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The greeting , the greeting phrase , greeting phrase , parting phrase and parting phrase is a formalized or ritualized gesture , phrase or other means of expression to initiate or close a contact. In this way, a formal distinction is made between more gestural greetings and spoken or written greetings in interpersonal interaction .
The designation is derived from the verb greet , which goes back to the West Germanic grotjan - "make to speak, make to speak". Certain gestures indicate membership of certain societies , associations or movements.
With the greeting, the person greeting demonstrates his view of the relationship with the person being greeted. The forms of greeting depend on culture, time and fashion.
Personal contacts
In personal contacts is verbal or gestural greetings.
Knigge-compliant greetings and greetings
In western culture there are sets of rules that contain norms about label-compatible behavior; in them the greeting and greeting are also standardized. In a greeting, unlike a greeting, there is always body contact, primarily in the form of a handshake . Collective greetings of a group by a speaker are excluded from the contact requirement. Also, behavior is only considered label-compliant if the lower ranked the higher ranked, a gentleman the lady, the younger the elderly, the host the guest first, etc. Not a person "entitled to greet" who was verifiably seen and recognized by the person concerned To greet is considered gross impoliteness in western cultures. In this respect there is in a certain way a "duty of greeting" in civil life.
In addition to rules for meeting people, there are also rules for formal farewells. Behavior books , in which the corresponding rules of welcome, farewell and other rules can be read, are called "Knigge" in German-speaking countries after Adolph Franz Friedrich Ludwig Freiherr von Knigge's main work on dealing with people . In the Internet age, this term is also used for online regulations.
language
Verbally expressed greetings are, for example, “Good day!”, “Tag!”, “ Hello !”, “ Grüß Gott !”, “Greetings!” Or “Greetings!”, “Semolina Eahna!” And “Griaß Eich "In Bavarian and in Austria , as well as" Grüezi ! "," Grüessech! "(In parts of German-speaking Switzerland )," Servus ! "," Valet ! "," Diener! "( Used in Itzgründischen )," Salve ! " , " Heil !", " Ave !", " Moin !", " Ahoy !" "Welcome!", " Meal !", " Glück auf !", " Gude !", " Peace !", " Salut !" , “ High five ” or “ Hi !”. The Italian “ Ciao !” Has also become commonplace in the German-speaking area, as has the French Adieu , albeit with a different meaning, namely almost exclusively as a farewell, such as bye .
If the greeting depends on the time of day (e.g. "Good night!"), One speaks of a day greeting. In the Lötschental and Goms ( canton Valais , Switzerland) the greeting changes four times: from early in the morning to around 8 am, “Guätä Morgä!” Is valid, then until around noon “güätä Tagwohl!”. After lunch until around 8 p.m. you are greeted with “Guätä Abe!”. Later, "Good night!"
Some greetings apply both to the greeting as well as to the farewell, so "Good evening!" Can also locally mean that you wish the greeted person a good night at the farewell. Another example in Bavaria and Austria is “ Servus !”, Which is used both to greet and say goodbye.
Common in central and northern Germany (and increasingly spreading to southern Germany) is “Tschüss!” Or “Adschüs!”, In the Rhineland “Tschö!”.
In Berlin a simple “Mojen!” Is common in the morning, “Tach!” During the day and “Evening!” (Or “'n Abend!” For “a nice good evening”) in the evening. The standard German ("High German") greeting formulas are being used more and more.
In East Frisia and Schleswig-Holstein, "Moin!", In Hamburg and Bremen also in the doubled form: "Moin-moin!" Is a greeting that is valid all day long (possibly a short form of Frisian "moi morn!" - literally translated: "nice day!").
In Switzerland , South Tyrol , Austria and in old Bavaria there is the greeting formula “bhüeti!” Or “bhüeti Gott !” (“Protect you God!”), In Austria, South Tyrol and old Bavaria “pfüet di!”, “Pfiat di ! ”Or“ pfiat di Gott! ”Pronounced. At the same time also “pfiat ina (Got)!” (“Protect God!”), And “pfiat eich (Got)!” Or “pfiat enk (Got)!” (“Protect you God!”).
