Yo!

I’m all for informality with friends, but I confess to preferring a more mannered form of language in professional situations. Thus, I find it annoying when people say or write “Hey” or “Yo” or similar expressions in work environments.

I once had a student who sent me an email that started with “Yo chick!” After I saw that, he lost any respect I had for him (which wasn’t much anyway, as he had evidenced odd and unsuitable behavior at earlier times as well). Of course, I turned it into a teaching opportunity and we discussed appropriate, polite salutations, but I still couldn’t help but feel that a person who doesn’t understand why addressing a message to his or her teacher as “Dear Mr./Ms. X” is more appropriate than than “Yo chick” is not going to make a good impression on the professional world.

Yo, do you get what I’m saying?
--Curly