To Whom it May Concern

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Schetin

#418232 Thu, 13 Sep 07 10:34 PM

Hi Clive,

Do you still go in for tango?

Schetin

Joined on Mon, Sep 4 2006

Moscow, Russia

Full Member (243)

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Kooyeen

#418240 Thu, 13 Sep 07 10:47 PM

Clive wrote:
Email is much more informal than 'regular' mail. You don't usually need any salutation at all. Just use politeness.

Uh, but does regular mail still exist? Wink [;)]

Ok, I won't say anything, I'll just ask what I have to ask. Thanks. Smile [:)]

BTW, maybe a little "Hello" would be good, though...

Kooyeen

Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005

Italy

Senior Member (3,979)

If you don't have a sense of humor already, it's about time you buy one.

Whom, Salutation

Clive

#418243 Thu, 13 Sep 07 10:53 PM

Hi Schetin,

Do you still go in for tango?

Yes, I do. I teach tango classes. Smile [:)]

Clive

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004

Canada

Veteran Member (21,242)

El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

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Schetin

#418245 Thu, 13 Sep 07 10:55 PM

Dear Messrs. would probably do...

Schetin

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Clive

#418263 Fri, 14 Sep 07 12:14 AM

Hi again.

Dear Messrs. would probably do...

Sorry, definitely not. That is rarely used, and really only with multiple surnames.

If I want to write a very stiff and extremely formal letter to a law firm that I don't like, I might address them as

Dear Messieurs Smith, Jones and Gradgrind,

It seems that a lot of Forum readers feel very, very uncomfortable with the idea of not starting with a formal salutation, yet in email I would say that this is more or less the norm for native speakers.

Perhaps this lack of comfort is a reflection of differences in cultures, where other cultures are more formal. Other manifestations of this difference,in other threads, seem to include, for example, almost a big fear by people that they will seriously offend a woman if they accidentally address her as 'Dear Sir'.

I should add that in starting all my posts here with 'hi' and ending with 'best wishes', I am very much in a minority. I just started doing that for fun, and it has become a little unconscious ritual. It's not what many people typically do.

Best wishes, Clive

Clive

Whom, Salutation, Formal letter, Formal letters

Schetin

#418270 Fri, 14 Sep 07 12:32 AM

Clive wrote:

It seems that a lot of Forum readers feel very, very uncomfortable with the idea of not starting with a formal salutation, yet in email I would say that this is more or less the norm for native speakers.

Perhaps this lack of comfort is a reflection of differences in cultures, where other cultures are more formal.

I disagree with you here Clive. The thing is they are not NATIVE speakers. They are scared about blunders. Formal speech is what they are taught, because it reflects all the restrictions of a language. It is considered that colloquial speech is what one should master himself, if he wants to. Local variations split a language, the literary style unites variations.

Schetin

Whom, Salutation

Clive

#418285 Fri, 14 Sep 07 01:23 AM

Hi again,

I do get a strong feeling from my students, who are from many countries and cultures, that thay are from more formal backgrounds.

However, having said that, I'll certainly think about the points you have made.

Clive

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Goodman

#420105 Mon, 17 Sep 07 05:06 PM

Clive wrote:

Hi Schetin,

Do you still go in for tango?

Yes, I do. I teach tango classes.

Clive

Clive,

I had a hunch that you either love dancing or you are a dance teacher. I have been learning ballroom for about 10 years, one night a week. Of all the Latin dances, I believe Tango is the hardest dance to learn myself because of the rigid movements of head, body, arms and legs. On top of that, they all have to go with the timing and attitude. There are so many variations and there seem to be no rules, so it seemed….Any tips you can offer.

I am currently learning Bolero. I like it a lot!

Thanks

Goodman

Joined on Mon, Nov 7 2005

Calif. USA

Senior Member (3,228)

The name says it all!

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Clive

#420134 Mon, 17 Sep 07 06:27 PM

Hi Goodman,

It sounds like you are learning the international-style tango, or evn perhaps what is called the American tango.

I'm involved with the Argentine tango form, which is more fluid, not jerky at all, very expressive. My advice is to go to a place where they dance Argentine tango and have a look. After that, if you are interested , find a good teacher and have a few lessons to try it. Many of the large cities in N. America have an 'Argentine tango sub-culture', which you can usually find by searching the 'net'.

If you get involved, keep me posted, OK?

Clive

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