What exactly does it mean, when somebody answers "hello" to my (perhaps naive) question?
Also, I have heard people say "hello" when they are outraged about something, such as for instance "for all his effort, he got absolutely no reward. Hello ???) or when saying something shocking.
Are there some other situations, when people might say "hello" ?
Best Answer
This is another example of how quickly something can catch on. I cannot pinpoint the first usage, but it was spread by television and movies to the point of satire.
Saying Hello?!? in this manner is a reference to speaking to someone on the telephone. Presumably when someone says this, they are asking if there has been a disconnection between the two people having a conversation. In other words, they believe whatever they are saying not to have had the appropriate impact or response on the other party. And, had the conversation been via telephone, they would suspect a disconnect to be the only reason for it.
The usage as an interjection when describing other people's lack of understanding is just an extension of this.
As a note on its usage: there are many (myself included) who find it very obnoxious.
There is another interjection Hello!!!!. This is used as a means of expressing surprise. And it's usually pronounced hell-oh!!! with accent on the second syllable. This meaning is just a usage of hello to "greet" an unexpected idea or circumstance.