A valediction ( derivation from Latin vale dicere , "to say farewell"), or complimentary close in American English , is an expression used to say farewell, especially a word or phrase used to end a letter or message, or a speech made at a farewell.
19-453: Valediction's counterpart is a greeting called a salutation . 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. In British English, valedictions have largely been replaced by the use of "Yours sincerely " or "Yours faithfully". "Yours sincerely"
38-665: A "mixed" gender. In 2013, Brighton and Hove City Council in Sussex , England, voted to allow the use of Mx on council forms, and in 2014 the Royal Bank of Scotland included the title as an option for customers. In 2015, recognition spread more broadly across UK institutions, including the Royal Mail , government agencies responsible for documents such as driving licences , most major banks , several other companies, and UK charity Battersea Dogs & Cats Home . The title
57-578: A surname, such as "Dear Mr. Smith," or by a given name, such as "Dear Mark." However, it is not common in English to use both a title of address and a person's given name: "Dear Mr. John Smith" would not be common form. Sometimes, the salutation "To" is used for informal correspondence, for example "To Peter". A comma follows the salutation and name, while a colon is used in place of a comma only in US business correspondence. This rule applies regardless of
76-449: Is an English-language neologistic honorific that does not indicate gender. Created as an alternative to gendered honorifics (such as Mr. and Ms. ) in the late 1970s, it is the most common gender-neutral title among non-binary people and people who do not wish to imply a gender in their titles. The word was first proposed in the late 1970s. The x is intended to stand as a wildcard character , and does not necessarily imply
95-520: Is an English–language neologistic honorific for use alongside Mr., Ms., etc. that does not indicate gender. It is often the only option for nonbinary people, as well as those who do not wish to reveal their gender. It is a gender-neutral title that is now accepted by much of the United Kingdom's government and some businesses in the United Kingdom. "Ms." is the marital-status-neutral honorific for an adult woman and may be applied in cases in which
114-495: Is an accompanying style of complimentary close, known as valediction . Examples of non-written salutations are bowing (common in Japan), waving, or even addressing somebody by their name. A salutation can be interpreted as a form of a signal in which the receiver of the salutation is being acknowledged, respected or thanked. Another simple but very common example of a salutation is a military salute. By saluting another rank, that person
133-560: Is now accepted by the Department for Work and Pensions , HM Revenue and Customs , the National Health Service and many councils, universities, insurance companies and utility retailers in the United Kingdom. The House of Commons of the United Kingdom confirmed in 2015 that it would accept the use of Mx by MPs. In 2015, Mx was included in a New York Times article about Bluestockings . Its casual usage in
152-469: Is reserved for the president (and, for the Army only, the president's spouse) and the president-elect. "Sincerely" is used in all other cases. Salutation A salutation is a greeting used in a letter or other communication. Salutations can be formal or informal. The most common form of salutation in an English letter includes the recipient's given name or title . For each style of salutation there
171-432: Is signalling or showing his or her acknowledgement of the importance or significance of that person and his or her rank. Some greetings are considered vulgar, others "rude" and others "polite". The salutation "Dear" in combination with a name or a title is by far the most commonly used salutation in both British and US English, in both formal and informal correspondence. It is commonly followed either by an honorific and
190-530: 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. Historically, valedictions were often elaborate and formal. Vestiges of such formality remain in various cases. The examples below are subject to some variation but generally follow
209-675: The HSBC Group announced the addition of Mx alongside several other gender-neutral titles as options for their customers. HSBC's 30 March announcement coincided with the International Transgender Day of Visibility , celebrated the following day. In December 2020, the Provincial Court of British Columbia , Canada issued guidance to lawyers and litigants about court introductions, calling for court participants, when introducing themselves, to state
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#1732798807685228-807: The pronouns and courtesy title that should be used for them. "Mx." was one of the titles that participants were invited to use. In March 2021, Oscar Davies, a non-binary barrister from the United Kingdom , became the first person to use Mx (instead of Mr / Ms ) on the board of their chambers . Although Mx remains uncommon in the United States, in April 2016 it was added to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary . Indian airlines Vistara and AirAsia India , both Tata Group companies, added Mx as
247-499: The latter use to be dated. " Master " is used in formal situations for addressing boys typically aged under 16, after which it is "Mr." "Master" in this case is of old English origin. Messrs. or Messieurs is a historically used term to address many men rather than "Mr Pink, Mr White, et al." Messrs is the abbreviation (pronounced "messers") for messieurs and is used in English. Mesdames addresses many women; pronounced "Meydammes". On occasion, one may use "Sir" or "Madam" by itself as
266-598: The level of formality of the correspondence. If the name of the intended recipient is unknown, acceptable salutations are: In older British usage and current US usage, the abbreviations " Mx ", "Ms", "Mr", "Dr", and "Mrs" are typically followed by a period ( full stop ), but it is common in recent British usage to drop the period after all such titles. Professional titles such as "Professor" are frequently used both in business and in social correspondence, as are those of dignitaries and holders of certain public offices, such as "Mr. President" or "Dear Madam Secretary". " Mx ."
285-476: The marital status is irrelevant or unknown to the author. For example, if one is writing a business letter to a woman, "Ms." is acceptable. "Mrs." denotes an adult woman who is married. "Miss" can apply to specifically unmarried women, however, the term is being replaced more and more by "Ms." "Miss" can apply to an unmarried woman or more generally to a younger woman. "Miss" is the proper form of address for female children and unmarried women, although some consider
304-492: The paper was picked up by popular news sites and blogs. The Times 's standards editor Phil Corbett later responded to the usage of the title. Later the same year, Mx was included in the Oxford English Dictionary . In 2016, Metro Bank became the first bank in the United Kingdom to offer Mx on its forms (though other banks had amended records to Mx on request prior to this). In 2017, banks of
323-507: The pattern described. The following table contains complimentary closings as recommended for business hard-letter use by two American authorities: Barron's Educational Series and American Management Association (AMACOM). A diplomatic note verbale always ends with an elaborate valediction, most commonly "[Sender] avails itself of this opportunity to renew to [recipient] the assurances of its highest consideration". Valedictions in formal e-mail are similar to valedictions in letters; on
342-432: The salutation, with nothing preceding. The severe and old-fashioned formality of such a salutation makes it appropriate for very formal correspondence (for example, addressing a head of state, or a letter to the editor), but in the same way, the formality and stiffness of such a salutation would make its use in friendly social correspondence inappropriate. Mx (title) Mx ( / m ɪ k s , m ə k s / )
361-556: The whole, they are variations of "regards" and "yours". However, a wide range of popular valedictions are used in casual e-mail but very rarely in letters. Current regulations of the United States Department of Defense , the Joint Chiefs of Staff , the U.S. Air Force , the U.S. Army , and the U.S. Navy call for two complimentary closings for letters: "Respectfully yours" and "Sincerely". "Respectfully yours"
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