Hi beams outward like the sun’s rays. The tone transports energy without expecting reciprocity. One may absorb Hi with a casual wave or respond with a smile. Hello boomerangs for a response. Over the phone, one says Hello to hear a voice calling through silence. Hello is an alteration of Hallo or Hollo from Old High German Halâ or Holâ, used to hail a ferryman. Hello comes as a question. Are you there? Hello fetches me across an expanse of water.
