Valediction#Yours truly.2C

Parting phrases are used to acknowledge the parting of individuals or groups of people from each other. They are an element of parting traditions. Parting phrases are specific to culture and situation, and vary based on the social status and relationship of the persons involved.

• "As-Salamu Alaykum" or "Salam" ("Peace be upon you"), used among Muslims and Arabs
• "Goodbye", an English parting phrase used in the West, is a contraction of "God be by ye".{{cite book|last=Shipley|first=Joseph T.|title=Dictionary of Early English|date=15 January 1955|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|language=English|isbn=9781442233997|page=305}}
• "Khuda Hafiz" ("God protect (you)"), used among Iranians and South Asian Muslims
• "Namaste", parting phrase of Indian origin
• "Shalom" ("Peace"), used among Jewish parting and greeting phrase

Valedictions normally immediately precede the signature in written correspondence. The word or words used express respect, esteem, or regard for the person to whom the correspondence is directed, and the exact form used depends on a number of factors.{{cite journal|last=Scheyder|first=Elizabeth|title=The Use of Complimentary Closings in E-mail: American English Examples|journal=Working Papers in Educational Linguistics|year=2003|volume=19|issue=1|pages=27–42|url=http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_scheyder/1/|access-date=13 February 2014}}

In British English, valedictions have largely been replaced by the use of "Yours sincerely" or "Yours faithfully". "Yours sincerely" is typically employed in English when the recipient is addressed by name (e.g. "Dear John") and is known to the sender to some degree, whereas "Yours faithfully" is used when the recipient is not addressed by name (i.e., the recipient is addressed by a phrase such as "Dear Sir/Madam") or when the recipient is not known personally by the sender.{{Cite web|title = Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?|url = http://www.dailywritingtips.com/yours-faithfully-or-yours-sincerely/|website=Daily Writing Tips}}

Historically, valedictions were often elaborate and formal. Vestiges of such formality remain in various cases. The examples below are subject to some variation but generally follow the pattern described.

• Letters to the King of the United Kingdom should end, "I have the honour to remain, Sir, Your Majesty's most humble and obedient servant."{{Cite web|title = Addressing Royalty: Communicating With the Queen|url = https://www.debretts.com/expertise/forms-of-address/addressing-royalty/|website=Debrett's}} Alternatively, "I remain, with the profoundest veneration, your Majesty's most faithful subject and dutiful servant."{{Cite book|title = Cassell's Household Guide - Hints to Letter Writers|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-7AHAwAAQBAJ&q=obedient&pg=PA208|isbn = 9785871686072|last1 = Ltd|first1 = Cassell|year = 1869| publisher=Рипол Классик }}
• Letters to other members of the royal family should end, "I have the honour to remain, Sir/Madam, Your Royal Highness's most humble and obedient servant."
• Letters to ambassadors should end, "I have the honour to be, with the highest consideration, Your Excellency's obedient servant."{{Cite web|title = Diplomatic Service: Forms of Address|url = https://www.debretts.com/expertise/forms-of-address/professions/the-diplomatic-service/|website=Debrett's}}
• Letters to high commissioners should end, "I have the honour to be Your Excellency's obedient servant."
• Letters to the pope should end, "I have the honour to be Your Holiness's most devoted and obedient child." (substituting "obedient servant" if not a Roman Catholic).{{Cite web|title = The Roman Catholic Church: Forms of Address|url = https://www.debretts.com/expertise/forms-of-address/professions/religion//|website=Debrett's}}
• Letters to a cardinal should end, "I have the honour to be, My Lord Cardinal, Your Eminence's devoted and obedient child." (substituting "obedient servant" if not a Roman Catholic).
• Letters to an archbishop should end, "I have the honour to be Your Grace's devoted and obedient child." (substituting "obedient servant" if not a co-religionist).
• Letters to a bishop should end, "I have the honour to be Your Lordship's obedient child." (substituting "obedient servant" if not a co-religionist).
• Letters to an abbot should end, "I beg to remain, my Lord Abbot, your devoted and obedient servant."

The following table contains complimentary closings as recommended for business hard-letter use by two American authorities: Barron's Educational SeriesAlan Bond, 300+ Successful Business Letters for All Occasions, 2nd Edition (Barron's Educational Series, 2005), 7. and American Management Association (AMACOM).James Stroman, Kevin Wilson, Jennifer Wauson, Administrative Assistant's and Secretary's Handbook, 5th Edition (AMACOM: American Management Association, 2014), 299.

