in a manner of showing my disappreciation for the word used, lakini some people bwana are just boneheaded, just can't take a hint…what the hell! I feel this word is appropriately used, if anything, it should be directed to Horses etc.

Help me out; I would like to hear your views.

I feel exactly the way you feel!
Guess it's not the polite way of greeting people!

 

[Kisura]

I feel exactly the way you feel!
Guess it's not the polite way of greeting people!

Certainly not my dear.

 

[Steve Dii]

I feel exactly the way you feel!
Guess it's not the polite way of greeting people!

really?!!

-- hey, mambo?
-- hey, habari yako?
-- hey, you okay?
-- hey, how you doing?
-- hey, what's up?


-- hallow, mambo?
-- hallow, habari yako?

--oya, mambo?
-- oya, vipi?

--shikamoo mzee,
--shikamoo dada,
--shikamoo ndugu,

--wewe hujambo?
--wewe mzima?

--sasa vipi?
--sasa mambo?

--hapo vipi?
--hapo salama?



I'm sure few or no one uses hey on its own as a form of greeting.

In most cases Hey = wewe, sasa, oya, hallow/hellow.

SteveD.

 

[Sam GM]

I think this is mainly an American corruption.Tanzanians being from the Commonwealth will particularly be sensitive to this.America is dumbing down everything, there was a time when CCN used rich and presentable diction, now it seems, at least in the US version, they are dumbing it down to attract ratings.

The entire laisez-faire culture, starting with dressing down to work - some parts of the wild west, especially in the valley, a sure way of saying "I am a butler, a chauffer or somebody equally low in the food chain" is dressing up to work- to butchering the English language (e.g "look!") etc etc.

It is arguable that the American "hey" is an evolved "hi" incubated especially in the south and spread all over,a folksy attempt at closeness, informality and familiarity and closer to Outkast's "Hey Ya" than Pink Floyd's "Hey You".

But it all rests on the tone, there is nothing folksy about an NRA redneck shouting "Hey you, over there" and pointing his gun at you, or anything remotely similar to that.

So it all depends on who is using it, what tone is used, and what follows it.

Pundit,

I totally do agree with you, it all come down to the tone and usage, otherwise some people will be okay and others will be offended. As long as you are not disrespecting me in any way, I am down and cool with it!

 

[Sunshine OLD]

mimi nachukia sana mtu akiniita "wewe" hakianani vile sigeuki kama atanikimbilia na kunigusa lazima atakoma maana sura yangu tu itamweleza hatari aloisababisha na kama hajanizoea ndo utakuwa mwisho wa kujuana kwetu

Interesting! Lol!

 

[Sunshine OLD]

really?!!

-- hey, mambo?
-- hey, habari yako?
-- hey, you okay?
-- hey, how you doing?
-- hey, what's up?


-- hallow, mambo?
-- hallow, habari yako?

--oya, mambo?
-- oya, vipi?

--shikamoo mzee,
--shikamoo dada,
--shikamoo ndugu,

--wewe hujambo?
--wewe mzima?

--sasa vipi?
--sasa mambo?

--hapo vipi?
--hapo salama?



I'm sure few or no one uses hey on its own as a form of greeting.

In most cases Hey = wewe, sasa, oya, hallow/hellow.

SteveD.

SteveD,

Salaamz go on their own, not hey, mambo? - it's just 'mambo'?
Mbona while greeting your dad or mum you don't usually start with 'hey' - shkamoo baba!
Do you get my point?
Katika hali ya kawaida hatusalimii - wewe, mambo? si ustaarabu.
We usually greet - mambo? salama? hali yako? shkamoo mama, shkamoo baba n.k
Not as your salaamz SteveD!!!

 

[Steve Dii]

SteveD,

Salaamz go on their own, not hey, mambo? - it's just 'mambo'?
Mbona while greeting your dad or mum you don't usually start with 'hey' - shkamoo baba!
Do you get my point?
Katika hali ya kawaida hatusalimii - wewe, mambo? si ustaarabu.
We usually greet - mambo? salama? hali yako? shkamoo mama, shkamoo baba n.k
Not as your salaamz SteveD!!!

Sasa umekutana na nani aliyekuambia tu "hey", kisha akakaa kimya kukusikilizia majibu yako akitegemea kuwa amekusalimia?

Pahala pengi kama si pote nilipokutana na hiyo hey, ilifuatiwa na kitu kingine.

Kama 'hey -shikamoo baba' haipo, ikiwa mojawapo ya salam zenye kuheshimika sana, sasa inapotumika kwenye salam nyinginezo, unataka kuzilinganisha hizo salaam na hii ya shikamoo?! Maana katika maelezo yako umetaka kulinganisha 'hey, mambo?' na 'hey, shikamoo baba?'

 

[Ben Saanane]

Ila hata mini hilo neno 'Hey' ni kama vila mtua anataka kunitisha na kwa madharau.Duh,kazi kweli