device: a piece of equipment

nautical: related to shipping or boating

rival: a person that one is often in competition with

side: to choose one person or argument to agree with

etiquette: manners; proper behaviour and language

 

 

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Alexander Graham Bell Preferred “Ahoy” To “Hello”

After the telephone was invented, people needed some instructions on how to use it. One concern was how to begin a conversation on this device. Instead of “Are you here?” or “Are you ready to talk?” Alexander Graham Bell, the now-disputed inventor, suggested the nautical greeting “Ahoy”. Bell’s rival Thomas Edison thought “Hello” was a more appropriate telephone greeting. The writers of the first telephone books sided with Edison, and often included his suggestion in an instructional page on telephone etiquette. Alexander Graham Bell continued to use “Ahoy” in his telephone conversations for the rest of his life.