I’ve heard it explained that “hey” used to be more of an urgent way to get someone’s attention, rather than a casual “hello” like it is now, so it sounded rude to some older folks.

  • idiomaddict@feddit.de
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    11 months ago

    They literally don’t (with the possible exception of onomatopoeic words), one of the defining factors of language is that it is arbitrary.

      • idiomaddict@feddit.de
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        11 months ago

        This is an old pattern, language changes. You can react to it however you like, but things have already changed in your lifetime. Wicked or hot, for example,