Abstract
The header section of an email message specifies the identity of the sender (at least for personal accounts) and therefore repeating this information in the body of the message is redundant. Nevertheless, email messages do often include some closing salutation with the writer’s name, a phatic expression, or both. Using data from an online survey of email users, this study looks at the range of expressions used by writers and establishes that most users have a repertoire of closing salutations from which they choose for individual messages. Comments revealing users’ attitudes to the various possibilities which they read and write show that this is an element of email communication where users consciously make choices to advance interpersonal goals. In particular, politeness (or its lack) is seen as important. For at least some users, politeness in this context is construed as the acceptance of an imposition by the writer: making the effort to include a salutation (or a more extended version of one) is seen as indicating politeness.
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Notes
- 1.
Examples include: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-end-an-email (How to End an Email: 9 Best and Worst Email Sign-Offs) and https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-end-an-email (How to End an Email (With Examples)).
- 2.
A participant in the survey commented that ‘closing salutation is an oxymoron’. But although salute is etymologically grounded in greeting, it has broadened its meaning: a salute can be used either for greeting or for leave-taking.
- 3.
Percentages are calculated for the total responses to the question not the total number of participants.
- 4.
There were two respondents who chose not to specify an age (0.2%).
- 5.
This lack of specific content is one factor in the strong antipathy to Best reported by several respondents, see below.
- 6.
Some responses at Q13 included options already given in Q12 and these were not counted again.
- 7.
In these two figures, Best wishes includes With best wishes and Warmest wishes.
- 8.
For many respondents, this would also involve using different accounts.
- 9.
Percentages do not sum to 100 due to rounding.
- 10.
No alterations have been made to these responses.
- 11.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines passive-aggressive (in part) as ‘a personality type … in which aggression is expressed through passively obstructive behaviour’.
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Acknowledgements
I am grateful to the colleagues and friends who assisted me by being pilot subjects, especially Brook Bolander whose comments helped me to make important improvements to the survey, and to Michael Haugh for helpful discussion of (im)politeness. I am also grateful to Kate Burridge as a colleague and a friend—and for unwittingly inspiring me to carry out this study.
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Appendix 6.1—Survey
Appendix 6.1—Survey
-
1.
Do you regularly use email in English? [Y/N] (exit point)
-
2.
What is your age: Under 18 (exit point); 18–40; 40–60; over 60; prefer not to say
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3.
What gender do you identify with? Female; Male; Other; Prefer not to say
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4.
Is English your primary language? [Y/N]
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5.
If not, for how long have you used English as one of your languages? Less than 5 years; 5–10 years; More than 10 years
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6.
Do you regularly use more than one email account? [Y/N]
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7.
If you use more than one account, what is the main purpose for which you use each one (for example, work messages, personal messages etc)? [Open text]
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8.
Do you use an email signature? [Y/N]
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9.
If you use multiple accounts, is your answer the same for all of them? [Y/N]
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10.
Does your signature (or signatures) include a closing salutation? [Y/N]
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11.
What salutation(s) are included in your signature(s)? If you have different signatures for different accounts which include different salutations, please report the salutation used and the main purpose of the account. [Open text]
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12.
Which of the following closing salutations do you use (if any)? Cheers | Best wishes | Best | Kind regards | Regards | Thanks | With best wishes | All the best | Warmest wishes | [first name] | [full name] | [initials] | [no salutation]
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13.
Do you use other closing salutations? If so, what are they? [Open text]
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14.
Do you use one closing salutation more commonly in work related messages? If so, which one? [Open text]
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15.
Do you use one closing salutation more commonly in non-work related messages? If so, which one? [Open text]
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16.
(Numbered Q18 in online version) If you can remember (or if you can check easily), please enter below the closing salutations of the last three email messages you wrote. [Open text]
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17.
(Numbered Q19 in online version) If your three answers to the last question were not the same, are you aware of any reasons why you chose one salutation rather than another? [Open text]
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18.
(Numbered Q16 in online version) If you have any comments about how you use closing salutations or about how you perceive the usage of others, please enter them here. [Open text]
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Musgrave, S. (2020). Closing Salutations in Email Messages: User Attitudes and Interpersonal Effects. In: Allan, K. (eds) Dynamics of Language Changes. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6430-7_6
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