[Vocabulary] hello/hallo

[mmasny]

AFAIK hello is a very much more common form but where and how often may I come across the other one?

 

[Nightmare85]

Usually Hallo! is German.
However, a dictionary (dict.cc | hallo | Deutsch-Wrterbuch) lists Hallo! as an English word, too.

But yes, hello! is very common in English.

Cheers!

 

[ModernDickens]

But yes, hello! is very common in English.

No joke ? :lol:
As far as I'm aware, "hallo" is sometimes used as an alternative to the more common "Hello". The nuance is a slight one, but still, it provides a way out when fed up with repeating "hello" over and over again.

 

[Nightmare85]

I don't want to say it's slang, but there are many variations in languages.
Some guys even say something like yello. ;-)
Probably hallo is used by German fans

Cheers!

 

[Linguist__]

(Not a teacher)

The word 'hallo' has a very similar pronunciation to 'hello'. As far as I'm aware it differs only in that 'hallo' is the word used when shouting on someone/thing. It was used originally in things such as hunting, to call on the dogs.

The etmyology of the words shows that it is a process of variation:

'Hello' came from 'hallo', which came from 'hollo', which came from 'holla', which is 'ho' 'la' - meaning 'ahoy there'.

The only difference I can see is that 'hallo' is pronounced with the stress only on the second syllable. 'Hello' can be either the first or second syllable. However, notice when you shout 'hello', you'd rarely stress the first syllable. So, the difference between 'hallo' and 'hello' is non-existant really. If you shout 'hello', then you are saying 'hallo' - since 'hallo' is the word for shouting on someone/thing.

Incidentally, the word 'hello' seems to have been invented merely to use on the telephone. See this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xXSw07zrio

 

[mmasny]

Thanks for the video, I love Fry
As for the pronunciation. I would pronounce them differently, I'm not familiar with phonetic alphabets (I use Merriam-Webster, which makes things even worse), so I'll need to use other words to show how I see it.
I would pronounce 'hallo' just like 'hallow' and in the first syllable of 'hello' I would utter the same vowel that stands in 'bet'.
So this is more of a difference than just accentuation for me. Am I right?

 

[Linguist__]

Thanks for the video, I love Fry
As for the pronunciation. I would pronounce them differently, I'm not familiar with phonetic alphabets (I use Merriam-Webster, which makes things even worse), so I'll need to use other words to show how I see it.
I would pronounce 'hallo' just like 'hallow' and in the first syllable of 'hello' I would utter the same vowel that stands in 'bet'.
So this is more of a difference than just accentuation for me. Am I right?

Yes, pronouncing 'hallo' as 'hallow' makes me think it isn't the word in the dictionary. In which case, I'd go with what ModernDickens said - it is used when people are fed up with saying 'hello' over and over again.