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Is it the following correct to say?

May I kindly request ..."

As when calling a celebrity onstage during an event
Would it not be better to say,

May I request so and so to kindly come ...

Mari-Lou A
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Sutta
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  • the two sentences are different – JMP Feb 13 '15 at 12:34
  • If you want to express humility, why not use "humbly request..."? Also, you might be interested in our sister site, [ELL.SE]. – Dan Bron Feb 13 '15 at 12:44
  • If you're worried about the fact that 'kindly' here doesn't seem to be doing duty as a central adverb, and obviously doesn't carry the 'May I be so kind as to request ...' meaning in this sentence, I can understand your concern. It's a correct usage though, and 'kindly' is replaceable by 'please' in this position in a sentence (though 'please' is more mobile in a sentence). In fact, I'd say that this is a politeness marker (pol. mkrs. constituting a subset of pragmatic markers) usage rather than an adverbial one. I wouldn't even use the term 'adverb', but that's obviously the traditional term. – Edwin Ashworth Feb 13 '15 at 12:57
  • @jon mark perry..the two do appear dissimilar but is the usage in the first sentence correct? – Sutta Feb 13 '15 at 13:00
  • i guess so - in the 1st case you are being humble, in the 2nd you are asking the a-lister to be humble. – JMP Feb 13 '15 at 13:01
  • Your second example probably conflates the adverbial usage with the marking for politeness. To see the difference more clearly, contrast: 'Would you kindly speak to the woman who is in tears over there' and 'Would you speak kindly to the woman who is in tears over there'. (Add question marks if you want these as questions rather than polite requests.) – Edwin Ashworth Feb 13 '15 at 13:05
  • @edwin ashworth,as a pol.mkrs.,the first sentence seems correct in usage.As for what you have later commented that indicates another, quite different point-not quite my concern – Sutta Feb 13 '15 at 13:34
  • @Sutta I was explaining the difference between the politeness marker and the [central] adverbial usages, and indicating that your second sentence seems to manifest a gradience aspect of 'kindly'. Highly relevant in my opinion. – Edwin Ashworth Feb 13 '15 at 14:11
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    The 'please' sense of 'kindly' is well attested: kindly please (often used to express impatience or formality): will you kindly behave yourself!.][Collins]. That doesn't make it always the optimal choice. – Edwin Ashworth Feb 13 '15 at 14:17

3 Answers3

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This advice is primarily for learners of English:

Avoid "kindly" like the plague if you're trying to be nice. It often causes offence, is easily misinterpreted and is rarely used to be kind. Most often it is used to give the speaker some sense of authority or self-importance. However, if ones feeling of pompousness overwhelms one to such a degree that it cannot be avoided, always use it with the word please at the end of the sentence. If someone can't be bothered to do both, they shouldn't pretend they're trying to be nice.

Hope this is helpful!

Araucaria - Him
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"May I kindly request so and so to come ..." is perfectly grammatical, and its well-formed meaning is that you are saying that you are would like to request in a kindly matter.

Your alternative "May I request so and so to kindly come ..." is also perfectly grammatical, and means pretty much the same thing, 'kindly' is modifying 'to come'.

The implication is that in either case someone should be kind.

The same impression one gets from both these requests is extra supplication on top of the phatic, misdirected, 'May I'. Extra politeness on top of politeness.

In current US culture, such extra politeness is almost too much. 'Kindly', though it sounds perfectly fine, is just not used that much in these situations. The idiomatic US English would just be "Could you come with me..." or "Please come with me..."

Mitch
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  • I agree with your first sentence (with the caveat that it's in a rather dated / highfalutin-sounding register), but I haven't found a reference work / article to support this view. Might I kindly ask you to do so? – Edwin Ashworth Feb 13 '15 at 15:38
  • @EdwinAshworth 'kindly' is an adverb, and needs no 'kindly' specific reference to explain the ... hey! I see what you did there. Good one! Wait...do you really want a reference for how to use adverbs and what that means? – Mitch Feb 13 '15 at 15:56
  • In the polite request (so no question mark needed) 'Might I kindly request you to leave', there are three hedging devices. The use of 'might', the use of 'kindly' and the use of 'request'. Contrast 'Leave!' This use of 'kindly' does not mean 'Is it possible or impossible for me to ask you, [in a sympathetic way], to leave' (sorry if that's the meaning you intend above – a disambiguation is needed as it's unclear). The pragmatic usage is included at CDO (You are kindly requested to leave the building.). I've just found this. – Edwin Ashworth Feb 13 '15 at 16:13
  • @EdwinAshworth You should add that as a better answer. – Mitch Feb 13 '15 at 16:17
  • I've close-voted as a duplicate of another question. There is also 'Part of speech for “please” followed by a verb'. Interestingly, though, in [this] OP's example 'May I request so and so to kindly come ...', 'kindly' does seem to fulfil both the verb-modifying role and the pragmatic (making the appeal appealing) role; I don't think any examples in the previous threads show this gradience. – Edwin Ashworth Feb 13 '15 at 16:27
  • @edwin ashworth after all the comments,the first sentence does still seem to have an ambiguous kindlyas it points to the speaker rather than the guest – Sutta Feb 16 '15 at 08:52
  • English is not always well behaved. In It is a fake diamond, which diamond is fake 'pointing to'? In 'May I kindly request ...', pragmatics decrees that the 'please' sense rather than the 'in a kind manner' (which would be ridiculous here in most contexts) sense be assumed. 'Please' would be the more usual choice here nowadays. May I request so and so to kindly come ... both sweetens the request (by connotation) and flatters (in anticipation) the person requested to come (by denotation). Double strength hedging in a single word! – Edwin Ashworth Feb 16 '15 at 13:33
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When calling someone on to a stage at a formal event it seems more appropriate to use language that is direct and engaging, like : I would now like to request that x to come to the stage. No need for crafted niceties that will give an empty sense of politeness. But it's perfectly reasonable to add some adjectives before the person's name that will show them some sincere honor.

Dylan
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