A couple of years ago, a few of my students started to send me emails with the salutation, 'Hi Bob.'* Now they all do it. In fact, this form of greeting seems to be nearly ubiquitous; I received a note just now from the controller in the business office that began 'Hi Bob.'
I think it should be, 'Hi, Bob' or 'Hi, Mom,' or 'Hi, Senator Wyden,' and so on, just as it should be (and is) 'Hello, Dolly,' and not 'Hello Dolly.' But as a grammarian, I no doubt am, as Lawrence would say, over age in grade. Confirmation or disconfirmation of my misgivings about missing commas would be welcome.
Robert Paul, full of misgivings and other stuff _________________________*Some time back, Phil and I had an exchange over whether or not one's students addressing one by one's first name showed a lack of respect and that, moreover, such familiarity would lead to their learning less because one learns best from a stern authority figure, such as Professor Ritchie.
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