Mind fog &amp; grammar question - is it sororally or fraternally?

Original post by mysticalfluffy

If I write to a brother, and sign off, is it "sororally" or "fraternally"? Is sororally just to be used from sister to sister, or can it be used from sister to brother? Or is fraternally the one to use when it is sisters and brothers?

Both of those are pretty formal, so they usually wouldn't be used at all if you're writing to a family member.

Soro is female and Frater is male, like sorority (girls club) or fraternity (boys club)
Phoenix is right though it is a bit formal for a family member

Reply 3

OP

I know Soro is female and Frater is male. My question is: could sororally be used from a sister to a brother? Or if siblings are male and female, does fraternally get used instead? I'm not talking about family members are such - imagine I am talking about a nun writing to a monk.

Original post by CoolCavy

Soro is female and Frater is male, like sorority (girls club) or fraternity (boys club)
Phoenix is right though it is a bit formal for a family member

Original post by mysticalfluffy

I know Soro is female and Frater is male. My question is: could sororally be used from a sister to a brother? Or if siblings are male and female, does fraternally get used instead? I'm not talking about family members are such - imagine I am talking about a nun writing to a monk.

Why not just say yours sincerely or yours faithfully :dontknow:

Reply 5

OP

Original post by CoolCavy

Why not just say yours sincerely or yours faithfully :dontknow:

Care Frater CoolCavy,

Don't question the context please - just after a question regarding what is grammatically correct.

Sororally (or fraternally - given I am writing to a Frater?!) Mysticalfluffy

Reply 6

Original post by mysticalfluffy

I know Soro is female and Frater is male. My question is: could sororally be used from a sister to a brother? Or if siblings are male and female, does fraternally get used instead? I'm not talking about family members are such - imagine I am talking about a nun writing to a monk.

'Fraternally' and 'sororally' are very rarely used as letter sign-offs, at least in the UK. If we're talking about the meaning, neither word is likely to be used between a female and a male, only males to males or females to females. As CoolCavy says, sincerely and faithfully are much more common and more widely accepted. If you signed off with fraternally/sororally, I think a lot of people would be confused, as they would be expecting a more recognised ending to a letter.

Reply 7

the bear

you do not need to mention your relationship to the family member; presumably they are already aware ?

:dontknow:

Reply 8

OP

I know - I am English. But this is a different context. Imagine this is a nun writing to a monk.

Original post by PhoenixFortune

'Fraternally' and 'sororally' are very rarely used as letter sign-offs, at least in the UK. If we're talking about the meaning, neither word is likely to be used between a female and a male, only males to males or females to females. As CoolCavy says, sincerely and faithfully are much more common and more widely accepted. If you signed off with fraternally/sororally, I think a lot of people would be confused, as they would be expecting a more recognised ending to a letter.

Reply 9

Original post by mysticalfluffy

I know - I am English. But this is a different context. Imagine this is a nun writing to a monk.

Tbh, they would probably sign off with something like "Venerably", as this shows respect without gendering the sign-off, or they may use a religious sign-off like "With blessings" or "May the Lord be with you".

If it has to specifically be from a nun to a monk, maybe contact your local nunnery or monastery and ask?

Reply 10

OP

It is in a religious context and I know the men sign off fraternally. I don't want to go too into detail on here, I just need to know whether it's grammatically correct to sign off sororally if you're a woman writing to a man.

Original post by PhoenixFortune

Tbh, they would probably sign off with something like "Venerably", as this shows respect without gendering the sign-off, or they may use a religious sign-off like "With blessings" or "May the Lord be with you".

If it has to specifically be from a nun to a monk, maybe contact your local nunnery or monastery and ask?

Reply 11

Original post by mysticalfluffy

It is in a religious context and I know the men sign off fraternally. I don't want to go too into detail on here, I just need to know whether it's grammatically correct to sign off sororally if you're a woman writing to a man.

I wouldn't say that sororally is semantically correct, no. As I said, 'venerably' would fit better.

Reply 12

OP

The monks sign off fraternally and it is said you should sign off fraternally. I wondered whether nuns should sign off sororally.

Original post by PhoenixFortune

I wouldn't say that sororally is semantically correct, no. As I said, 'venerably' would fit better.

Reply 13

OP

Can anyone answer? Sororally from soror to frater, or fraternally from soror to frater?

Reply 14

SJMIII

1

(1 of 3)
I understand your frustration, as you did not receive a direct answer, but rather a number of suggested alternatives, even though you made it quite clear you were not seeking alternatives. It was as if you had asked if anyone knew how to solve an equation and received answers akin to 'Why are you bothering with this equation? Just use one of these alternative equations.' If you had done so, the professor would not have approved and you would have earned an F. :smile:

¶ So, here is my answer (obviously based on my understanding of etymological constructs and accepted usage, which is open to correction):

¶ Consider the relationship and differences between frater, fraternal, and fraternally. Root words do not always tell the full story and give you the proper roadmap. We have to consider historical context, especially since Latin is a dead language.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 15

SJMIII

1

Original post by mysticalfluffy

Can anyone answer? Sororally from soror to frater, or fraternally from soror to frater?

(2 of 3)
Frater is male only and should be considered as such, as no female member of a given society would consider her soror to be a frater. Fraternal is not gender-specific, as a "fraternal society" often includes both genders (e.g., The Fraternal Order of...). Given the latter meaning and usage, fraternally can be and often is used when writing to both male and female members of the same society/organization. Therefore, it encompasses both genders.

¶ Sororally is another matter. It is, of course, perfectly proper to use it when writing to other members of a female-only society or female members of a gender-nonspecific society/organization, but I would not use it when writing to a male member of a society/organization which has members of both genders. As far as I know, there are no sororal societies/organizations with members of both genders, unlike fraternal societies/organizations. These distinctions between the historical usages of fraternal and sororal inform our usages of fraternally and sororally.

Reply 16

SJMIII

1

Original post by mysticalfluffy

Can anyone answer? Sororally from soror to frater, or fraternally from soror to frater?

(3 of 3)
I am a member of a Greek-letter, male-only fraternity, which is different from a Greek-letter, gender-neutral academic society such as Phi Beta Kappa or a professional society. I just wrote a letter of condolence to members of a Greek-letter sorority (notice I did not write 'Greek-letter, female-only' since Greek-letter sororities never include males). I considered several options to conclude the letter. One of those options was "Fraternally yours", but since our respective organizations are gender-specific, that valediction/complimentary close would not have seemed appropriate. In your case, since your organization has both male and female members, you could use "Fraternally", but I would not use "Sororally" for the aforementioned reasons.

***

Note:
(1) Since you posted your questions two years ago, I hope this helps with future written communication.
(2) As an American, I use 'different from' instead of 'different to'.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 17

username5050312