Jump to content

Sir? Ma'am?


Lanti SF

Recommended Posts

If people that use "Mr" are referred to as "sir" and those that use "Miss/Ms/Mrs" are referred to as "ma'am," is there an equivalent for people using "Mx"?

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
RoseGoesToYale

I not currently familiar with a gender-neutral term in English used to address a person of a higher status/stranger. I've heard of "sir" being used regardless of gender, as in the Star Trek series, but outside of that I'm not sure it would work the same.

Link to post
Share on other sites

According to the Wiki for Mx, it's pronounced and referred to as mix or muks.

Link to post
Share on other sites

From what I've personally seen, Mr. is to Mister what Mx. is to Mixter or Mix (which is what some old acquaintances of mine have used). Unfortunately, I don't believe English has any traditional nice, short gender neutral honorifics like ma'am or sir. But then, ma'am and sir didn't burst forth from our language conveniently short and easy to say- they're both slang. Just, really old slang. Either English or French in origin, depending who you ask. Probably some mix of both because the origins in both languages are cognates. (I personally think the French had more influence, though.)

 

English:

My Dame->madam->ma'am

Sire->sir

 

French:

Madame (my dame)->madam->ma'am

Monsignor (my lord)->monsiur ('my sir'; siur translates as 'gentleman' or 'sir', basically, a respectable man)->sir (dropped the mon/my)

 

So, I guess the question is, why not make new slang for nonbinary people? I've seen "Person" (abbreviated Per.) proposed for nonbinary people because all Mr./Ms./etc. is is a short honorific that denotes respect but acknowledges gender. So if you're non binary, Person could be used for the respect without the gender connotations. Me, I don't care for it- it works for large crowds (My good people!) but feels a little cold in practice in one-on-one communication. Sir, ma'am... person.

 

In the spirit of My Dame, Sire, and My Lord, I'd like to propose Liege (Lg.). Divorced from lord and lady, it's pretty gender neutral and has the same sort of roots and spirit of respect that the honorifics we're used to in English have.

 

Barring inventing new honorifics in English, we could also borrow from languages that already have gender neutrality built into them.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Diamond Ace of Hearts
4 hours ago, slim said:

 

In the spirit of My Dame, Sire, and My Lord, I'd like to propose Liege (Lg.). Divorced from lord and lady, it's pretty gender neutral and has the same sort of roots and spirit of respect that the honorifics we're used to in English have.

 

Plus, let's face it, Liege should make a comeback anyway, quite apart from it's usefulness in this situation.

Link to post
Share on other sites
TheGrumpyBear

I must be one of the most casual people in the world. I call absolutely no one sir or ma'am, and just don't like using Mr., Ms., Mrs., ect. If I know your first name, I'll call you by your first name. If I know you by your last name only, I'll call you by your last name. If I don't know your name, you are officially christened "Hey You" by me, if I am feeling like being spiffy about it.  We're all human. There is no need for honorifics, etc.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...