Valediction

For other uses, see Valediction (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with malediction.

A valediction (derivation from Latin vale dicere, 'to say farewell'),[1] or complimentary close in American English,[2] is an expression used to say farewell, especially a word or phrase used to end a letter or message,[3][4] or the act of saying parting words whether brief or extensive.

For the greetings counterpart to valediction, see salutation.

Alternatively, valediction can refer to the final prayers and remarks at the graveside before burial given by the presiding priest, after the Mass and the rite of Final Commendation, during a Roman Catholic Funeral Service.

English

Valedictions normally immediately precede the signature in written correspondence. The word or words used express respect, esteem, or regard for the person to whom the correspondence is directed, and the exact form used depends on a number of factors[5] — including:

Conventions also change over time and differ according to language.

English valedictions typically contain the possessive pronoun "yours". "Yours faithfully", "Yours truly", or "Yours sincerely" (or its American English variant, "Sincerely yours"). Earlier style closings were usually much longer, and often a complete sentence.

Formal valediction

English language valediction typically contain the word yours, a contraction of your servant; valediction was traditionally voluminous, a complete sentence of the form:

I am, Sir, your most humble and obedient servant,
A.B.

or

I beg to remain, Sir, your most humble and obedient servant,
A.B.

or

I remain, Sir, your faithful and obedient servant,
A.B.

This form is occasionally abbreviated to

Your obt svt,
A.B.

The phrase et cetera may be used in place of the remainder of the valediction, as in

I am, etc.,
A.B.

or

Yours, &c.,
A.B.

as well as

YOS,
A.B.

In modern English, highly formal valediction includes

Sincerely, I am,
A.B.

Yours sincerely or faithfully

In British English, valedictions, especially formal ones, have largely been replaced by the use of "Yours sincerely" or "Yours faithfully". "Yours sincerely" is a shorter form of the archaic "I am yours sincerely", while similarly "Yours faithfully" is a contraction of "I remain, Sir, your faithful and obedient servant". "Yours sincerely" is typically employed in English when the recipient is addressed by name (e.g. "Dear John") and is known to the sender to some degree, whereas "Yours faithfully" is used when the recipient is not addressed by name (i.e. the recipient is addressed by a phrase such as "Dear Sir/Madam") or when the recipient is not known personally by the sender.[6] One way to remember this is the saying "S and S never go together" (for Sir and Sincerely respectively) or remembering "Sir Faithful". When the recipient's name is known, but not previously met or spoken with, some people prefer the use of the more distant Yours faithfully, at the risk of annoying the recipient.

In American English, "Sincerely yours" or "Sincerely" are commonly used in formal correspondence. "Faithfully yours" is rare.

"Yours sincerely" and "Sincerely yours" must not be interchanged, because the latter indicates intimacy. Never use "Sincerely Yours" in a formal letter addressed to someone you do not personally know.

Yours truly

Yours truly can carry either or both of two connotations: as a valediction, and by implication, as an informal reference by a person to themselves – "the speaker".

"Yours truly" is also used in professional correspondence when writing to a client by his name, but signing the letter in the name of the firm where neither "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely" would be appropriate e.g. Dear Mr. Brown ................Yours truly, Polaski & Jones

As valediction

Commonly appearing in the US as "Yours truly," or "Yours very truly," use in the UK was an indication that the recipient was of a higher status than the signatory. "Very truly yours" is the shorter, modern form of "I am very truly yours", with "yours" indicating something like "your servant". In the Spanish language, there is a similar formal closing for letters that translates roughly as "I am your sure servant". For those who pay attention to old-fashioned manners, "Sincerely yours" was regarded as appropriate only for social correspondence, and not business correspondence, while such closings as "Cordially" or "Best regards" (which one does indeed find) are always inappropriate for business letters to strangers, and their use may be considered silly and uninformed by the recipient.

As self-reference
  • "Yours truly made the cake" – a more affected, tongue-in-cheek way of saying "I made the cake".
  • "If yours truly hadn't been sick that day..."

In this manner, one may sarcastically refer to a third person present in the conversation:

  • "Everything was going fine before yours truly, here, showed up..."

Yours aye

"Yours aye" is a Scottish expression[7] meaning "yours always", and is occasionally used by sailors or people working in a maritime context. It can also be used as an email sign off meaning "your friend"

Yours hopefully

"Yours hopefully" is occasionally used in letters of respect or complaint.

Yours, etc.

Used historically for abbreviated endings. Can be found in older newspaper letters to the editor, and often in US legal correspondence. "&c." may be seen instead of "etc." (see et cetera).

In Jane Austen books, some letters are signed Yours, etc. or Yours Sincerely, etc.

