Look at the sentences below. All the three sentences given below are verbose.
* I kindly request you to give us an opportunity to offer our services to you.
* Could you please kindly discuss the matter with your colleagues?
* May I kindly request you to meet the director this evening?
The word ‘kindly’ has been used either redundantly or in an old-fashioned manner. Even without the term ‘kindly’ the sentences convey the intended meaning. It seems that most Indian speakers of English are fond of using the word ‘kindly’ whenever they request someone to do something. Is the term used correctly? Is it an outdated term? Does it have a different meaning in modern/standard English? According to Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, the word ‘kindly’ has two meanings. The first meaning is ‘in a kind way’ as in the
example below:
* My aunt has kindly offered to take care of my son during my stay in London next month.
* Dr Edwin Moses has kindly
accepted to be my friend’s PhD
supervisor.
The second meaning is rather old-fashioned or very formal. It is used especially when someone is annoyed with a person but still wants to be polite. For example:
* You are kindly requested to be quiet during the seminar.
* I kindly request you to pay the rent by the fifth of each month.
Though the speaker above sounds polite he is not happy with the person to whom the request is made.
Though ‘kindly’ has gone out of fashion in countries where English is spoken as the first language and is used with a different meaning, in India it is still used with the old meaning. In modern English, the term is used to introduce an ‘authoritative request’ and the person to whom the request is made is expected to comply with it. In other words, it is an order.
In India, it means it is just a request and not an expectation. The word ‘kindly’ also means ‘please’ and is used while making polite requests as in the following examples:
* Kindly talk to your manager and let me know the outcome.
* Kindly don’t park your car in front of the gate n
— rayanal@yahoo.co.uk