4 'hey' ( perhaps originally a natural expression) appears to be at the origin of 'hi', while 'hello' seems to have no connection with the previous two terms and a different origin (mainly as a telephone greeting) I am not a native speaker I really want to know what's the difference between hi and hey in writing an email Is it too girlish or childish for a man to say hey in his email. “but hey, at least now you know.” as opposed to, “but, hey, at least now you know.” the question also applies to other interjections like “hey son” and “oh well.” what is the correct usage? Here in n america, since we never drop initial h's, it's less likely that eh and hey are confused
Probably the saying 'hay is for horses' came over the pond intact, but here it's used as a response to hey I can attest to its use as an admonishment in the late '60s/early '70s usa. Oxford, macquarie dictionary experts say using 'guys' is not sexist it is important to note that gender neutral guys is used in other dialects of english, notably mine (as this graph shows, pretty much everywhere in america uses it except for the south). Some people consider hey to be an inappropriate greeting (hay is for horses), but among those who do not, i wouldn't say that hey yourself has any inherently negative connotation Hey to you as well i could say it dismissively or menacingly, but also flirtatiously or cordially In such casual exchanges, the tone, tempo, body language, and other cues will impart far.
You could say to a guy on a train platform, a fellow commuter, hey buddy, do you know if the next train is the express or the local? Both hi there and hi are informal greetings that can be used interchangeably That being said, i rarely (if ever) hear someone use hey there or hi there I would say that those forms have fallen into relative disuse If you happen to be a mouseketeer in the 1950's, you may not have a choice in the matter. Basic grammar may tell you the hey is an interjection. when used to specifically address a person (or an audience,) as in your example, the hey there is a vocative adjunct with an interpersonal function of addressing between speaker & listener (or writer & reader)
O, romeo, romeo … this consists of relatively emotional words or phrases which express an exclamation, a call, a curse.
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