From en.wikipedia.org:
[Informal greeting] [Other uses] HOWDY is an informal salutation in the
English language often used in the Southern United States.[1] Originally a
shortened form of the inquiry _How do ye?_, it was first used in Southern
England in the 18th century.[2]
** Etymology
The word derives from the phrase "How do ye?," which was used in late 16th
century England to ask about others' health. The phrase saw increasing
degrees of dialectal contraction over time, first being contracted to "how
dee," then to "howdy'ee," and finally to its modern form.[3] Despite the
etymology of the term, its modern usage is as a greeting and not as an
inquiry.<ref name="txmonthly"/>
** Use in different states
In many rural Southern and Western states, especially in Arizona, California,
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and
Wyoming[reason=is there a reliable source that provides a list of states where
the greeting is common?], _howdy_ is commonly used in casual contexts as a
standard greeting.[4] The term is commonly associated in popular culture
specifically with the state of Texas, and the usage of the term is a
significant and recognizable component of Texan English.<ref
name="txmonthly"/> _Howdy_ is also the official greeting of Texas A&M
University, though the two are not always automatically associated.[5]
** References
[reflist]
** External links
[howdy] [Arizona]
- McLemore, David. " Saving an Endangered Species: Native Texan Buddy Calk wants "Howdy" to come back, y'all (see https://web.archive.org/web/20110608223901/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3D05243D9ED1B&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM) ." [Sic] _The Dallas Morning News_ . January 22, 1989.
Category:16th-century neologisms fiction
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