Would you start an email with "Afternoon, "

[Bootsie]

Would you start an email with "Afternoon,    Apologies.  I can't make our meeting today..." ?  Would it matter if it was in a professional setting?  Would it matter if you know the persons name?  

DH are having a discussion about the use of a simple "Afternoon,  "  rather than a "Good afternoon," both in writing and in speaking--whether it is common or not.  

[Ditto]

Only if the person's name was "Afternoon".  So I voted "other".

[Drama Llama]

25 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

Would you start an email with "Afternoon,    Apologies.  I can't make our meeting today..." ?  Would it matter if it was in a professional setting?  Would it matter if you know the persons name?  

DH are having a discussion about the use of a simple "Afternoon,  "  rather than a "Good afternoon," both in writing and in speaking--whether it is common or not.  

I wouldn't, but I wouldn't blink an eye if someone else did.  It's just not a thing I'm in the habit of writing.  

[lulalu]

It just sounds like a quickly typed email without the good first. 

When I write emails I would add a good first, but I don't expect others to do the same. Emailing has become very sloppy writing. 

[SKL]

I voted "other" because I think this is cultural, but it's not my culture.  If I see someone else doing it, it does not bother me.  I would just think they were trying to sound friendly.

When I send a work email, I prefer to be more professional, but sometimes I find myself revising a very informal phrase that reflects the way I actually feel.  (Like the way I type on this forum.)  For example, I have caught myself starting a work email with "hello" or "hi," but then I change it to the name of the person/people I am addressing.

[AmandaVT]

It would not be something I'd say, because it wouldn't sound like my voice, but it wouldn't bother me if someone else did. 

[Guest]

No, I would never say that. I seem to be the lone soul who finds that abrupt and....maybe not rude, per se, but overly familiar. 

In a professional context, I use a formal tone nearly always. 

ETA: In a professional context, I would say something like, 

“Ms. Johnson, please accept my apologies; I am not able to meet with you today. Would Thursday work for you instead? Please let me know. Thank you.” 

In a more familiar context, I would say this,

”Sharon, I’m sorry; I will not be able to make it to scout parents tonight. Something has come up. If we can chat on Thursday, you can fill me in on the vote on the beaver dam project. Talk to you soon.” 

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Quill

[Junie]

I wasn't sure how to vote. 

There are a variety of business settings.  I would find it ok among co-workers, but unprofessional if this was sending the email "out" or higher up the chain of command.

If this is someone who answers the phone, "Afternoon.  This is Jack."  then I would hear that tone in his email.

[Bootsie]

24 minutes ago, Quill said:

No, I would never say that. I seem to be the lone soul who finds that abrupt and....maybe not rude, per se, but overly familiar. 

In a professional context, I use a formal tone nearly always. 

ETA: In a professional context, I would say something like, 

“Ms. Johnson, please accept my apologies; I am not able to meet with you today. Would Thursday work for you instead? Please let me know. Thank you.” 

In a more familiar context, I would say this,

”Sharon, I’m sorry; I will not be able to make it to scout parents tonight. Something has come up. If we can chat on Thursday, you can fill me in on the vote on the beaver dam project. Talk to you soon.” 

 

It sounds abrupt to me.  I know it is afternoon.  Stating a time of day is not a greeting to me.  To me it sounds a bit snarky--like someone doesn't want to really wish me a "good afternoon"   I am left thinking whether the sender thinks it is a rotten day and can't bring herself to say Good Afternoon.  

[almondbutterandjelly]

It wouldn't bother me.  I would think that the person who sent it was an engineer-type and perhaps they considered "Good Afternoon, " but that would be incorrect since it hadn't been good, so they settled on "Afternoon."

 

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

It sounds abrupt to me.  I know it is afternoon.  Stating a time of day is not a greeting to me.  To me it sounds a bit snarky--like someone doesn't want to really wish me a "good afternoon"   I am left thinking whether the sender thinks it is a rotten day and can't bring herself to say Good Afternoon.  

