Comment by corty
5 years ago
Taken literally? Well, then for "Grüss Gott" I would have to literally believe in god, then die and be lucky enough to go to heaven and greet god there (provided I'd get an audience). I think greetings are a meaningless formality anywhere, just learn them and the expected answers by heart and ignore the meaning.
Please re-read what I wrote. The sentence in question: "And, as explained, in German the discussed greetings are actually taken rather literally."