A diplomatic note verbale always ends with an elaborate valediction, most commonly "[Sender] avails itself of this opportunity to renew to [recipient] the assurances of its highest consideration".{{cite web|url=http://translationjournal.net/journal/10dipl.htm|title=Diplomatic Translation|website=Translation Journal |access-date=11 April 2018}}

Valedictions in formal e-mail are similar to valedictions in letters; on the whole, they are variations of "regards" and "yours".{{cite web|url=http://www.netmanners.com/email-etiquette/email-sign-off-considerations/ |website=Net M@nners |author=Kallos, Judith |title=Email Sign-off Considerations|access-date=October 10, 2015}} However, a wide range of popular valedictions are used in casual e-mail but very rarely in letters.

• "Yours aye" is a Scottish expression meaning "Yours always", still commonly used as a valediction to end written correspondence in the Royal Navy and British Army,[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/court_and_social/modern_times/article4034543.ece "Walking down the street, opening doors and wearing hats at weddings"], The Sunday Times. and occasionally used by sailors or people working in a maritime context. It is commonly used in the Royal Australian Navy as a sign-off in written communication such as emails.
• "Yours, etc." is used historically for abbreviated endings. It can be found in older newspaper letters to the editor, and often in US legal correspondence. "&c." may be seen as an alternative abbreviation of et cetera, the ampersand functioning as a ligature form of "et". "I am, etc." and "I remain, etc." are also used.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

Current regulations of the United States Department of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy call for two complimentary closings for letters: "Respectfully yours" and "Sincerely". "Respectfully yours" is reserved for the president (and, for the Army only, the president's spouse) and the president-elect. "Sincerely" is used in all other cases.{{cite book |author=Department of Defense |title=Manual for Written Material: Correspondence Management|publisher= DoDM 5110.04-M-V1|date= October 26, 2010 |url=http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/511004m_v1.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322213548/http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/511004m_v1.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 22, 2011}}{{cite book|author=Joint Chiefs of Staff|title=Joint Staff Guide, DOM/SJS, JS Guide 5711|date= April 2013}}{{cite book|title=Editorial Guidance and Accepted Usage for Joint Staff Correspondence, Enclosure K, K-1 to K-10|url= http://www.dtic.mil/cjcs_directives/jdata/unlimit/g571101.pdf|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130705144108/http://www.dtic.mil/cjcs_directives/jdata/unlimit/g571101.pdf|url-status= dead|archive-date= July 5, 2013}}{{citation |title=Army Regulation 25–50, Preparing and Managing Correspondence |date=6 July 2015 |url= http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r25_50.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040119065029/http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r25_50.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= January 19, 2004 |access-date=September 8, 2015}}{{citation |date=March 2010 |title=SECNAV Manual M-216.5 Appendix B, Civilian Models of Address, B1-B10 |url=http://www.sc.edu/nrotc/content/Documents/SECNAVINST%205216.5.pdf |access-date=September 8, 2015}}{{citation |title=Air Force Handbook 33-337, "Communications and Information" THE TONGUE AND QUILL |pages= 197–213 |date=27 May 2015 |url= http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/saf_cio_a6/publication/afh33-337/afh33-337.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130213203739/http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/saf_cio_a6/publication/afh33-337/afh33-337.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= February 13, 2013 |access-date=September 8, 2015}}{{cite web|title=Department of the Navy Correspondence Manual|url=http://navybmr.com/study%20material/SECNAV%20M-5216.5%20(2015).pdf|publisher=US Department of the Navy|access-date=10 May 2018}}

• "Hasta la vista, baby" and "I'll be back", both popularized by The Terminator entertainment franchise
• "Live long and prosper", a Vulcan salute from the Star Trek entertainment franchise
• "May the Force be with you", a parting phrase from the Star Wars entertainment franchise

• Business letter
• Greeting
• Salutation
• The Parting Glass

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{wiktionary}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20020603022433/http://www.askoxford.com/languages/fr/french_letters/ AskOxford: French valedictions for English speakers]

• {{cite book|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780965016070|url-access=registration|date=1997|editor=Speake, Jennifer |editor-link=Jennifer Speake |publisher= Oxford University Press|isbn= 0-19-863159-6}}

Category:Writing

Category:Parting traditions

fr:Politesse#Formules de politesse épistolaires