Gestures
Among peers
- Bowing, bowing demonstrates respect.
- The handshake (the handshake) ( Europe ) expresses solidarity on an equal footing.
- Embrace as an enhanced form of showing connection
- The kiss confirms a togetherness in a special way
- Derived from this is the kiss on the cheek or the rubbing of the cheeks together from oriental culture.
- Touching with your elbows established itself as a substitute for handshakes during the COVID-19 pandemic .
- Nodding to one another or lifting one's hat demonstrates to varying degrees social recognition among equals.
- The raised right open hand ( attributed to the Indians ) symbolizes that the person who greets is peaceful (has no weapon).
- Raising the open right palm to the right forehead is a common military salute .
- Raising your open right hand and then touching your own left upper body (heart position) with your right fist means one peace, one love and is common among reggae people .
Among people of different ranks
- Submission (also: Proskynese ), foot and knee fall or the one-sided removal of headgear symbolize submission
- the male servant and the female curtsey symbolize great respect
- Hands at different heights (to say hello to someone higher up: hands above the head; for an equal: at head level; for lower people: below head level)
The human ethologist Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt has also described clues for innate forms of greeting based on intercultural comparisons (see eye greeting ).
Special forms
As further forms of greeting u. a. developed:
- as a (ecclesiastical) blessing the outstretched arms stretched forward
- the victory sign , formed by the splayed index and middle fingers. It was popularized by Winston Churchill and became a trademark of his will to win in the fight against National Socialist Germany.
- the clenched fist of the labor movement of the 19th century, demonstratively raised in battle . After their split into communists and social democrats, it is said that the communists greeted them with their right fists and the social democrats with their left fists. A distinction is documented for the early 1930s , according to which the communists held their arms at right angles with their fists at head height, while social democrats held their arms straight.
In the 1980s , several social democratic parties still wore the fist with a rose as a symbol (for example the French socialists and the young socialists). This symbol is still used today by the Socialist International and socialist youth organizations such as the Jusos in the SPD . - Printers , typesetters , lithographers and other “disciples of black art ” have greeted each other both verbally and in writing with the printer's greeting “God greet art” to which “God greet them” should be replied to. It is noteworthy that in the counter-greeting the "she" is written in lower case, because it refers to the art, not to the person who greets. The introductory letter from the printer was first mentioned in 1740.
- The Nazis borrowed the Hitler salute or "German salute" from the salute of the fascist Benito Mussolini , who in turn borrowed his salute from the saluto romano . The more likely origin is the military "greeting outside closed buildings without headgear" of the empire. However, since the dress code of the Reichswehr was changed so that a (military) headgear was always to be worn outside of buildings and vehicles, this form of greeting was "free" and was adopted by the National Socialists.
- Journeyman blacksmiths on the rolling mill will be heard when entering the forge and when asking about work with “ Katzenkopf? “Welcomed. The correct answer from the journeyman (“ Piece of it! ”) Then decides whether he is a real journeyman in the guild or a 'windy brother', i.e. whether he is accepted or rejected.
- When greeting the boy scouts , the three middle fingers of the right hand are stretched upwards to the right of the body, while the thumb lies over the little finger and the inside of the hand is facing towards it. A handshake takes place with the left hand, whereby the hands are joined not only with the crook of the thumbs, but also with the gap next to the little finger.
- Train drivers , but also tram drivers and bus drivers from at least the same company greet each other with a raised hand during the journey. Something similar was common among 2CV drivers in the 1970-1980s.
- Truck drivers sometimes greet each other at night when there is little traffic even across the median with a hint, which has the side effect of keeping awake. In lonely areas or narrow meeting points on winding roads, the lights are faded in / out to indicate that the spotlight is reflected or the horn is also honored. Postbuses used their own acoustic horn in front of narrow passages, especially on mountain passes, truck drivers sometimes greet each other with headlights or compressor horns on the cabin roof. Around 1980, after meeting, you may have called each other on call channel 9 of the CB radio , introduced yourself, said hello and briefly exchanged a few words.
- Motorcyclists usually greet each other by showing their left hand, the right hand remains on the throttle grip and is ready to brake.
