Why do people say "hello" when answering the phone in Colombia? This is what AI says.

Each country has its own idioms for different things, and these are habits shaped by time and culture itself. This is what has also allowed us to speak of an identity as a country or as a region.

In Colombia , there are many sayings and phrases used in specific contexts that make the country, despite its diversity in many areas, have many things in common. One of these is the way people answer phone calls .

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It's very common for Colombians to say "hello" instead of "hey" or "good afternoon." While this isn't unique to the country, it's still striking, but why?

As a result, artificial intelligence (AI) was asked why people in Colombia and other Latin American countries answer phone calls this way. This is what it responded.

The technological tool explains that in Colombia, as in several Latin American countries, it is common to answer the phone with a simple "hello." It mentions that this expression, although it may seem odd, has historical and linguistic roots that explain its widespread use .

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The word "hello" comes from the French "allô," a traditional form of telephone greeting in that language. In turn, the French term was likely influenced by the English "hello," promoted by Thomas Alba Edison as the standard greeting for early telephone calls.

The AI ​​mentions that when the telephone began to become popular in Latin America in the early 20th century, different forms of greeting were adopted. In Colombia, "hello" emerged as a practical and clear option, ideal for capturing attention in a medium where audio quality was limited .

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Today, "hello" remains a common convention in Colombia, as well as in countries like Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador. Its persistence reflects both cultural influence and the evolution of language in technological contexts .

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