REFORMING THE LANGUAGE OF LETTERS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 102, 27 October 1934, Page 25

REFORMING THE LANGUAGE OF LETTERS

A.delegate to the Drapers' Chamber oi' Trade, which met at Oxford in August, has warned his fellow-drapers to-avoid stilted phrases in their corresTJondonce. Things like "ro your esteemed favour of tho 27th ultimo," he says, just '"get his goat."

But .do drapers really write letters ]iko that in these progressive days? 3.''rom .inquiries, writes aii "livening News" representative, I don't believe they do..Most big firms pride themselves on being right up-to-date and would no more send a letter "adverting to your letter to hand" than they would lay in a stock of crinolines. In just li few' old-fashioned houses suqh phrases ifiiiy.'persist, but. generally speaking certainly do hot. .In Government Departments, however, the talc is stated to bo different. That old army memo., "Passed to you for necessary action, please initial anfl return," is still going strong at the War Office, while not so long ago tho Minister of Health had occasion to "acknowledge- yours of even date." An official letter"from Scotland Yard is still finished, "I am, clear sir, your obedient servant." Yet just try giving that obedient servant a job of work to do and sec what happens! ' Solicitors, too, have several stilted phrases. When they are being very polite they assure correspondents of | "our best attention at all times" and expect them to believe that they are their "obedient servants to command." Whether they are or not depends entirely on whether the recipients arc clients or not. .

A phrase which oven tho best solici-

tors employ with regularity—to some people—starts: "Dear Sir, Unless . . ."

Income tax collectors also have a phraseology which gets very boring. " Referring to my previous application, I beg to inform you that unless . . ." Why "beg," anyway? asks the writer.

Why, too, must they say "steps will be taken "1. If they mean Brixton Prison, why not say so? Yet my income tax collector has his good points. He never suggests that he is my obedient servant, or even that he is mine faithfully, lie just leaves that place blank and signs himself ominously "Soandso, Collector."

Many up-to-date letter writers in England do not start their correspondence "Dear Sir" in these days. They take the view that the "sir" is no dear friend of theirs anyway. Yours "faithfully," "truly," and "sincerely" have gone by the board, too. Sometimes the "truly" stands, but the "yours" has gone. That gives the. intended impression that "truly" refers to tho contents of tho letter and is not intended as a compliment to you.

"Adverting" is dead. "Ke" is au obsolete contraction of "in reference to," which is not used either. As for "ultimo," when last month is meant, then say so.

The tendency, it is added, is definitely towards simplicity in letter writing. Say exactly what you mean and have done with it, without flowery but meaningless compliments. That is the trouble with "Dear Sir, Unless ... " Tt is. so very simple and so very definite.'