Hello and goodbye

I find the variations in spelling and pronunciation between English and North American usage endlessly fascinating. (very-ations/vahriations).

Yesterday I received an email from my daughter in England titled 'hallo', which was how I always used to spell this greeting. Years ago, when I wrote such in a short story, an editor in my writers' group changed this to 'hello'. So then I knew. These days, it's not so important because I mostly use the more casual greeting 'hi'. Where does that come from? Anybody know? And there's also the option of 'hey', which I can't quite do because of memories of my father who disapproved of this word. 'Don't say hey,' he used to say.

My mother bemoaned the fact that people she met out walking or in the supermarket, whatever, had stopped saying 'Good morning', or 'Good afternoon', and were using 'hallo' instead. This set me thinking. I know that 'good-bye' is a shortened form of 'God be with you'. Did the salutations she preferred carry this connotation as well, as in 'God morning' etc.? I wonder.

Well, fashions change. I'll duck the issue and end this post with a brief, 'ciao'.