"Hello?"

OneWriter · Jan 15, 2011

I'm talking about the "Hello?" one says when picking up the phone. Except, my character's in a bad mood and ends up saying what sounds more like "Yellow?" rather than "Hello?" I've heard men pick up the phone like that. Problem: how do you spell that???

Detri Redmond · Jan 15, 2011

Yeah 'lo?

I think it's a combination of saying yes, hello...don't quote me...

alleycat · Jan 15, 2011

I would probably just use "Yello?"

OneWriter · Jan 15, 2011

Thanks, guys! Alleycat, I love your avatars!!!

BudBoxer · Jan 15, 2011

Or "Yallo." In the context, readers would get it.

Rowan · Jan 15, 2011

Or you use the "Hello?" followed by something like, "he was in such a foul mood, it came out more like yello". Or something like that. I'm sure you get my meaning.

JohnnyGottaKeyboard · Jan 15, 2011

OneWriter said:
I've heard men pick up the phone like that.

I believe this is a common side-effect of the Y-chromosome. It is often cited in medical papers paired with the "X-bye" one often hears from women.
:e2tongue:

OneWriter · Jan 15, 2011

JohnnyGottaKeyboard said:
I believe this is a common side-effect of the Y-chromosome. It is often cited in medical papers paired with the common "X-bye" one often hears from women.

I found "Yello" in here:

http://www.slangsite.com/slang/Y.html

Rowan · Jan 15, 2011

OneWriter said:
I found "Yello" in here:

http://www.slangsite.com/slang/Y.html

If someone just said, "Yello?" though, I wouldn't think they were in a bad mood (per your OP). Without any accompanying action tag, etc.--it conjures up a happy-go-lucky guy (for me).

The slang site seems to present it as a (pleasant) "greeting" as well.

JohnnyGottaKeyboard · Jan 15, 2011

I actually do say it with some regularity and except for my crushing depression I'm a pretty happy guy.

OneWriter · Jan 15, 2011

What would you use if you were in a bad mood?
It's not like he's mad or anything, but the phone starts ringing at a bad moment...

Rowan · Jan 15, 2011

I might bark a "hello?" or "what the fuck do you want?" always works. Or maybe just a plain "What?"

Guys in my office sometimes go with a sharp "Yeah?"

alleycat · Jan 15, 2011

If you're not aware of it (since I'm not sure where you are), there are TV commercials in the US for company called Yellow Wood. They do commercials where the main character answers the phone "Yello" or "Yallo".

Rufus Coppertop · Jan 15, 2011

OneWriter said:
What would you use if you were in a bad mood?
It's not like he's mad or anything, but the phone starts ringing at a bad moment...

It rang again.
"Oh fuck off!" he said to the phone while reaching for it.
"Hello?"

maestrowork · Jan 15, 2011

How about just skip the greetings?

The phone rang.
It was Hercules.
"Where the fuck have you been?" Xena said.

OneWriter · Jan 15, 2011

maestrowork said:
How about just skip the greetings?

The phone rang.
It was Hercules.
"Where the fuck have you been?" Xena said.

What are you, psychic?? My character's name's Ulysses and when he answers the phone he hears: "Where the hell have you been?"

Please tell me you're psychic and not that I'm predictable...

Bufty · Jan 16, 2011

"Yello?" and the other variants seem gimmicky. For instance, "Yello?" by itself conveys nothing to me as far as a character goes, other than to suggest the character is expecting a call from someone called Yello.

If the character is angry or irritated or whatever why not concentrate on the related actions instead?

OneWriter · Jan 16, 2011

Bufty said:
"Yello?" and the other variants seem gimmicky. For instance, "Yello?" by itself conveys nothing to me as far as a character goes, other than to suggest the character is expecting a call from someone called Yello.

If the character is angry or irritated or whatever why not concentrate on the related actions instead?

Agreed.

VTwriter · Jan 16, 2011

My dad used to answer the phone with, "It's your dime, start talking."

FennelGiraffe · Jan 16, 2011

It seems to me this is the same issue as accents and dialect. Attempting to indicate nonstandard pronunciation through nonstandard spelling is a really bad idea. The results of doing so vary from confusing readers who don't understand to offending readers who find it condescending.

The character is saying "Hello" no matter how he pronounces it.

BudBoxer · Jan 16, 2011

@ FennelGiraffe, I disagree. It's a way of telling your uptight readers to tune in and bleep off. "Yallo. You've reached the clue phone. Start talking." Or, "This is the Devil. Who in Hell you wanna talk to?"

Susan Coffin · Jan 16, 2011

I think a saying hello when the phone rings is so assumed that it's kind of silly to write it into the dialogue. Dialect, mood, etc. can be established through description, action, or even interior monologue.

francist44 · Jan 21, 2011

Rowan said:
I might bark a "hello?" or "what the fuck do you want?" always works. Or maybe just a plain "What?"

Rowan said:
Guys in my office sometimes go with a sharp "Yeah?"

A harsh voice answered, "Yello?"

Bufty · Jan 24, 2011

francist44 said:
A harsh voice answered, "Yello?"

"Nope - it's me. Blue. Sorry. Wrong number."

Fallen · Jan 24, 2011

OneWriter said:
What would you use if you were in a bad mood?

"What?" usually does it for me.

I'm pretty impatient, so keep it to one-word clauses that usually cut the ~~mother-in-law~~, er, other person up mid-flow.

"Hello?"

Ubi dubium ibi libertas

Apprentice Wordslinger

Still around

Ubi dubium ibi libertas

All Write By Me

Who let this guy in...?

Ubi dubium ibi libertas

Who let this guy in...?

Ubi dubium ibi libertas

Still around

Fear the Death Ray

Ubi dubium ibi libertas

Where have the last ten years gone?

Ubi dubium ibi libertas

Hair today, gone tomorrow

It's green they say

All Write By Me

Tell it like it Is

Tenacious to a fault

Where have the last ten years gone?

Stood at the coalface