The first telephone was patented nearly 140 years ago by the American inventor Alexander Bell. A year later, another famous scientist - Thomas Edison - suggested using the word "hello" as a welcome address when answering a phone call. This word later caught on in many countries of the world, however, some people use their own greeting for these purposes.
How is it customary to say "hello" in different countries?
Residents of Mexico, picking up the phone, say "bueno", which means "good" in Spanish. Such an appeal is due to the fact that earlier in Mexico there were constant interruptions in telephone communication, and the word "bueno" immediately made it clear to the person on the other end of the line that he could be heard well.
The Spaniards, when receiving a phone call, speak into the handset "digame" or abbreviated "diga", which means "talk."
Italians, when answering a phone call, exclaim "pronto!" ("Pronto!") - "ready!"
In Japan, he answers a phone call with the word "moshi-moshi", which is a derivative of the word "mosimasu-mosimasu" and is translated into Russian as "I listen." In China, the attention of a telephone interlocutor is attracted by the simple interjection "wei!" - analogue of the Russian "hey!"
The Greeks answer the phone call with the word "embros!" Which translates as "forward!" or the word "parakalo" meaning "please."
Residents of the Netherlands and Switzerland pronounce the word "hoi" as a friendly greeting.
In Germany, along with the English borrowing "hello", they also very often say "yes" ("ja") and call their surname.
In the Balkans, where Croats, Bosnians and Serbs live, when answering a phone call, it is customary to use the word "pray" ("moulim") - "please".
In Turkey, interlocutors on the phone greet each other with the word "efendim?" ("Efendim"), which is translated into Russian as "sir?" In Armenia, it is customary to start a telephone conversation with the word "lsum em" - "I listen" or "aio" ("la").
People living in the countries of Central Asia and the Middle East (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Iran), when answering a phone call, say "labbay", that is, "I listen to you, what did you want?"