Regards, kind regards, best regards

Increasingly common in business usage, "Regards," is often used as a semi-formal valediction in emails. "Kind regards" and especially "Best regards" is meant as a way of addressing close friends or loved ones or a close working relationship. A common error is to say "Best regards" or "Kind regards" in formal letters which perhaps shows a misunderstanding of the term. In informal usage, "Best regards" and "Kind regards" are often abbreviated to "BR" or "KR". The use of "Kind regards" is most likely derived from the more formal, "Kindest regards," which is itself a phrase derived from the even more formal combination of "Kindest regards, I remain," "yours" or "truly yours" or any one of a number of valedictions in common usage. A less common variation is "Warm regards" which is often used to purposely avoid the aforementioned more common valedictions.

Miscellaneous

Other less formal expressions exist, often some variant of Best wishes such as All my best or, simply, Best. For family members or intimates, an expression such as Your friend, Your loving son or (in the case of lovers) Your Albert may be used; or the name may simply be preceded with All my love or Love. "Yours fraternally" is a frequently used valediction in the Labour movement.

Less commonly, other adverbs or adverbial phrases may be used, in keeping with the tone of the letter, such as In solidarity or Fraternally. Christian clergy often use Yours in Christ, Sincerely in Christ, or Yours sincerely in Christ.

Within the United States military services, two complimentary closings are often used incorrectly. Respectfully is often used by a senior addressing a service member of lower rank. Very respectfully or Respectfully submitted are used by a junior addressing a service member of higher rank. The closing Very respectfully may be abbreviated "V/r" in brief emails and short notes (or, similarly, "R/s" for Respectfully submitted), but these closings are always written out in formal correspondence.[8] In Army Regulation 25-50 Preparing and Managing Correspondence and Department of the Navy Correspondence Manual SECNAV Manual M-5216.5 March 2010, 'Respectfully' is reserved for a complimentary close when corresponding with the President or a former President. In both regulations, 'Sincerely,' is reserved for correspondence with senior officers and congressional members.

In English, all the above closings capitalise the first word and end in a comma, e.g. "Yours sincerely,".

Valedictions in e-mail

Valedictions in formal e-mail are similar to valedictions in letters: on the whole, they are variations of "regards" and "yours".[9][10] However, a wide range of popular valedictions are used in casual e-mail but very rarely in letters. These include:

E-mail messages, especially those used for very brief communication, are commonly signed off without valedictions,[11] these being replaced by automatically appended signature texts. Some are not signed at all, since a sender's name is usually provided in the message headers.

French

Standard French language valedictions tend to be much more complex than standard English ones, more akin to older English valedictions. They show a fair degree of variation, for example:

Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes sentiments distingués.
"Please accept, Madam, Sir, the expression of my distinguished sentiments."

Or:

Veuillez recevoir, Madame, mes sincères salutations.
"Please receive, Madam, my sincere salutations."

Or:

Je vous prie de croire, Monsieur, à mes sentiments les meilleurs.
"I beg you to believe, Sir, in my best sentiments."

In the latter case of a formula beginning with the first person, the valediction is often enhanced with a participial phrase concluding the sense of the letter (since traditionally it is not considered appropriate to begin a paragraph with the first person singular je in a letter):

Espérant recevoir une réponse favorable, je vous prie d'agréer, Madame…
"Hoping for a favourable answer, I beg you to allow, Madam…"

A number of rules concern the use of these formulae:

Such formulae may be used even in more friendly letters, often with the adjective cher or chère for the recipient. Letters to dignitaries may use even more grandiose styles, such as:

Daignez, Monsieur le Premier ministre, agréer l'expression de ma considération très distinguée.
"Deign, Mr. Prime Minister, to allow the expression of my most distinguished consideration."

or more commonly:

Veuillez agréer, Monsieur le Premier ministre, l'expression de ma très haute considération.
"Please accept, Mr. Prime Minister, the expression of my highest consideration."

According to the French typographic rules, the proper capitalization for the official title is "Premier ministre" although people who mimic English titles or fear that they might appear disrespectful often use more capitals than the rules commend.

Veuillez agréer, Madame l'Ambassadeur, l'expression de mes salutations les plus respectueuses.
"Please allow, Madam Ambassador, the expression of my most respectful salutations."

Another French typographic rule also states that when addressing someone, styles like Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle, should never be abbreviated, even if followed by a title (hence, writing M. le Premier Ministre or Mme l'Ambassadeur would be considered clumsy).

Much shorter styles may be used in brief notes (Sincères salutations), and informal letters (such as between intimates) may use expressions such as (with approximate English equivalents – not literal translations):

Unlike in English, when the letter writer has a title that is unique in his or her organization, it is placed before, not after, the name:

Veuillez recevoir, Monsieur, mes sincères salutations.
La vice-présidente des ressources humaines,
A.B.