- Cyclists say hello when the weather is extremely cold, the area is particularly lonely or the altitude or incline is particularly large. Also bicycle messengers greet each other.
- Paddlers, who at least recognize themselves by the boat carrier on the car roof, greet each other in the area of rivers, they help each other when transferring cars down the river.
- Mountain hikers generally greet each other in the Alps from an altitude of 1000 meters.
- Windsurfers (later also surfers) greet each other with an outstretched thumb and little finger (" Hang Loose ")
- Rocker and metal fans often greet each other with the mano cornuta .
- Trekkies like to greet each other with the fictional Vulcan greeting: the right hand is raised, the inner surface forward, the fingers spread between the middle and ring fingers.
- The nose salute ( Māori : Hongi ) in New Zealand is a traditional greeting in which the tips of the nose of the person touch each other.
- In the eastern cultures (Japan, Korea) the simple bow is common, with numerous regional variations. The Japanese put their hands on the front of their thighs. In Korea, hands are pressed to the sides or crossed back. In many South Asian and Southeast Asian countries (e.g. in India - together with the word Namaste - Sri Lanka , Thailand ) it is common to greet and say goodbye by placing the palms next to each other ( Wai ).
- The Arabic-spoken peace salam is accompanied by a slight bow with the right palm placed on the forehead. In some societies, men also hug and kiss each other, but such gestures show a degree of intimacy and are not exchanged with strangers. All of these gestures are supplemented or completely replaced by handshakes in areas where encounters with representatives of the West take place.
- Aachen residents recognize themselves by showing the little finger of their right hand, called "Klenkes". This greeting comes from the time of the needle maker; the straightness of the hardened needles was checked by rolling with the Klenkes.
These bows indicate respect and appreciation of social rank, but not necessarily submission.
submission
A submission is a gesture not only of courtesy, but of subordination. Such gestures are less common in less faceted societies; Europeans today, for example, tend to be astonished when they kneel down before a human authority. The distinction between a formally polite greeting and submission is not always easy; for example, Proskynesis (Greek for "kissing the ground") was written by the Greek researcher Herodotus , 5th century BC. Chr. Handed down:
- When Persians meet on the street, peers greet each other with a kiss on the mouth instead of words of greeting; People of different rank kiss each other on the cheek; if there is a great difference in rank he falls down before him and pays homage to him .
After conquering Persia , Alexander the Great introduced Persian manners , including kneeling, at his own court. Visitors, depending on their rank, had to prostrate themselves, kneel down, or kiss the king. His Greek and Macedonian subjects protested against this practice, since they regarded these religious rituals as belonging solely to the gods.
In countries with noble court society, bowing to the nobility and royal family is common, with bowing in a standing position. In the west, women do not bow, but rather curtsy, moving one foot and the entire body back and down while bowing the head.
Differentiated gestures of submission were used in more formalized societies. The 叩頭 kowtow ( Cantonese , literally "head encounter") in Imperial China was a sign of deep reverence. The head is lowered so that it touches the floor: You begin by kneeling down, sit back on your heels, move your hands over your thighs and knees to the floor and move your body, leaning downwards, forward. Whether the head is bowed or not also reflects the degree of subordination - in the art of war, for example, the head remains raised, in religious ceremonies the forehead touches the ground.
In many martial arts , it is part of the etiquette before training or a competition begins. In groups, the lower grades greet the highest belt wearer with a bow.
Religious greeting
→ Main article: Kneel down
Many believers kneel during prayer ; Catholics , some Anglicans , do a knee bend : With their right knee bent, they touch the floor during the service as a sign of worshiping God. Evangelical Christians rise in prayer. In some cases a high church dignitary ( pope , bishop ) is welcomed as a messenger of God with a knee bend, but then with the left knee - to make the difference to the worship of God clear. In Orthodox churches, instead of the squat, there is the so-called small metanie, a bow in which the believer touches the ground with one hand. During Islamic prayer , a kneeling bow is performed: the sujud , where the forehead, nose, hands, knees and toes touch the ground.
Military salute
In the tradition of most armed forces and in other militarily organized or uniformed institutions, a military salute serves as a mutual honor. It is carried out in a similar manner internationally, with details varying from nation to nation.