Maybe. To me, it feels more like they don’t want to own responsibility for not making the meeting so they are being too brief and casual. 

Personally, I am not a big fan of “apologies” as a supposed stand-in for a true apology. So the more rude aspect to me is not “afternoon,” but “apologies.” 

 

[katilac]

It would be noticeably weird to me, because I've never heard anyone say "afternoon" by itself, much less write it. I voted rude and abrupt, but in reality (if it were the first time), I'd probably just think they left off a word. 

[prairiewindmomma]

If I was walking into the feed store to buy a salt lick for my cattle in the town I grew up in, I would say, “Afternoon, Fred. Can you fetch me a salt block from out back? Is your aunt still workin’ down at the restaurant?” The town is small enough that it is “the restaurant” and I am 4th cousins with Fred and most of the rest of town. I twang to fit in back home so I’m not deemed that uppity &!7@! who moved away to the city. That’s about the only time I would do it. 
 

 

 

[Bootsie]

1 hour ago, Junie said:

I wasn't sure how to vote. 

There are a variety of business settings.  I would find it ok among co-workers, but unprofessional if this was sending the email "out" or higher up the chain of command.

If this is someone who answers the phone, "Afternoon.  This is Jack."  then I would hear that tone in his email.

Do you know people who answer the phone like this?  DH says he does--and says people say it greeting each other in person.  I hear goo-afternoon--sort of slurring the good into afternoon, but just simply "afternoon" sounds so odd to me.  I wonder if that is a region thing.

 

 

[Bootsie]

1 hour ago, perky said:

It wouldn't bother me.  I would think that the person who sent it was an engineer-type and perhaps they considered "Good Afternoon, " but that would be incorrect since it hadn't been good, so they settled on "Afternoon."

 

Interestingly, it was from a person in the writing/publishing industry, sending it to a potential client about a meeting a regarding deal that would be worth over $20,000 to the company.  

[Junie]

24 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

Do you know people who answer the phone like this?  DH says he does--and says people say it greeting each other in person.  I hear goo-afternoon--sort of slurring the good into afternoon, but just simply "afternoon" sounds so odd to me.  I wonder if that is a region thing.

 

 

Not personally, but I think I've heard it in movies. 😉

[Melissa in Australia]

Well I might start an email with G'Day

Edited December 24, 2020 by Melissa in Australia

[gardenmom5]

No.   I would expect it to be the start of a scam email.

[RootAnn]

2 hours ago, perky said:

It wouldn't bother me.  I would think that the person who sent it was an engineer-type and perhaps they considered "Good Afternoon, " but that would be incorrect since it hadn't been good, so they settled on "Afternoon."

Oooh! Me! I'm the engineer-type who might do this, especially if in a hurry  (obviously since I can't make this meeting). Except I'd likely say, "Afraid I can't make our meeting." Or "Can't make the meeting..." If I was going for parallelisms

[Jean in Newcastle]

I would wonder if the person was a native English speaker.  I have never heard of "Afternoon" as a greeting without the "Good" preceding it. 

[iamonlyone]

1 hour ago, Bootsie said:

Interestingly, it was from a person in the writing/publishing industry, sending it to a potential client about a meeting a regarding deal that would be worth over $20,000 to the company.  

Oh, wow. No, I don't think that was a deal-winning response.

[hippymamato3]

2 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

If I was walking into the feed store to buy a salt lick for my cattle in the town I grew up in, I would say, “Afternoon, Fred. Can you fetch me a salt block from out back? Is your aunt still workin’ down at the restaurant?” The town is small enough that it is “the restaurant” and I am 4th cousins with Fred and most of the rest of town. I twang to fit in back home so I’m not deemed that uppity &!7@! who moved away to the city. That’s about the only time I would do it. 
 

 

 

This is exactly the way I read it!

[BeachGal]

The ranchers and farmers where I grew up would say that. And then tip their hat or nod. Mornin’ and howdy were other greetings. My guess is that it’s regional.

