Ciao is an informal salutation in the Italian language that can be used for both "hello" and "goodbye". It originated from the Venetian language, where the phrase s-ciào vostro meant "I am your slave". Over time, the phrase was abbreviated to simply s-ciào, while retaining the same meaning. The greeting was eventually shortened to ciào, lost all its servile connotations, and came to be used as an informal salutation by speakers of all classes. In modern Italian language, the word is used (in addition to the meaning of salutation) as an exclamation of resignation (also in a positive sense) . Ciao has spread to many countries in Europe, along with other items of the Italian culture. It has also permeated Australian culture, becoming a popular greeting among descendants of Italian immigrants, and is common in some varieties of South African English. Ernest Hemingways novel A Farewell to Arms (1929), which is set in northeast Italy during World War I, is credited with bringing the word into the English language. In contemporary Italian usage, ciao is interchangeable for both an informal "hello" and "goodbye".