Whom am I speaking to?

A simple observation about communication:Home-Phone

When introducing ourselves in person, we tend to use the phrase “My name is ________” or “I’m __________”.

When introducing ourselves on the phone, we tend to opt for “This is ________” or “__________ here”.

Why the change?

How do you answer the phone?

How do you introduce yourself in person?

4 Comments

  1. “whom and I speaking to?”
    But then, you are doing the speaking so this may be moot.

  2. conalldempsey says:

    Thanks AM, correction noted!

  3. Were ‘This is _________’ and ‘________ speaking’ some of the original greetings on telephones? Cause if so, perhaps they are different because using a telephone was so revolutionarily different when they first came out?

  4. conalldempsey says:

    K –

    I don’t know if those were the original greetings, but if so, it would beg the question, ‘why?’ even more so, since there would have been no precedent for that phrase.

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