Talk:so long

Does "so long" derive from shalom? I read that somewhere.-- Richard L. Peterson

So long derived from Irish Gaelic
I think it far more likely that the phrase "so long" comes from the Irish Gaelic word for goodbye - "Slán" [pronounced "slawn"]. To any English speaker unfamiliar with Irish it would sound very like 'so long', and as it seems to be a phrase associated almost exclusively with American English (or at least not a phrase commonly used in Britain), and considering the influx of Irish Gaelic speakers to the U.S. during the Irish famine in the 19th Century, I think it is probably an anglicized version of the Irish word for goodbye.


 * googling '"so long" origin' revealed: "So Long - farewell, Northern expression imported into britain by soldiers serving in Malayan-speaking countries. Malayan salutation, Salang, a corruption of Arabic Salaam=peace." However there are other opinions as to origin of the phrase... one has to ask someone old who served in Malaya...

re Above ... per MerriamWebster.com makes more sense ... "... Arabic salaam (which is a greeting, not a good-bye, and is thus disqualified)."

Etymonline favours German adieu so lange appearing ca. 1850 - 58.96.54.118 11:01, 2 February 2018 (UTC)