Hebrew

Formal letters in Hebrew often end with "b'chavod (rav*)" (Hebrew: בכבוד *רב, lit: with (great*) honor) or somewhat less formal "bivracha" (Hebrew: בברכה, lit: with blessing). The informal ones may use "kol tov" (Hebrew: כל טוב, lit: all the best). For an intimate, you might end a letter or email with "mitga'ageah" (m) or "mitga'aga'at" (f) -- missing you. Jews in the United States often use "B'shalom" or "shalom" (Hebrew: בשלום, lit: in peace) within Jewish circles, for example, from a Rabbi to his congregation. This is an American Jewish usage, rarely heard from native speakers of Hebrew. "B'shalom" is incorrect, as it is religiously tantamount to wishing death on someone. Indeed, the Talmud says: "In bidding farewell to the living one should not say, 'Go with peace' [lech b'shalom], but 'Go to peace' [lech l'shalom], because [King] David said to [his son] Absalom, 'Go with peace', and he went and was hanged; whereas Jethro said to Moses, 'Go to peace', and he went and succeeded." [Talmud, Moed Katan 29a]

German

Valedictions in German tend to be subject to similar flexibility as in French, are however a great deal less complex. The highly formal form Hochachtungsvoll (lit. "highly respectfully") has been practically obsolete for many years and is very rarely used in modern German, except for highly formal correspondence from authorities or in letters with a highly negative connotation where "friendliness" would not be appropriate.

The standard business valediction is Mit freundlichen Grüßen (lit. "with friendly regards") and is equivalent to Yours sincerely or Yours faithfully in English. A more seldom used variant of this is Mit freundlichem Gruß, which is as above but in the singular form. Other semi-formal alternatives include (roughly in order of formality, most to least) Mit besten Grüßen (lit. "with best regards"), Beste Grüße, Mit herzlichen Grüßen (lit. "with cordial regards"), Viele Grüße (lit. "many regards"), Schöne Grüße (lit. "nice regards").

German valedictions also offer the possibility of adding your location, e.g. Mit freundlichen Grüßen aus Berlin to added effect. While this is no less formal, it does have a more "relaxed" feel to it. Other less formal location-centric variations are also possible, such as Viele Grüße aus dem sonnigen Barcelona (lit. "many regards from sunny Barcelona").

These valedictions are also often adapted to specific professions, states or political views. For example, it is common to use Mit solidarischen Grüßen ("with regards in solidarity") among socialist and communist groups, Mit gewerkschaftlichen Grüßen (lit. "with union regards") or Mit kollegialen Grüßen (lit. "with cooperative regards") among labour union members, Mit kameradschaftlichen Grüßen (lit. "with comradely regards") among military personnel, Mit sportlichen Grüßen ("with sporting regards") among sportspeople, and Mit gebärdenfreundlichen Grüßen ("with friendly regards in sign language") among persons hard of hearing.

More familiar valedictions in German follow the same formula. Alles Liebe or (Viele) liebe Grüße are common in German for friends or family. Friends or close colleagues among each other may use simply Gruß.

It is possible in informal and rapid e-mail communication to sometimes use abbreviations of the forms, unlike in English. In this way, Mit freundlichen Grüßen may be shortened to mfg and Liebe Grüße may be shortened to lg. A popular form in Germany in recent years, hdl (hab dich lieb, lit. "am fond of you") and hdgdl (hab dich ganz doll lieb, lit. "am very fond of you", for somewhere between "I like you" and "I love you") has found increased usage in SMS text messaging and e-mails in more intimate relationships.

Judges have deemed that Section 86a of the German Criminal Code forbids the use of Mit deutschem Gruß (lit. "with German regards"), as it has National Socialist overtones.[12]

Portuguese

Formal valedictions should end with a comma followed by a paragraph where the valedictor's name (and optionally his status) is identified. Depending on the occasion, different degrees of formality are adequate, ranging from highly formal (e.g. solemn occasions) to totally informal (e.g. a conversation among friends). Some formal valedictions can be used at different formality degrees, but almost never in informal situations.

Highly formal valedictions

Formal valedictions

Semi-formal valedictions

Informal valedictions

Abbreviated valedictions (informal)

Spanish

Hungarian

Swedish

Japanese

See also

References

  1. ↑ Oxford Concise Dictionary of English Etymology. Great Britain: Oxford University Press. 1996. p. 519.
  2. ↑ Complimentary close on The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition.
  3. ↑ Valediction – Definition from The Free Dictionary.
  4. ↑ Valediction Dictionary.co.uk.
  5. ↑ Scheyder, Elizabeth (2003). "The Use of Complimentary Closings in E-mail: American English Examples". Working Papers in Educational Linguistics 19 (1): 27–42. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  6. ↑ www.dailywritingtips.com/yours-faithfully-or-yours-sincerely.
  7. ↑ Commonly still used in the Royal Navy "Walking down the street, opening doors and wearing hats at weddings", The Sunday Times.
  8. ↑ http://www.tpub.com/content/administration/12966/css/12966_149.htm
  9. ↑ www.netmanners.com/email-etiquette/email-sign-off-considerations.
  10. ↑ www.businessemailetiquette.com/email-sign-off-considerations.
  11. ↑ Scheyder, Elizabeth (2003). "The Use of Complimentary Closings in E-mail: American English Examples". Working Papers in Educational Linguistics 19 (1): 27–42. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  12. ↑ Rechtsextremistische Subkulturen.

External links

Look up valediction in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.