A correspondent writing to The Times complains that 'yours sincerely' is becoming the ubiquitous sign-off to letters. It is supplanting 'yours faithfully'. He says that he receives letters signed 'yours sincerely' when the writer is unknown to him and is, in any case, far from sincere. Our rule is to use 'yours sincerely' on letters to anyone whom we've addressed by name e.g. 'Dear Paul' or, perhaps, 'Dear Mr Smith'.(Some properly balk at the latter, thinking that a Mr Smith, cannot be well enough known to them to justify 'sincerely') A letter beginning 'Dear Sir' is ended with 'yours faithfully'.A letter to the editor of a newspaper should begin simply 'Sir' because no editor is 'dear' to any correspondent !
Do Americans have any such rule?
[The French, being French and therefore formal in such matters, have a myriad of formal variations, all of these having their proper uses.It's tempting to write 'Veuillez accepter, Monsieur etc' instead of writing, in full, the wish that Sir will accept the expression of your distinguished sentiments, or whatever lengthy formality the etiquette demands (And that one, by the way, is quite short ) ]
Here the term, when used, is "Yours truly"... and, seldom indicates anything true. It is mostly a somewhat formal title used by those who have been told that is the "professional" closing term. After all, those who are truly "faithful" or "truly truly", or even, heaven forbid "yours" need not proclaim it, as you already know it.
Originally posted by dogspit: After all, those who are truly "faithful" or "truly truly", or even, heaven forbid "yours" need not proclaim it, as you already know it.
What about truly scrumptious? Now I've got that song stuck in my head for the rest of the day.
I've never seen the logic of this sincerely/faithfully rule. Surely you can write sincerely (honestly,genuinely) to a complete stranger.
On the other hand, to write 'faithfully' (loyally, with allegiance) to someone, I think you'd need to know a little about him or her - a name at least.
'Faithfully' is to say that you write in good faith, with the innuendo that 'Sir' might not 'Sincerely' says that you are writing to a friend, with the innuendo that friends are often false in what they say but this time you are not being so!
'Dear' is the word that is wrong in Dear Sir(s). The addressee is not 'dear' to you. The French, so solicitous and formal, traditionally do not address a business with 'Cher Messieurs' but simply 'Messieurs' . A business receiving a letter from a customer, Monsieur Jacques Dupont, replies 'Monsieur' not 'Cher Monsieur Dupont' and will close it with some such line as 'we ask you to accept, Sir, the assurance of our respectful sentiments', which certainly beats 'faithfully' for accuracy and diplomacy (it's up to 'Sir' whether he believes them or not and they give him the option )
(And that one, by the way, is quite short ) ]
'Sincerely' says that you are writing to a friend, with the innuendo that friends are often false in what they say but this time you are not being so!