"please contact myself..." bit of a pedant's corner one...

[thereisfreedomwithin]

I am not guiltless of typos and spelling mistakes but just now we seem to have an outburst of "myselfitis" at work (solicitors)

Every new instruction is confirmed with a note to the client saying "if you have any question please contact myself".

To me, it needs correcting. It reduces our credibility AIBU? I always stop the trainees/paralegals from using it (simply pointing out that they will never read any judge using it in a judgment seems to cure them) but this is our adminstrator/client care team.

I have been told off before about my insistence on addressing clients as "Dear X" rather than "Hi X". That's my reason to hesitate.

That just sounds wrong serendippitty, op I have to put myself first otherwise it looks like I'm trying to push others in front of me and I should be last on the list of who they contact IYKWIM.

@alladinzane estate agents: that’s just what I was about to say! Also recruitment consultants.

It’s awful and the writer usually has in their head that it makes them sound more intelligent, or that it strikes a more formal tone when it’s written down. Both wrong.

I won’t engage with anyone who uses myself. Even in posts on here.

YABU if the people writing this or saying it are Irish, since this is normal in Hiberno-English. That said you are perfectly reasonable to expect a certain standardised professional written language in an office and you should feel free to make your expectations clear in this regard. Policing how people speak is a different matter.

I found a short snippet of an interview on this website with a Brian Ó Broin who teaches English over the pond , where he explains that the usage of reflexive pronouns in Hiberno-English comes from the Irish language, a sort of translation if you will, of an Irish phrase. So let it go and let the Irish have the language they way it's evolved there. Sure the English do nothing but mangle the language themselves. I personally absolutely hate the intrusive R in (some) English English. Vanillar essence. Wingardium Leviosar. Fucking awful. But I say nothing.

Ugh I hate this! I’m very relaxed about spelling and grammar and can’t get too het up about it often but use of ‘myself’ irritates me and also people saying ‘s/he’s prejudice’. IT’S PREJUDICED. You can have prejudice, but you ARE prejudiced. I see it so often I could scream!

People who misuse 'myself' in that way will be first up against the wall when my pedantic revolution comes

Gawd, I was thinking my desire to lock people up for misuse of reflexive pronouns was a bit strong, I'm a pussycat in the pedantry arena compared to some.

It fair boils my piss though.

@banivani Northern Irish voice and accent coach here. “wingardium leviosa” on it’s own isn’t an example of the intrusive R - it would only be so in the sentence (for example) “Wingardium Leviosa(r) is a spell featuring in the Harry Potter books”.

And the use of the reflexive pronoun in the context people are complaining about on this thread is distinguishable from the Irish use, where an example might be “Sure, herself is always moaning about something or other”. I’ve only ever heard this used by people with English accents - and it’s just not correct.

So Ianbu piglet?

Yep, I wouldn't hire your firm entirely on this basis. It would put me off totally - it sounds utterly uneducated and incorrect.

Just ... why? Surely 'me' not only is correct but sounds correct??
Plus the quasi formalness of it all is one step away from calling someone 'm'lady'

I had an email following a phone chat saying “ if you engage myself to work for yourself”

Fuck off sunshine. You’ve got two hopes of that.

@Piglet89 Look I don't know, I'm happy I've learnt the word for that annoying extra R. It wouldn't surprise me if it's popping up at the end of phrases too like the annoying fecker it is, but I will admit I've assumed it's in the spell because otherwise there was nothing wrong with Ron's pronunciation and I never understood the scene.

And I too think that the OP:s examples, if verbatim, are not examples of a standard Irish use of reflexive pronouns, and thus probably not from Irish speakers. Hence my phrasing "if they are Irish". If they are Irish they will most likely actually be using it correctly and there is always a chance/risk that the OP wasn't quoting verbatim. Mostly I just wanted to get a foot in and defend reasonable use of reflexive pronouns in regional dialects and accents. The other day I missed out on defending the NI "wee" and it irks me. (not myself, so [sic] to that one)

In a recent email to my LM, I made a daft typo (which I never do!) and I told him that I'm going to have to resign out of sheer embarrassment. 🤦‍♀️

Poor a pedant, your own opening sentence ("I am not guiltless of typos...") is rather awkwardly constructed, with a messy double-negative.

I’d probably put “Please contact me; alternatively you could contact Dave, Fiona or Peter”.

Banivani: the rule on the intrusive r is that it is a pronunciation of an r at the end of the word where there is no r in the spelling of the word, IF that word is followed by another word beginning with a vowel sound.

So, for example:

Lynda(r) is drawing India(r) and China(r) in the sunshine.

There might even be an intraword intrusive r in this sentence - in the word “draw(r)ing”.

@thereisfreedomwithin nope - not being unreasonable in my view.