Parting phrase
Parting phrases are elements of parting traditions, phrases used to acknowledge the parting of individuals or groups of people from each other.
Parting phrases are specific to culture and situation, varying between persons based on social status and personal relationship.
Examples
In English, there are formal and informal ways of saying goodbye. In day-to-day speech, people also sometimes use foreign parting phrases like ciao and arrivederci (Italian), au revoir and bon voyage (French), auf wiedersehen and tschüss (German), adiós, hasta la vista, hasta luego, and hasta mañana (Spanish), shalom (Hebrew), sayōnara (Japanese), and aloha (Hawaiian).
Religious and traditional parting phrases
- "As-Salamu Alaykum" or "Salam" (used among Muslims and Arab), "Peace be upon you"
- "Shalom" (used among Jews and by some Christians), "Peace"
- "Khuda Hafiz" (used among Iranians and South Asian Muslims), "God protect (you)"
- "Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji ki Fateh" (used among Sikhs), "Khalsa belongs to Waheguru; Victory is gifted by Waheguru"
- "Blessed Be" (used among many Pagans as a greeting or a parting phrase)
- "Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again," is another common parting phrase among Wicca practitioners
- "Namaste," for some followers of different Indian religions
- "In Christ" by some Christians, especially clerics
Some phrases, such as "Live long and prosper," "May the Force be with you," and "I'll be back" are taken from films. Furthermore, all holiday greetings (such as "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Easter") can act as parting phrases.
Written
Most of spoken phrases may also be used in written communication, but there are some specialized ones.
Various cultures historically have elaborate epistolary traditions, in particular how to end a letter, which is seen as a parting with the invisible partner in dialogue.
In English, letters are ended with the sender's name (for example, John Doe). Thus, epistolary parting phrases have the following form:
- Best regards, John Doe
- Best wishes, John Doe
- Respectfully yours, John Doe
- Sincerely, John Doe
- Yours truly, John Doe
- etc.
More elaborate endings are possible.
See also
- Greeting
- Salutation
- Valediction
References
- The Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (1997), Jennifer Speake, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-863159-6