Before 1877, how did average English speakers greet one another?

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DavidL

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I did a bit of digging prior to asking the question. I know that the word "hello" might have derived from the exclamation of surprise that was "hullo", or even the word "hallo" which was shouted in a hunt when the quarry was spotted. I also know that these were used at least by some way prior to the 1860s, and that the word "hello" was first used as a telephone greeting in 1877 (its usage of which was started and spread by Thomas Edison) , but what I don't know is this: How common was the usage of the greeting "hello" in the 1870s, and what other greetings were commonly used before the word “hello” fell into common usage?

It is incredibly stupid to assume that the word "hello" has always been a part of the English/American vernacular. Anyone with a mind ripened enough to even consider answering questions accurately on this forum would have the basic knowledge that words and language evolve. It may be safe to assume that the English language has always had a greeting, but I sincerely doubt that it has always been “hello” as my light research has shown it to be a relatively recent addition to our 1400-year-old language. Needless to say, my question still goes unanswered. The amount of ignorance shown through the answers to all questions simple and intriguing is more than frustrating. All I wish is to receive one satisfactory answer.
 
Well, there was the Old English verb "halettan" which means to greet, salute, hail. It's derived from the word "hal" meaning whole, healthy. A related word was hælu (also appears as hælo), which has the sense of salvation, health, safety.

I think one can get a general idea of how the usage of this word managed to change over time.

Anyway, reading pre-1877 literature you see a lot of "good morning," "hallo," and the like. I think the fact that in nearly all (Indo-European) languages the same expressions exist for greetings - I mean the equivalents of "good morning," "good day," "good evening," - indicate that these are holdovers throughout the centuries.

Another phrase I can think of, although it's for toasting more than general greeting, is "wassail" which came from Middle English wæs hæil which in turn came from Old English wæs hal = be healthy. Notice again the "hal"
 
"Hail fellow well-met", I believe,something on those lines. Fare thee well!
 
Depends on where you are.

"What the bleedin' heck do you want?" if you're in the poor district.
 
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