# Origin or original meaning of szia



## F456

I know that 'szia' and its plural form 'sziasztok' are used as a friendly informal 2nd person greeting: something similar to 'hi' in English.  It would interest me to know the origin of the word: does it have any historical connection (I am thinking how the more old-fashioned alternative 'szervusz' has the notion of 'I am your servant' from the Latin for slave)?  Or could it even be a Hungarian spelling of the very informal 'see you' / 'see ya' that you hear quite often in English — British English at any rate?

Many thanks.


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## AndrasBP

F456 said:


> does it have any historical connection (I am thinking how the more old-fashioned alternative 'szervusz' has the notion of 'I am your servant' from the Latin for slave)?


Probably yes, but nobody seems to know for sure. 
The change "szervusz > szevasz > sziasz > szia" is the most accepted theory.



F456 said:


> Or could it even be a Hungarian spelling of the very informal 'see you' / 'see ya' that you hear quite often in English — British English at any rate?


Yes, I've heard and read about that a number of times but I think it's very unlikely. "Szia" has been around since the 1950s, and there was very little English influence on Hungarian in those times.


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## F456

Thank you for your answer, Andras: what you suggest in reply-1 sounds good and I agree that my second suggestion, as you say in reply-2 is unlikely.


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## francisgranada

Agreeing with AndrasBP, I should exclude whatever English influence in this case.

From the linguistic point of view, the plural _sziasz*tok* _practically confirms the theory that _szia _comes from _szervusz_. _Szervusz _comes from the Latin servus, of course, so _szervusz*tok* _de facto means "your servant" in plural, i.e. not "thy servant" but the servant of "you all, i.e. of more people". This _*-tok*_ is not a verbal ending in this case.

(It is incredible how difficult it is to explain these things in English ..... You should have to reintroduce  words like _thou, thee, thy, thine_ in  modern English  )


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## F456

francisgranada said:


> Agreeing with AndrasBP, I should exclude whatever English influence in this case.
> 
> From the linguistic point of view, the plural _sziasz*tok* _practically confirms the theory that _szia _comes from _szervusz_. _Szervusz _comes from the Latin servus, of course, so _szervusz*tok* _de facto means "your servant" in plural, i.e. not "thy servant" but the servant of "you all, i.e. of more people". This _*-tok*_ is not a verbal ending this case.
> 
> (It is incredible how difficult it is to explain these things in English ..... You should have to reintroduce  words like _thou, thee, thy, thine_ in modern English  )


Francisgranada, I understand your explanation: if it were all in Latin what you are suggesting is that _szervusztok _and _ sziasztok _are equivalent to _servus vester _whereas _szervus _and _szia _are equivalent to _servus tuus. _(And I assume nobody says _hallótok_ when greeting/leaving a gathering!)


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## francisgranada

F456 said:


> Francisgranada, I understand your explanation: if it were all in Latin what you are suggesting is that _szervusztok _and _ sziasztok _are equivalent to _servus vester _whereas _szervus _and _szia _are equivalent to _servus tuus. _(And I assume nobody says _hallótok_ when greeting/leaving a gathering!)


Exactly. Bravo!  

_Szervusz _is evidently indifferent from the point  of view of the plurality (we don't say _szervusz*od *_in singular). So _szervusz*tok* _is necessarilly a "later" or secondary form, i.e. for some reasons it has become  important or useful to distinguish between greeting one person and more persons ....


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## Zsanna

F456 said:


> (And I assume nobody says _hallótok_ when greeting/leaving a gathering!)


Oh, don't underestimate our, say, capacity to create funny words! There is _Hellóztok!_... (Maybe even without the "z"...)


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## francisgranada

Zsanna said:


> Oh, don't underestimate our, say, capacity to create funny words! There is _Hellóztok!_... (Maybe even without the "z"...)


I've never heard it .... However, from the linguistic point of view, it must be an "unetymological modernism", created spontaneously  by analogy with _szevasztok_, _sziasztok_, etc.


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## AndrasBP

Zsanna said:


> There is _Hellóztok!_


Yes, "hellósztok" is common in Budapest, but "hellótok"? Sounds strange, I don't think I've ever heard it.


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## francisgranada

Számomra a "hellóztok" spontán azt jelentené, hogy pl. "mentek az utcán és azt kiabáljátok, hogy helló, helló, helló ..."   

A "hellósztok" egyértelműen a _sziasztok, szevasztok_ mintájára lett megalkotva. 

A "Hellótok!" változat szerintem - talán egy kis túlzással - valami olyasfélét sugallna, hogy "Íme, itt van a ti hellótok!" , aminek nem nagyon van értelme ....


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## Zsanna

I had doubts about the sz/z, but never heard it really properly (let alone saw it written down) to be able to decide (or care). But your analogy seems totally correct to me. 
I am fairly sure about having heard the other. It sounds almost just as weird but may be a local version.


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