Why is the phrase ご連絡申しあげます linguistially correct?

Question

^{I assume ご連絡申しあげます and ご連絡を申しあげます have the same meaning, but differ in style. I use them interchangeably below. This question is not about existence of を unless it was relevant to understanding the phrase.}

Having received an email ending with announcement of future contact in the form of 「ご連絡を申し上げます」 I am wondering how this phrase is built up, so that it is accepted.

My main point of confusion is using the verb 申し上げる a humble form of "to talk", "to say", "to express" with a noun 連絡 meaning "connection", "contact", "communication". Using both words as predicate and subject makes no sense in English and probably most Indo-European languages (while the same words have equivalent usage patterns in many other combinations).

To help understand readers, what is my concern, I have following hypotheses:

1) Is 連絡 a thing that you can say or express like お礼を申し上げます／お礼を言います? Can I simplify (keigo aside) it to 連絡を言います? (I can't find any proof in dictionaries it works this way)

2) Maybe as suggested here or here 申し上げます preceded by お〜/ご〜 works like 致します, but how universal would it be? Can I say お待たせを申し上げます?

3) If お待たせ example does not sound strange, maybe the construction is some kind of a contraction of (お待たせいたしました)を申し上げます being "I would like to express - sorry to keep you waiting".

4) Or maybe it is just a set phrase ご連絡申しあげます coming from custom or tradition?

Answer 1

申し上げる has two different meanings. The first one is "to say" in a humble form, the second is "to do" also in a humble form. Here is an excerpt from a dictionary regarding the latter one:

もうし‐あ・げる〔まうし‐〕【申（し）上げる】
「お」や「御 (ご) 」の付いた自分の行為を表す体言に付けて、その行為の対象を敬う。…してさしあげる。「お答え―・げます」「御相談―・げたく参上致しました」

Although the compound verb 申し上げる contains a 申す part related to "speaking" it is not treated literally in contemporary Japanese. 申し上げる in the 2nd meaning is used as a light verb (補助動詞) expressing the utmost level of politeness.

So from your hypotheses 1-4, the second one is correct.

You can use お〜／ご〜申し上げます in different phrases, although I think it sounds too polite to be used often. Maybe its similar to the language used in some diplomatic documents in English - if used in a daily life, they might sound strange.

It doesn't mean this pattern is limited to official documents, but I feel it would be too polite for example to use towards a customer in a restaurant or a shop. In this article you can find a comparison of the levels of politeness with the 申し上げる being the most respectful.

You can say お待たせ申し上げました. It is more polite than お待たせいたしました. Here you can find minutes from a meeting of a certain council in the Ministry of Finance opening with the sentence 「どうも大変お待たせ申し上げまして、申しわけございません。」

Here you can find a transcript of proceedings (PDF) from the Diet containing several examples of this pattern: 「お待たせを申し上げまして、大変に失礼をいたしました」「お願い申し上げます」「お願いを申し上げ、ごあいさつといたします」「ごあいさつを申し上げます」

Answer 2

ご連絡申し上げる is a humble form of 連絡する while ご連絡を申し上げる (a little awkward phrase) is two words of ご連絡 and 申し上げる.