English: dear

[allf100]

Hello,

Does 'Dear + first name' imply endearment when it comes to address someone in salutions?

Here are my assumptions, and I am not sure if I am correct.

- It can imply endearment if someone addresses to other people, i.e. close friends, family etc.
- It depends on the writer if they try to be formal and respectful, but it is not necessary to imply endearment.

(I understood 'Dear Mr/Ms Smith' is just a respectful and very formal addressing in salutions.)

[Xenops]

In letters, Dear + name is a pretty neutral combination, and commonly used. When addressing a loved one--and letting them know that--they might begin the letter with "My dearest (name)" .

I never hear dear + name outside of letters, but I do hear the latter in spoken conversation...Mostly in movies, during a moment of intense emotion.

[iguanamon]

...Does 'Dear + first name' imply endearment when it comes to address someone in salutions salutations? Here are my assumptions, and I am not sure if I am correct.- It can imply endearment if someone addresses to other people, i.e. close friends, family etc.
- It depends on the writer if they try to be formal and respectful, but it is not necessary to imply endearment.
(I understood 'Dear Mr/Ms Smith' is just a respectful and very formal addressing in salutions salutations.)

American English-speaker here: Dear + first name is almost never used outside of the salutation (greeting) in a letter, which can be used between friends and family. If one is writing to a business associate or a stranger then- "Dear Mr. ____; Dear Ms ____; Dear Mrs. ____" is more appropriate and more formal. This construction is almost never used in speech, except on occasion in a mocking tone of voice. Hope this helps.

[allf100]

Hello Xenops and iguanamon. Thank you very much for your help.

[rdearman]

Oddly I'm having a conversation now with a Chinese person who keeps calling me dear. It gives me the impression she is a very old person, but she is probably young. In my experience the very old have a tendency to say "dear" to people. So unless you want people to think you're in your 90's, you should probably avoid it outside of letters.

[allf100]

Oddly I'm having a conversation now with a Chinese person who keeps calling me dear. It gives me the impression she is a very old person, but she is probably young. In my experience the very old have a tendency to say "dear" to people. So unless you want people to think you're in your 90's, you should probably avoid it outside of letters.

Hello rdearman,

Thank you for your advice.

I never call any native speakers of English addressing term of endearment, because I know it is not the culture of English-speaking countries.

If I were her, I would greatly appreciate that you told me this in case I didn't know the usage. If anyone finds I drop a cultural brick, please feel free to let me know.

In Chinese internet slang, it's very common to call every stranger '亲’ which is equival of 'dear', especially in online businesses. Almost every online salesperson would call their customers '亲'. Don't get surprised when you encounter this on some Chinese online business platforms.

Sometimes, I will call salespersons '亲’; and sometimes I don't, but just 你好！ In reality, I don't do so.