Greetings From Around The English Speaking World
Did you know? There are many different greetings across English speaking nations and they vary considerably. From the British “Hyia!” to the South African “Howzit!”, greetings give us an idea of the local culture.
Learning the different ones and using them when visiting is a great way to feel part of the place we’re holidaying in. So, let’s take a look at some common ones and some colloquial versions.
United Kingdom greetings.
Hello
Hiya!
Alright?
You good?
Hello, how are you?
A note here is that when someone says “how are you” informally as part of a greeting, it often simply means “Hello” and you are not expected to give a detailed reply. A good response would be along the lines of “good, and you”?
Also, many of the greetings might often end with “mate” as in “alright, mate?”
Right, moving along to the other side of the Atlantic.
United States greetings.
Hey!
Hi!
What’s up?
How’s it going?
In Hawaii the greeting is “Aloha” and means hello, goodbye or welcome, depending on the context. It symbolises mutual respect and warmth.
Hey or hi is used everywhere across the US and is done with friendliness and enthusiasm. Similar to the British hiya. If you’re asked “Hey, how’s it going?”, a usual reply might be “good, and you”?
Colloquial greetings in the South, such as Texas and Georgia.
Howdy!
Hey y’all!
Howdy, nowadays, is also used broadly across the United States whereas hey y’all is used predominantly in the South and only when you’re greeting two or more people simultaneously.
Okay, moving further north now.
Canadian greetings.
Hey there
Hey!
Hi!
What’s up?
How’s it going?
Pretty similar to the US, although hey there is a warm greeting you’d use with close friends.
Plus, if you’re travelling in the francophone region, such as Quebec, then French greetings will be appropriate.
Let’s now head down to Australia.
Australian greetings.
G’ day mate
How’s it going?
How ya going?
What’s doing?
Alright?
Hey
Hi
Australians by and large are very chilled and greetings are casual and informal. If you’re visiting, using hey, hi or how’s it going are all good choices.
New Zealand greetings.
They are also relaxed and some of the greetings are similar to those in Australia, while others are specific to New Zealand as they are casual Maori greetings used widely across the country.
Kia ora
Hello
Kia ora koutou
G’day
How’s it going?
How ya doing?
Kia ora means be well and kia ora koutou is used when saying good morning to three or more people at the same time. G’day is sometimes paired with mate, just like in Australia.
A good reply to how ya doing, would be “not bad, and you?”
South African greetings.
Hello
Howzit
What’s up?
Hey, how are you?
More informal and popular with young people, usually men
Hey bro
Hey buddy
South Africa has 12 official languages and so there are many African greetings as well that are popular. For instance, “Molo” in areas where Xhosa is spoken and “Sawubona” where Zulu is spoken mostly, such as in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Sawubona has a wonderful meaning of “I see you”, which denotes recognition and respect.
Moving back up the globe. Last but not least, Ireland.
Irish greetings.
Story?
What’s the story?
Any craic?
Alright?
Story and what’s the story are both similar to how are you or what’s happening? A quick reply of “not much, you?” is good.
Alright, much like in the UK, is a quick casual hello, especially in passing. Irish people tend to be fun, have a great sense of humour and this is reflected in their greetings. There are also Irish language greetings, such as “dia dhuit” which means translates to “God be with you” but means simply hello.
Now that you’ve quantitated yourself with the global greetings in English, depending on where you visit next globally, we wish you happy travels!
Discussion
Which English-speaking countries would you like to visit?
Is it good to know a handful of words in the local language of a country, why or why not?
Which is better. Spending two weeks in one country or visiting two or three?
How often do you go on holiday and what activities do you enjoy while holidaying?
Which mode of transport do you consider the safest for travelling long distance?
“The world is a book and those who do not travel, read only one page” – Augustine. What do you make of this statement and do you agree with it?
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