Letter opening with name only--what does it convey?

I sometimes get emails (e.g. from professional contacts or people I don't know well) which simply start with

FirstName,

[ ... letter body ... ]

They don't use "Dear FirstName," or "Hello FirstName," just "FirstName,".

This always feels quite harsh to me. (Omitting the opening completely in a quick email wouldn't feel that way, but using the name only does.)

Can this be considered impolite? Is it bad form? Is it usual? What should I read into this (about the attitude of the writer)?

I realize that these things can depend more on the culture than the language. I usually get these letters from Americans. Is it the most usual way of opening an informal email in the U.S.?

Solution 1:

Szabolcs,

It is considered an acceptable way of opening an email. I found an online guideline that explained it like this:

So, some writers may think that the use of Dear sounds unnecessarily formal (or perhaps even affectionate). I'm rather sure that no rudeness is meant, nor should the construct be interpreted as subtle rudeness.

As for how I opened my answer to you: no hidden meaning there – I only used that as for illustrative purposes. I assure you, I meant it in the most polite sense, as I think you've asked a very fair and legitimate question.

Solution 2:

I come from an English-speaking country (Canada), but have worked abroad in a few different ones as well... addressing by name only is actually a huge pet peeve of mine.

From my experience in mgmt. consulting (going on 6 years now), I find that people who open with "Hello/Hi/Hey/etc. First_Name(s)," tend to overall be nicer, more respectful, and easier to deal with. I don't think it's a coincidence - though sometimes might be an exception (same for the reverse).

I would have to assume it's a cultural thing unfortunately - where in North America we're probably known to be a bit more work-obsessed, translating into a bit less time and/or respect for our peers.

Anyway - all that is to say - if you have the time, will, and decency, PLEASE try and address people politely. The world needs it.

Solution 3:

It is difficult to say. It could convey: nothing; that the writer is unsure of the salutation convention (a hypercorrect use of formality?); be a direct way of addressing you (if you are on familiar terms or well-known to each other in a playful sense -maybe in the same way that good friends sometimes use family names to address each other: 'Smith,' 'Jones,' etc); or could be suggestive of displeasure with you or your conduct.

As a rule, a 'dear' or 'hello' would seem to mitigate against negative inference. However, some consider salutations as unnecessary in e-mails as the 'To:' field fulfils the stating of the name. Despite that view, I think a greeting is nice and would always use one.

Are there any languages where there is no salutation in written correspondence?