Why is ‘Dear’ going out of fashion – or down the plughole – as a way of addressing one another in email correspondence? We say ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’ or ‘Hey’ or just ‘Trevor’ or ‘Tallulah’. This column in the Wall Street Journal looks into the matter. And you will see from it that there are contrasting emphases with respect to the use of ‘Dear’. On the one hand, it’s a formal mode of address and email an informal medium. On the other hand, ‘Dear’ seems a bit intimate with people you don’t know.
Here’s a hypothesis making combined reference to the formal and informal properties of the salutation. While ‘Dear’ is indeed standard in business, professional and other types of official communication, in conversation ‘Dear Trevor’ or ‘Dear Tallulah’, when used without irony, is an expression of affection. And much email communication, being off-the-cuff, brief and/or quick, seems to us like conversation. So even though we’re aware of its formal mode, ‘Dear’ can feel out of place when addressed to another who would think it inappropriate if actually spoken.