AGB (1847-1922) was the son of Alexander Melville Bell (1819-1905)
"teacher and researcher of physiological phonetics...author of numerous
works on orthoepy and elocution...creator of Visible Speech" (Wiki).

Well, the telephone certainly changed some things about our use of
language.

Apparently it was Thomas Edison who established "Hello" (or "Hello?") as
the standard English thing to say when answering the telephone.

And this day? Oh, on 7-3-1876 AGB was granted a US patent for an
"Improvement in Telegraphy".

Three days later it was: "Mr.Watson, come here, I want to see you."

On 2024-03-08, Ross Clark wrote:

> AGB (1847-1922) was the son of Alexander Melville Bell (1819-1905)
> "teacher and researcher of physiological phonetics...author of numerous
> works on orthoepy and elocution...creator of Visible Speech" (Wiki).
>
> Well, the telephone certainly changed some things about our use of
> language.
>
> Apparently it was Thomas Edison who established "Hello" (or "Hello?") as
> the standard English thing to say when answering the telephone.
>
> And this day? Oh, on 7-3-1876 AGB was granted a US patent for an
> "Improvement in Telegraphy".
>
> Three days later it was: "Mr.Watson, come here, I want to see you."

Not sure if this is verified, but I've heard that Bell wanted people
to say "Ahoy" when answering the phone. Maybe we could try to get that
restarted?

--
For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public
relations, for nature cannot be fooled. –--Richard P. Feynman

Ar an t-ochtú lá de mí Márta, scríobh Ross Clark:

> AGB (1847-1922) was the son of Alexander Melville Bell (1819-1905) "teacher
> and researcher of physiological phonetics...author of numerous works on
> orthoepy and elocution...creator of Visible Speech" (Wiki).
>
> Well, the telephone certainly changed some things about our use of language.

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic/the time of year/the GDPR/the phase of the
moon/the anniversary of the death of Gauss, our call volumes are higher than
normal. Please hold.”

> Apparently it was Thomas Edison who established "Hello" (or "Hello?") as the
> standard English thing to say when answering the telephone.
>
> And this day? Oh, on 7-3-1876 AGB was granted a US patent for an "Improvement
> in Telegraphy".
>
> Three days later it was: "Mr.Watson, come here, I want to see you."

--
‘As I sat looking up at the Guinness ad, I could never figure out /
How your man stayed up on the surfboard after fourteen pints of stout’
(C. Moore)

On 2024-03-08, Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:

> Not sure if this is verified, but I've heard that Bell wanted people
> to say "Ahoy" when answering the phone.

That raises the question how Czech people answer the phone.

Around here, in this specific part of Germany, "ahoi" is the
traditional carnival greeting, so the everyday Czech use is initially
amusing.

--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber naddy@mips.inka.de

Christian Weisgerber wrote:

> On 2024-03-08, Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:

>> Not sure if this is verified, but I've heard that Bell wanted people
>> to say "Ahoy" when answering the phone.

> That raises the question how Czech people answer the phone.

> Around here, in this specific part of Germany, "ahoi" is the
> traditional carnival greeting, so the everyday Czech use is initially
> amusing.

Jp Moshi-Moshi was in Joyce's time written as Mushi-mushi,
which Joyce liked because Mushi means "insect"

__________________________
Czechs have a few ways to answer the phone, depending on formality and personal preference:

Formal:
Prosím? (Please?) - This is a very versatile and polite way to answer, especially in business settings.

Neutral:
Haló? (Hello?) - This is a classic phone greeting, similar to English. It works in most situations.

Informal:
Ano? (Yes?) - A casual way to pick up, often used among friends or family.

_________________Here are some additional things to know:

"Ahoj!" (Hi!) is generally not used to answer the phone, especially in formal situations. It's better for greeting someone you know well in person.

"Mluvíte anglicky?" (Do you speak English?) - If you're unsure if the person speaks English, this is a polite way to ask.

On 2024-03-09, Christian Weisgerber wrote:

> On 2024-03-08, Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:
>
>> Not sure if this is verified, but I've heard that Bell wanted people
>> to say "Ahoy" when answering the phone.
>
> That raises the question how Czech people answer the phone.
>
> Around here, in this specific part of Germany, "ahoi" is the
> traditional carnival greeting, so the everyday Czech use is initially
> amusing.

Interesting, thanks. I didn't know either of those.

--
It is probable that television drama of high caliber and produced by
first-rate artists will materially raise the level of dramatic taste
of the nation. ---David Sarnoff, CEO of RCA, 1939; in Stoll 1995