Hello. Or ought to that be: whats up? Or: hey? Or: yo? Or: ’sup? In English, there is no such thing as a scarcity of how to greet somebody casually or informally – and most English audio system will use a number of of those greetings on daily basis.
In fact, English additionally has quite a lot of formal or respectful greetings, reminiscent of “How are you?” and the now barely dated: “How do you do?” However whereas these could look like inquiries into somebody’s wellbeing, they’re usually used to exhibit politeness in greeting somewhat than a real curiosity in and concern for others.
It appears that evidently when greeting somebody in English, our selection is between the casual and the insincere. If languages replicate the tradition and values of their audio system, this means English-speaking areas worth informality and insincerity, or, with a extra constructive spin, simplicity and politeness.
Exterior of English, there are various greetings that present distinctive glimpses into the cultures of their audio system, reflecting completely different traditions and methods of acknowledging, respecting and honouring others.
For instance: the Arabic greeting “as-salāmu ‘alaykum” (peace be upon you) follows the instruction within the Qur’an (24.61) for Muslims to “give greetings of peace upon one another – a greeting from Allah, blessed and good”. The Sanskrit greeting “namaste” (a bow to you) is usually accompanied by a slight bow and urgent the palms collectively in an indication of respect and deference.
And in cultures that prize hospitality and the significance of communal consuming, it’s common to search out greetings that imply “have you ever eaten?”, such because the Mandarin “nǐ chī le ma” and the Korean “bap meogeosseoyo”“, although each are sometimes thought-about equal to the English “how are you?” or “whats up”.
ShaikhMeraj/Shutterstock
There are even greetings that come up from and replicate a tradition’s philosophy or lifestyle. For instance, in Zulu, the normal greeting is “sawubona”, which suggests “I see you”. Not within the sense of “I’ve noticed you”, “I’ve glanced at you”, or “I see what you’re as much as”. Fairly, it means “I see you” within the sense of recognition or acknowledgement.
This greeting captures the concept I recognise your dignity, your worth, your price as an individual. It’s an concept that lies on the coronary heart of Ubuntu, a conventional African philosophy, or lifestyle, that recognises human beings as deeply interconnected and interdependent and so emphasises humanity in the direction of others.
In English-speaking nations, the thought of “I see you” as a greeting can be acquainted from the Avatar movies, during which it’s the common greeting between these within the Na’vi tradition. So when it’s stated to the human character, it reveals he’s accepted and revered by the Na’vi – they see him, they recognise him, they acknowledge him. The Avatar movies in all probability borrow the thought from the Zulu greeting.
Different greetings from Africa additionally replicate Ubuntu. For instance, contemplate a night greeting between shut pals or members of the family among the many Shona folks of Zimbabwe:
You: Maswara sei? (How was your day?)
Me: Taswera kana maswerawo. (It was a very good day in case your day was additionally good.)
To English audio system, this would possibly look like an odd response. You requested me about my day, and if my day was good, then certainly my day was good no matter whether or not yours was. Such considering displays the individualism prevalent in English-speaking nations.
The Shona view, which squarely captures the essence of Ubuntu, is that we’re interconnected before everything, and this comes by means of within the response. For the reason that individual asking the query is a detailed good friend or member of the family, whose life is deeply intertwined with mine, what kind of day this individual had could have an enormous bearing on how my day went, and my reply captures this. If they’d a very good day, then so did I, but when they didn’t then I didn’t. One individual’s wellbeing relies upon upon the wellbeing of others.
Is there a European language with a greeting that recognises the interrelation and interdependence of individuals in an identical approach? Sure: Latin.
In historical Rome, the greeting “Si vales, bene est; ego valeo” (In case you are nicely, it’s nicely, and I’m nicely too) was utilized by Cicero and Pliny the Youthful, amongst others.
Nevertheless, two frequent practices blunted its impact. First, the greeting was often written at first of a letter somewhat than delivered nose to nose, making it tough to find out the sincerity of the greeter (very like with the overused “I hope this finds you nicely” in at the moment’s emails).
And second, the greeting was generally abbreviated to “S.V.B.E.E.V”, giving it a really formulaic look, fairly opposite to the thoughtfulness and respect embodied by the Shona greeting.
As we navigate our globalised world, maybe we will study from these numerous greetings – and make our personal slightly extra significant.
On the lookout for one thing good? Lower by means of the noise with a fastidiously curated number of the most recent releases, dwell occasions and exhibitions, straight to your inbox each fortnight, on Fridays. Join right here.
