Date: Thu, 24 Nov 1994 11:20:05 -0400

From: "Becky Howard, Department of Interdisciplinary Writing,

Colgate University" BHOWARD[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CENTER.COLGATE.EDU

Subject: Hope this helps



I'm increasingly fascinated with the E-mail complimentary close, "Hope this

helps," followed by the sender's name. I see this much more frequently in

discussion groups rather than in personal E-mail. ThHope this helps" replaces

the "Sincerely" of hard-copy mail. I'm simply curious about the genesis of

this electronic equivalent of "Have a nice day." "Hope this helps" seems to

refer more to the sender than the receiver or the topic; "Hope this helps"

seems to translate as "I'm eager to be agreeable." When I've used it, anyhow,

that has been the closest translation.



Where--and when--did "Hope this helps" appear? And WHY? Do the members of

this list see this in their discussion groups, or is it specific to the

electonic discourse of my discipline, composition studies?



Becky Howard

Department of Interdisciplinary Writing

Colgate University

Hamilton, New York 13346

Phone (315) 824-7315 (O); (315) 691-5116 (H)

FAX (315) 824-7121

BHOWARD[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CENTER.COLGATE.EDU