The James Bond Questions Thread

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• 007HallY

  March 13 edited March 13 Posts: 4,768

  George_Kaplan wrote: »

  Was it common in the 60s for people in English-speaking countries to say 'ciao'? I notice Derval says it in TB, despite him being French not Italian (although the literary character is Italian, so I suppose we can just call that one a mistake), and, perhaps more notably, Bond says it in both DN and FRWL.

  
  I guess in the 60s there were more Italian films being shown internationally? Giallo and Spaghetti Westerns and all that (although I guess they were dubbed so no ciao). I guess in the ten years before there were some bigger American films which showed Italy and were shot there which I guess hadn’t really been seen by as many viewers in the US/UK prior (off the top of my head I’m thinking of Roman Holiday - can’t remember if they jokingly say ciao or anything). That and I guess international air travel/holidays were becoming more prominent….
  
  I don’t know if people widely said ciao in the 60s, but if I were going to guess it’d come down to factors like that as to why Bond says it in the early 60s.
  
  EDIT: Wiki tells me Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms used the phrase and that’s credited to introducing it into English. I don’t know how true that is, but I reckon it’d been a term around in English and ultimately popular culture for a while.
• mtm United Kingdom

  March 13 Posts: 17,347

  I remember it was quite popular in the 80s, a bit yuppie-ish, I guess it showed you were sophisticated. I guess folks were doing it from the 60s.
• GoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà

  March 13 Posts: 7,389

  Bond, apart from being British, has also always been a man of the world. Figs for breakfast, the right saké temperature, wine knowledge, as well as a multilinguist. It doesn't strike me as odd that Connery's Bond says ciao, nor does it strike me as odd that Moore's Bond says au revoir in TSWLM. I quite like it tbh :p
• thedove hiding in the Greek underworld

  March 14 Posts: 5,644

  Here is what ChatGPT said when asked the question about ciao
  
  By the 1960s, "ciao" had been adopted into English usage, particularly in informal contexts, serving as both a greeting and a farewell. Its integration into the English language was influenced by cultural exchanges and the global spread of Italian cinema, fashion, and cuisine during the mid-20th century.
  
  In Great Britain, the 1960s were marked by significant social and cultural transformations, including the rise of youth culture and increased interest in continental European trends. While "ciao" was recognized and occasionally used, it did not achieve widespread popularity as a common greeting or farewell in everyday British vernacular during that decade. The British populace primarily continued to use traditional English salutations such as "hello" and "goodbye."
  
  In other Western societies, particularly in countries with substantial Italian immigrant communities, such as the United States and Australia, "ciao" saw more frequent usage. Its adoption varied depending on regional cultural dynamics and the extent of Italian cultural influence.
  
  Overall, while "ciao" was present and understood in Great Britain and other Western societies during the 1960s, its usage was more prevalent in regions with closer ties to Italian culture.
• GoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà

  March 14 Posts: 7,389

  thedove wrote: »

  Here is what ChatGPT said when asked the question about ciao
  
  By the 1960s, "ciao" had been adopted into English usage, particularly in informal contexts, serving as both a greeting and a farewell. Its integration into the English language was influenced by cultural exchanges and the global spread of Italian cinema, fashion, and cuisine during the mid-20th century.
  
  In Great Britain, the 1960s were marked by significant social and cultural transformations, including the rise of youth culture and increased interest in continental European trends. While "ciao" was recognized and occasionally used, it did not achieve widespread popularity as a common greeting or farewell in everyday British vernacular during that decade. The British populace primarily continued to use traditional English salutations such as "hello" and "goodbye."
  
  In other Western societies, particularly in countries with substantial Italian immigrant communities, such as the United States and Australia, "ciao" saw more frequent usage. Its adoption varied depending on regional cultural dynamics and the extent of Italian cultural influence.
  
  Overall, while "ciao" was present and understood in Great Britain and other Western societies during the 1960s, its usage was more prevalent in regions with closer ties to Italian culture.

  
  That makes sense. Here in Belgium, or at least where I live, we have a very present Italian community and no-one will look up if you use ciao. I do it myself quite often tbh.