Hola, allo, hello

I need words for lots of things—to say who I am … to talk to my
friends . . . to tell funny stories … to ask directions . . . to
shout, “Happy Birthday!” … to call my mother … to whisper a
secret.

The words I use are American English words. But many of these words had
their beginnings in other countries—in Spain or Germany or France or
Italy.

Some of my words came from the German people. Pretzel, noodle, and
kindergarten are a few of these words.

Balloon is a word that came to me from the Italian people.

I know some words that were invented in the United States—jeep, hot
dog, fizzle, cowboy, and bulldozer. Some of my American English words
even came to me from the first Americans, the Indians— words like
tepee, nwccasin, pecan, and raccoon.

I know some words that sound a little alike in different languages. Some
have the same meaning, too. If I spoke Spanish I would say hola. If I
spoke French I would say allo. But I speak English and I say hello.
Hola . . . allo . . . hello— whichever way I say it, it means the
same thing.

I use the English language, and so do people in Great Britain,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and some other countries. But American
English and British English aren’t always the same. American children
and British children often have different names for the same things.
Here are some examples.