ROSA SOBRINO and PAUL CHAVEZ look at how we say goodbye.
Whether hug or handshake, how we say goodbye can convey a lot about who we are.
In some languages, the words for farewell contain heavy religious connotations, while others reflect the cyclical nature of life by employing the same word for hello and goodbye. Still others emphasize that the separation is only temporary.
The American good-bye is actually a contraction of the phrase "God be with ye" and originated in the 16th century. A letter by English writer Gabriel Harvey in 1573 contains the first use of "goodbwyes," in which "God" has morphed into "good."
In Arabic, a common farewell remark, "maa' salaama," translates into to "go with peace," implying the peace of God.
In Korean, there are two ways to say good-bye, both to the person leaving and to the person staying. To the one leaving, the translation is "please go in peace," while for the one staying it literally means "please stay in peace," said Eunjung Ji, language instructor at the Korea Society in New York.
Visitors to Hawaii are greeted with a warm aloha, the same phrase they hear when leaving the islands. In Thai, they also use the same words for hello and good-bye, but they change depending on gender.
In colloquial English, the phrase "see you" is often used for good-bye. That's also what "zaijian" means in Mandarin Chinese -- see you again.
We kind of like that.
See you again.
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Rosa Sobrino is former New York-based asap staffer. Paul Chavez is an asap staffer based in Los Angeles.
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