今天和大家討論一下寫作：英文信中的落款和用法。
在英文書信裡，落款的寫法大有講究，遠近親疏，各有不同。今天說說幾種常用落款（sign-off）的來源及用法。
Regards
來源
The word regard comes to us from the Old French regarder meaning "to look at."
單詞「regard」源於古法語「regarder」，意為「看，望」。
This definition is still evident in its senses today, which range from "to look upon or think of with a particular feeling" to "respect, esteem, or deference."
其現代詞義從「以特殊感情看待或考慮」到「尊敬、尊重、敬重」，至今「看，望」的定義依然存在。
When used as a valediction, regards is intended to indicate sentiments of esteem or affection, and often follows kind, warm, or best.
「Regards」用作落款時表示尊重或喜愛的感情，前面常跟「kind」、「warm」或「best」。
Some consider variations such as warm regards ideal for conveying a balanced tone of friendly professionalism.
有些人認為其變體如「warm regards」可以完美傳達出一種能平衡友好與專業化的語氣。
▌用法
商務往來或者正式文書。如果你和收信人沒有在現實中打過交道，就用這個。
Cheers
來源
This term gained popularity in British English as a salutation before drinking in the early 1900s, but is now commonly used as a sign-off on both sides of the pond.
這個詞在20世紀初期作為祝酒詞在英式英語中得到普及，但現在通常在英美英語中用作落款。
The word cheer entered English with the sense of "face," reflecting its Latin counterpart with the same meaning, cara.
單詞「cheer」成為英語中的詞彙時意思為「臉」，其在拉丁語中的同義詞為「cara」。
Eventually it took on a metaphorical sense of "mood or mental condition," as reflected in the face, then gave way to senses of "gladness" and "joy."
後來，該詞出現了一種比喻性含義，即「情緒或心理狀況（在臉部體現）」，隨後又變為「愉快」和「欣喜」。
Given the term's mirthful history, this valediction is particularly apropos if the subject matter of your correspondence is celebratory or congratulatory in nature.
由於該詞歷來有高興的含義，因此這一落款尤其適用於通信主題的性質為慶賀時使用。
▌用法
隨和性質。用於朋友。如果你希望看起來平和一點，也可以用於同事，但有不太正式，顯得不專業的風險。
Cordially
來源
When English speakers first started using the term cordially, it carried a more impassioned sense than it does today.
單詞「cordially」最初被使用時，其含義比現在更加富有感情。
Its earlier sense was "with the deepest feeling" or "heartily." This reflects its Latin root word, cor, meaning "heart."
它的早期含義為「最深的情感」或「衷心地」，反映出了其拉丁詞根「cor」（意為「心臟」）的意思。
The word now conveys more of a congenial tone than a sentimental one, but it registers as more formal and old-fashioned than many of the terms on this list, making it a less desirable option for those who want to keep their correspondences breezy.
現在，這個單詞更多地用於表達令人愉快而非傳遞情感，但是，比起這裡所列的其他許多落款來說，該詞顯得更加正式、老派，因此對於想要在通信中營造輕鬆愉快的氛圍的人來說，「cordially」並非合適的選擇。
▌用法
正式。在商務談判場合，當信件話題很嚴肅的時候使用。有時，當你和收件人之間有分歧或者衝突的時候，也可以使用。
Thanks
來源
As a sign-off, this simple expression of gratitude offers a range of interpretations, such as "thanks for your attention and time while reading this e-mail" or "thanks in advance for tending to the request that I outlined in this e-mail."
作為落款，這個簡單的表達有很多的解釋，如「感謝您閱讀這封郵件所花的注意力和時間」或「提前感謝您受理我在本封郵件中概述的要求」。
The earliest sense of the word thank, or panc as it appeared in Old English, was 「thought.」
單詞「thank」或其古英語「panc」最早的含義為「想法」。
Some prefer to liven up this now-ubiquitous sign-off with an exclamation mark (thanks!) or by incorporating it into more effusive expressions such as thanks so much.
有些人喜歡在這個現在尤其普遍的落款後加上感嘆號（thanks!）或者一些更加情緒化的表達如「thanks so much」（非常感謝），讓其更加生動。
▌用法
也有人會用Thank you。Thanks偏隨和，而Thank You偏正式，常用於商務場合。當你給陌生人寫信，尤其是請求協助，提出要求或者詢問事項時，Thank You是收尾的好選擇
Sincerely
來源
The earliest definition of sincere is "free of falseness."