[marbel]

I think it sounds a little odd, but also wonder if English is a second language for the writer.  

I have heard and said greetings such as "Morning, folks, happy Monday!" when I log into zoom and say hello to my coworkers. I can hear "Afternoon, Ma'am" with a cowboy twang, maybe from a movie as someone else  said. "Evenin', folks" seems like something from the Andy Griffith show.

So it wouldn't bother me in any context, even business, even for a large $$ value deal. Seems a minor thing to me. 

[HS Mom in NC]

I've never seen emails starting with a reference to the time of day. I've not been part of the business world, but professionals have sent me emails from their companies as professionals.  I can't think of any time I've personally heard someone IRL use afternoon or good afternoon.  People just say hello or hi.  On rare occasions I've heard people say," Good morning. " but they were all school teachers starting a class or pastors greeting a congregation.

I wouldn't be bothered at all getting an email that started that way, I'd just assume the person sending it wasn't a native American English speaker.

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I would wonder if the person was a native English speaker.  I have never heard of "Afternoon" as a greeting without the "Good" preceding it. 

I hear it in the UK. 'Morning' is even more common as a  spoken greeting.

[Jean in Newcastle]

1 minute ago, Laura Corin said:

I hear it in the UK. 'Morning' is even more common as a  spoken greeting.

I should have said that I haven't seen it in writing.  In spoken informal speech, I have heard people leaving off the "good" as I assume that it is implied in that sense.  But in written communication, I haven't seen it.  (Of course my personal experience isn't exhaustive!)

[teachermom2834]

I don’t think I’ve heard that but I’ve definitely heard “Morning” as a casual greeting and I think I’ve even said it. Like  if I had my dog out in the morning and a neighbor I didn’t know was walking or jogging. I might say “Morning”. I don’t know why. It’s weird when I think about it 😂

So “afternoon” would follow but I wouldn’t  think it professional. More like what the bagger at Publix might say to me as I checked out. But I do think it is not something I would expect professionally. 

[Farrar]

It seems mildly informal, but as someone mentioned above, some workplaces are pretty informal. It wouldn't be my style and it does seem slightly... off? to me... In the example above, someone referenced the setting where they imagine it being said is a feed store and I was like, yeah, because in my head it sounds like a cowboy is talking or something. So it seems a bit odd, I guess. But whatever. I'd be way more annoyed by the person reading into it that it's "rude" than anyone using it. 

[Shoeless]

I don't think it's rude, but I'm not sure it's exactly polite, either. 

[Ausmumof3]

Morning is very common as a greeting without the good in front of it here.  Afternoon is used occasionally not less often.  It’s said in a certain tone of voice that implies it’s being used as a greeting not because you want to discuss the time of the day.  I may potentially use it but I wouldn’t probably use it if I was unable to make a meeting I’d be more apologetic and thus more polite.  I tend to be a bit over formal in business contexts though.  

[Wheres Toto]

13 hours ago, Bootsie said:

Interestingly, it was from a person in the writing/publishing industry, sending it to a potential client about a meeting a regarding deal that would be worth over $20,000 to the company.  

The whole email seems way too casual for this situation.  

I do say/type just "Morning!" or "Afternoon!" in a casual setting.  I do it on here. 🙂   In the Ignore this Thread thread, I usually start my posts "Morning!" but if I'm running late, I will start with "Afternoon!".   Afternoon doesn't seem as normal so I actually do it kind of tongue in cheek there.   It's definitely meant in a light-hearted, relaxed kind of way, just like "Morning!".    

If I'm writing a text or email to parents, I would write out "Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon", but probably say "Morning!" or "Afternoon!" in person.   In fact, I usually say "Morning!", then correct myself "or rather Afternoon!" because I never seem to know what time it is.  

ETA:  Realized this makes more sense if you know I teach classes to homeschoolers and that's the context for "parents".  

Edited December 24, 2020 by Wheres Toto

[Sherry in OH]

It reads like a text message to a friend or colleague.

I would expect emails to clients to approximate the formality of business letters.