How to say a beautiful ‘hello’ – inspired by philosophy from non-English speaking cultures

Paper Trident/Shutterstock by Lloyd Strickland, Manchester Metropolitan University Hi. Or should that be: hello? Or: hey? Or: yo? Or: ’sup? In English, there is no shortage of ways to greet someone casually or informally – and most English speakers will use one or more of these greetings every day. Of course, English also has a number of formal or respectful greetings, such as “How are you?” and the now slightly dated: “How do you do?” But while these may appear to be inquiries into someone’s wellbeing, they are normally used to demonstrate politeness in greeting rather than a genuine interest in and concern for others. It seems that when greeting someone in English, our choice is between the informal and the insincere. If languages reflect the culture and values of their speakers, this suggests English-speaking regions value informality and insincerity, or, with a more positive spin, simplicity and politeness. Outside of English, there are many greetings that provide unique glimpses into the cultures of their speakers, reflecting different traditions and ways of acknowledging, respecting and honoring others. For example: the Arabic greeting “as-salāmu ‘alaykum” (peace be upon you) follows the instruction in the Qur’an (24.61) for Muslims to “give greetings...