Heguang Miao
Is there any difference between "Bye" and "see you later" We Chinese usually say "bye-bye" to each other. But in Melbourne, I heard that most local Austrailians prefer to say "see you later" or "see ya". Is there any difference between these two expressions?
Feb 10, 2016 5:01 PM
Answers · 3
2
In informal casual encounters people could really differ as Dan mentioned 'What people choose is a combination of ....." It differs from one person to the other and from one English speaking country and the other. In the global community we are living in today, the influence of different ways to say it form different countries come into play. Whether you say ' see ya' 'see you later ' or 'bye ' it is almost all the same and depends on the individual intention, the situation , what has been said before in the conversation ..etc . You could have arranged to meet up with the person the next day again and use either 'bye' or see you later ' or see you tomorrow ' interchangeably! In real life and informal daily encounters the usage is never so rigid or fixed ! You could also use other expressions and mean the same such as : "Talk to you later " "Have a good one " "Peace , or peace out " ( it is slang ) Even goodbyes borrowed from foreign languages are used in more international ambience such as : Adios/Ciao/ Sayonara etc ... Hope this helps :)
February 10, 2016
2
There's no real difference. As Su.Ki. has pointed out, "bye-bye" is slightly infantile. When it's used, it's usually by women. "B'bye" is fairly common, too. In the U.S. when people say "bye" the usually stretch out the word a bit with a little change of pitch "Byyyy-ayyye!" The underlying meaning of "bye" is short for "Goodbye," which is a contraction of "God be with ye," which is short for "May God be with you until we meet again." Most parting expressions combine the idea that you will meet the other person again, and that they will have good luck until then. In the United States, it is very common to say "So long." (Nobody seems to be completely sure, but this may be a variation of Arabic "Salaam" and Hebrew "Sholom.") "See you later" is very common, too. What people choose is a combination of what's common in the region, what their family used, an expression of individuality, etc.
February 10, 2016
2
'Bye bye' is generally seen as 'baby talk' . It's one of the first words that babies respond to, and people say 'Bye bye' to babies and small children, but adults rarely say it to each other. We do say 'Bye', but it's quite abrupt. 'See you later' or 'See you tomorrow', for example, is more positive, as it's looking forward to the next meeting.
February 10, 2016
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