Hi vs. Ciao: NSM as a tool for cross-linguistic pragmatics

This paper presents the results of the semantic analysis of two salutations, Hi (English) and Ciao (Italian), made adopting the methodology of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage. The analysis is aimed at making two points: first, that "greetings" have a proper semantic content consisting of expressed attitudes and feelings which can be described in simple, cross-translatable words; second, that salutations are not only performed differently, but also conceived differently across languages and this can create potential cases of miscommunication in cross-cultural interactions. To show this, the interactional meaning of Hi is compared with that of Ciao; two different semantic explications are proposed in order to capture various aspects of their meaning emerging from linguistic evidence. The implications for cross-linguistic pragmatics are also discussed.