RE: Salutation Question: Hi Fred, or Hi, Fred ?

Subject: RE: Salutation Question: Hi Fred, or Hi, Fred ?
From: Paul Carpenter <pcinnorthhills -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2007 14:13:11 -0800 (PST)

Up until the last decade or so, "Hi" was arguably an
elision of "How are you", except for use by special
populations as an interjection a la "Ahoy" or "Avast".

But I defy you to tell me I'm wrong that many people
now use "Hi" in their e-mail saluations as an elision
for, "I'm starting this missive by saying 'Hi' to".

I assert to you that that's what *I'm* eliding when
I condescend to this usage. On what basis can you say
I'm wrong in my analysis of the words I choose to elide?

Or I could argue that 'Hi' is the modern 'O'; instead
of saying, 'O Honored Correspondent, I Salute Thee,"
we can say, "Hi Correspondent" or the like.


Usage, not rules, determines usage. Being well-versed
in grammar, I was saddened by the demise of the plural
'data' and 'media', but I acknowledge that usage has
changed them to singular, just as it previously did
with 'candelabra' and 'agenda'. Usage converted 'Ms.'
into a legitimate title, and it may yet convert 'they'
to a singular pronoun. We now routinely see sentence
fragments in edited writing. And so it goes with 'Hi'
as an unpunctuated salutation in email. Or e-mail.
Or e-mail messages. :-)

Paul


--- "Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com> wrote:
> It saddens me that no one learns grammar these days:
>
>>> "Hi" and "Hello" are each a short message directly
>>> addressed to someone, which is why they are subject
>>> to the "direct address" punctuation rule.
>>
>> They're just an informal word substituted for "dear".
>
> No, no, no, no! You're suggesting that the _meaning_
> of "dear" and "hi" is irrelevant, and that it's
> pointless to distinguish parts of speech.
> You should be sentenced to a hundred hours
> diagramming sentences.
> "Dear" is an adjective; "hi" is not -- unless you
> weren't taught to spell either, and believe it
> indicates altitude or state of mind. ;-)
>
> Fred is 100% correct. The only counter-argument that's
> not specious is, "I consider email to be so informal
> that writing well isn't worth the bother."
>
> "It's my opinion, and it's very true."
> Richard
>
>
> ------
> Richard G. Combs
> Senior Technical Writer
> Polycom, Inc.
> richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
> 303-223-5111
> ------
> rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
> 303-777-0436
> ------
>
>
>
>
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RE: Salutation Question: Hi Fred, or Hi, Fred ?: From: Combs, Richard

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