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From: jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Re: Letter Salutations
Message-ID: <2590@mit-hermes.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 22-Mar-86 18:32:52 EST
Article-I.D.: mit-herm.2590
Posted: Sat Mar 22 18:32:52 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Mar-86 02:27:59 EST
References: <286@spp3.UUCP> <715@osiris.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: The MIT AI Lab, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 19

> > As long as we're talking about non-sexist language, are there any
> > suggestions on how to open a letter to someone whose gender you
> > don't know?  I became curious while sending out resumes and finding
> 
> > Dear Mr. Smith:
> > Dear Ms. Smith:

[Open the letter by putting your finger under the flap and tearing across....]

How about "To whom it may concern"? But that implies that you don't know a
last name. Same goes for the form favored in Britain: "Dear Sir or Madam,"
("will you read my book, it took me years to write, etc")

If you have a context that you know them in, you could use that. The
organization that I go canoeing with often addresses its members as 
"Dear Paddlers". Thus "Dear Applicant", "Dear Students", etc???

Best stick with "Dear Mr/Ms Smith". If you want to shock them, say 
"Dear Ms/Mr Smith" instead.