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It’s fun when reading very old books and correspondence to see how conventions have changed. For instance, in the 1780s, George Washington and his contemporarie
by anjbe 4y ago
It’s fun when reading very old books and correspondence to see how conventions have changed. For instance, in the 1780s, George Washington and his contemporaries often closed letters with variations of “I am, dear sir, Your most obedient humble servant…”
In a particularly informal letter, the same might even be abbreviated to “I am, etc.”
- evanb 4y agoI was taught "Yours truly" in school, so these old styles have only been shortened, not eliminated.
- globalise83 4y ago+1 for "your most humble and obedient servant". Perhaps prefixed with "in eager anticipation of your reply". We threw the baby out with the bathwater when we stopped using these expressions.
- dash2 4y agoWhen I learnt French in the 1980s, we were taught to close letters with "je vous prie d'accepter l'expression de mes sentiments les plus distingués."
- pm3003 4y agoWith the dozens of variations depending on context, position of the writer and recipients, if you know them personally, etc. Canadian comedian François Pérusse has a good sketch about those, called Veuillez agréer. I still use them on formal written and printed letters, mostly with contractual stuff, government services. Maybe once or twice a year.