hi there! hi yourself!

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anglista2008  #485814  Thu, 06 Mar 08 10:24 PM
Hi there,

What's the difference between 1. hi! 2. hi there! 3. hi yourself! ?

best wishes,


  
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Avangi  #485823  Thu, 06 Mar 08 11:14 PM

Not much.  I hear it as a simple variation to break the monotony.  When two good friends meet, "Hi" seems to work fine, because they have plenty to talk about.  When two casual acquaintances meet, they're often searching for something clever to say, to avoid seeming stupid.  "Hi there," makes the conversation last twice as long as, "Hi."  If it's a fairly new acquaintance, "Hi there," or "Hi yourself," seems to indicate a desire to continue the conversation, where a simple "Hi" could be taken by the other person as dismissive, depending on the inflection.

Edit.  "Hi yourself" is only used as a reply, or a returned greeting, while "Hi there" may be the initial greeting.  (in case you didn't know)

Even from a complete stranger, "Hi there" would be taken as a more "forward" greeting than "Hi," suggesting "Hey, let's talk,"  again, depending on the inflection.

  
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Philip  #485825  Thu, 06 Mar 08 11:14 PM
anglista2008
Hi there,

What's the difference between 1. hi! 2. hi there! 3. hi yourself! ?

best wishes,


1 and 2 are greetings.  3 is a response.  All are very familiar.
  
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