「Sincere」最早的定義是「真實」。
It comes from the Latin sincerus meaning "clean, pure, untainted."
它來源於拉丁詞「sincerus」，意為「乾淨、純潔、無瑕」。
the Latin sincerus meaning "clean, pure, untainted." The adverbial form sincerely appeared as a valediction in letters starting around 1700, and is still used as a sign-off with a sense of "in earnest" or "genuinely."
大約從1700年起，其副詞形式「sincerely」開始作為落款出現在信件中並沿用至今，意思為「誠摯地」或「真誠地」。
Some suggest that this salutation is best suited for letters, not e-mails, due to its formal tone.
由於此詞語氣正式，一些人認為它最適用於信件而非電子郵件。
▌用法
日常交往，商務往來或者正式文書都可以使用，是標準的結尾方式。
Sincerely是最為通用的形式，無論日常和正式通信都可以使用。如果不確定怎麼結尾署名，就用sincerely吧。
Best
來源
This succinct sign-off appears to be a shortening of a range of superlative expressions, including "all the best," "best wishes," and "my best," all of which are expressions of goodwill.
這個簡潔的落款是一系列祝詞的縮寫，其中包括「all the best」（一切順利）、「best wishes」（最美好的祝福）和「my best」（我最好的祝福），均表達善意。
The word best shares an Old English root with the word boot, which meant "good" when it entered English.
「Best」一詞與「boot」的古英語詞根相同，而「boot」成為英語詞彙時意為「好」。
Some consider best to be an abrupt and impersonal way to end a correspondence, but others enjoy its brevity and upbeat tone.
一些人認為「best」用於信件結尾有些生硬、缺乏人情味，但是其他人則喜歡其簡潔上揚的語調。
▌用法
日常交往或者商務場合都可以用，是一種禮貌的方式。對朋友和陌生人都可以用。
Yours
來源
Variations on yours and yours truly have been favored valedictions among writers such as Charles Dickens, who signed letters to acquaintances "heartily yours" and "faithfully yours," and Jane Austen, who famously ended letters between characters in Pride and Prejudice with "Yours, etc."
「Yours」和「Yours truly」的變體是作家們偏愛的落款，例如，查爾斯·狄更斯在寫給熟人的信件中落款就是「heartily yours」和「faithfully yours」，簡·奧斯丁則以《傲慢與偏見》中各人物的通信信件以「Yours, etc.」結尾而出名。
Yours connotes a level of devotion that might come off as too intimate for work-related correspondences, but lends itself to a range of fun possibilities for pairing with adverbs in personal contexts.
「Yours」暗含一層摯愛的意思，因此對於工作相關的信件，這個落款可能太過親密，但是在私人信件中，「Yours」可以加上各種副詞，使其充滿各種樂趣。
▌用法
日常交往或者商務場合都可以用，雖然有一點點隨意，但還是一種禮貌的方式。一般用於你之前見過面的對象。
Respectfully
來源
Respectfully connotes a level of esteem for the recipient of the correspondence.
「Respectfully」有對收信人表示尊重的意思。
The base word, respect, comes from the Latin respectus, which translates literally to "action of looking back."
其詞根「respect」來源於拉丁詞「respectus」，從字面上翻譯為「回望」。
In less formal correspondences, pairing this term with yours in constructions such as yours respectfully can have the effect of personalizing and softening the formal tone that the word evokes on its own.
在沒有那么正式的信件中，將此詞與「yours」放在一起，如「yours respectfully」能產生私人化的效果，弱化該詞本身的正式語氣。
用法
Yours respectfully在較不正式的信件裡使用，可以拉近與收信人之間的私人關係。
另外，在商業信函裡，可根據對收信人的熟悉程度來使用相應的落款：
當不知道具體的收信人姓名時：
Dear Sir … Yours faithfully
Dear Madam … Yours faithfully
Dear Sir or Madam … Yours faithfully
當知道收信人的姓名時：
Dear Mr Hanson … Yours sincerely
Dear Mrs Hanson … Yours sincerely
Dear Miss Hanson … Yours sincerely
Dear Ms Hanson … Yours sincerely
對整個部門寫郵件時：
Dear Sirs … Yours faithfully
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