hi hi

radio term ha ha (laughter) "hi hi" is the Morse equivalent of a laugh as in Morse it sounds like someone chuckling ("hehhehhehheh hehheh"). That is ditditditdit dit dit --- or dot dot dot dot dot dot. You really have to listen to it sent in Morse to appreciate its laugh like sound. It is most commonly used in CW (Morse Code), but has carried over to voice as well. Many CW expressions have carried over to voice -- such as 73 (Best Regards) and 88 (love and Kisses), etc. The origin probably dates back before radio to the telegraph days. And since Hams used Morse long before voice became practical-- the sound of the Morse characters HI HI was used to resemble a laugh sound. In some sense it is equivalent of a smiley. It's onomatopoeic -- that is the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss) The definitive answer might be found in the "Dodge's The Telegraph Instructor Manual" circa 1850 to 1900. However, I have never been able to find a copy of this document. Wish I could as it would help to see the transitions from telegraph to radio usage.