Maritime greeting
Ships greet each other by dipping the national flag - half lowering the flagpole and raising it again. See also: ahoy .
Non-personal contacts
In phone calls, letters, telegrams, etc. Ä. Only oral or z. T. also sent pictorial greetings.
Orally
Professional greetings
In connection with salvation, there are often status greetings such as "Berg Heil!" ( Climber ), "Petri Heil!" ( Angler ) and "Waidmanns Heil!" ( Hunter ). You answer each with “… Thanks!”, Ie “Petri Dank!” Etc. During the time of National Socialism , the greeting was “ Heil Hitler! " common practice.
| group | greeting |
|---|---|
| Amateur astronomers | Clear Skies ! |
| angler | Holy salvation ! |
| Balloonists | Good luck, good land! |
| Ball athletes (e.g. soccer) | Ball hoi! / Ball Heil |
| Miners, cavers | Luck up ! |
| Mountaineers, climbers | Bergheil! , Mountain free! |
| Billiard player | Good push! |
| Archers | All in the sheet! , Everyone in gold! , Everyone in the kill! |
| bowler | see bowlers |
| Computer gamer | Good luck! ( gl ), Have fun! ( hf ), Good game! ( gg ), also in combination: Good luck, have fun! ( glhf ) Also good luck, good hunt ( glgh ) for RPG and shooter players |
| Dart player | Good darts! |
| Parachutist | Luck off! , Blue Skies and safe landings! (short: Blue Skies! ) |
| Firefighters | Good hose! , Good fight! , Good health! (in parts of Austria) |
| Aviator | Broken spar and rib! , Broken neck and leg! , Good luck, good country! , Happy Landings |
| Photographers | Good light! |
| Radio amateurs | 73 |
| Geocacher | Happy hunting! |
| Caster | Good luck for! |
| Golfer | Nice game! |
| Hunter | Weidmanns ! , Hunter's salvation! , Horrido ! , Halali (hunting) ! |
| Bowlers | Good wood! |
| Communists | Freedom! Friendship! Red front! |
| Miniature golfers | Good punch! |
| Friends of Nature Movement | Mountain free! |
| Paddlers | Soaking wet! |
| scout | Good path! , Wolves: Always ready! |
| Cyclist | Chain right! : All free! (Worker cyclist) |
| Rowers | Skull - and oarlock break ! |
| Singer | Song up! |
| referee | Good whistle! |
| chimney sweeper | Good Schorn! |
| Protect | Good shot! , Sagittarius! |
| swimmer | Well wet! |
| Sailors | Good luck! , Goden Wind , always a hand's breadth of water under the keel! |
| Sheep head player | Guat's sheet! |
| Typesetter, printer | God greet art! [Answer: God greet you!] |
| Skat player | Guts hand! |
| skier | Ski Heil! |
| Athlete (general) | Good sport! , Sport free ! ( GDR / still widespread today in East Germany) |
| Pigeon fanciers | Have a good flight! |
| Diver | Good air! , Well wet! |
| Gymnast | Good health! |
| walker | Fresh on! |
Greetings in phone calls
A special form of greeting shows up in phone calls. In the European region, different greeting formulas can be found with which the called party answers.
In general, there are five different formulas:
- "Hello"
- "Yes"
- number
- Surname
- formula
The prevalence of these formulas varies and depends heavily on the situation and environment. A significant difference can be seen when comparing business and private telephone calls.
“Hello” and “yes” can be found pan-European, whereas naming the number is less common (e.g. in Great Britain). In Germany, Austria or Switzerland, it is common for both business and private phone calls for the person called to give their name first. In the context of a business phone call, it is advisable to first name the company, then your own name and then a greeting (e.g. "Hello!"). In this way, the caller receives all important information about his conversation partner. In other European countries, however, this form of greeting is reserved for business purposes.
In southern European countries or in the Netherlands or Poland, the called party very often uses special formulas. Some examples are here
- " Pronto !" ("Ready!") In Italy,
- “Díga (me)!” (“Speak (to me)!”) In Spain or
- “Έλα!”, Pronounced [ella], (“Yes, please!”) In Greece.
Written
Greetings are used in written German
- at the beginning something like "Dear Sir or Madam", "Dear Mr. Director", "Dear ...", "Dear ..." or "Hello"
- at the end, for example, “Kind regards”, “Sincerely”, “Many greetings” or “Greetings”.
Especially in e-mails , in chat and SMS are emoticons used to convey greetings.
Certain phrases are unusual in written German, for example "good evening".
Linguistic background
Due to the fact that greetings usually appear in pairs, two forms are distinguished in linguistics - the copied form of greeting and the complementary form . There is also a third form, the so-called complementary copy formula.
The copied form of greeting
An example of a copied greeting :
The person who greets, for example, uses the greeting form “Guten Tag” and the person who is greeted answers with a “Guten Tag”.
Without making any changes, the person who is greeted repeats the form that the person greeting used - he copies it. In Europe, copied forms of greeting usually contain times of day (see "Guten Morgen", "Guten Abend", "Gute Nacht").
Sometimes this copying is also deliberately noted. Something like: "I also say: Good morning!" or "Good morning, too!"
The complementary form
An example of a complementary form :
The person who greets, for example, uses as a greeting: “How are you?” And the person greeted answers with “Good - and you?”.
It should be noted that, on the one hand, the person who greets them does not necessarily ask about the health of their counterpart with their words and wants to receive information about their condition. On the other hand, the answer from what is greeted does not always contain the truth; H. the person greeted would answer with “Good” even if this is not the case.
The complementary copy formula
Since this formula is mainly used in North America, Latin America and Australia, an English-language example of a complementary copy formula is used here:
The person who greets, for example, uses as a greeting: “How do you do?” And the person greeted replies with “How do you do?” (Both have the same emphasis pattern).
With this type of greeting, the greeting is copied and the person greeting does not use a greeting that includes a time of day. Both interlocutors have no intention of finding out information about the health of the other. Thus, the actual content of the question is completely disregarded - a process known as 'pragmaticalization' . (See also: Howdy )
literature
- Thomas Schürmann: Table and greeting customs in the civilization process . (= Contributions to popular culture in north-west Germany; 82). Waxmann, Münster a. a. 1994, ISBN 3-89325-233-9 ( full text as PDF )
Web links
- Greetings ( memento of January 16, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) on the website of the University of Oslo , accessed on July 11, 2010
supporting documents
- ↑ AKM online service: etiquette of greetings and greetings, correct rules of greeting, order of greetings ( memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ cf. Thomas Schäfer-Elmayer: Practice early - and it's never too late. Good behavior for young and old . Ecowin Verlag, Salzburg, 2006, p. 74
- ↑ The so necessary as useful book printing and type foundry, with their typefaces, formats and all associated instruments also clearly described, along with a brief narrative of the origin and progress of the book printing art, in general, especially of the most distinguished book printers in Leipzig and other places in Germany exposed in 300 years after its invention. With a preface by Mr. Johann Erhard Kappens, Prof. Eloqu. Publ. In Leipzig and the great Fürsten-Collegii Collegiate there. Four parts. Leipzig, by Christian Friedrich Geßner. 1740 ( digitized version and full text in the German text archive ), 40, 41, 45.
- ↑ Cat's head - piece of it! Guild for Metal Technology Cologne, accessed on April 4, 2016 . - These recognition rites are often, but not always, greetings ; When in doubt, a wandering pottery fellow had to handle a jug; etc.
- ↑ a b Grzega, Joachim. Europe's languages and cultures through the ages - a journey of discovery. Tübingen: Stauffenburg Verlag. 2012.
- ↑ http://www.wirtschaftsdeutsch.de/lehrstoffen/telefon8.pdf (August 1, 2012)
- ^ Coulmas, Florian. Receptive language behavior: a theoretical study of factors in the process of linguistic understanding. Hamburg: Buske. 1977.
- ↑ Mroczynski, Robert. Grammaticalization and pragmaticalization: to develop the discourse markers where, because and yes in spoken German. Tübingen: Stauffenburg Verlag. 2012.
