Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms.

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What is your take on the Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms thing and when to use it appropriately and correctly? And especially, how do you feel when you are addressed as Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms by someone?

For example, when someone addresses me as Mr Brodie and not Brian, I just feel a cringe inside. "Mr Brodie" is so much more unnatural, impersonal and formal than "Brian".

From strangers i generally expect to be addressed as Mr. My first name is for friends only.

In women, if you address them in their professional postion, it's always Miss.

No, I disagree. It's always Ms.

People I know call each other "Mr" or "Miss" and "Sir" or "Madam" with heavy emphasis as an insult. Not quite as strong an insult as "Boss," though. It is used to indicate unwarranted self importance:

"Mister X, so nice of you to grace us with your presence."

I believe this qualifies as slang in this context, however.

Oddly enough, down here people are usually called Mr/Miss/Dr/Judge First Name. When it's a married woman it's written out Mrs, but it's always pronounced Miss. When we call women by their last names it's always come out "Miz" which may sound like Ms, but we never took much notice of it because it always sounds like Miz.

Another strange custom is calling female doctors "Miz Last Name" or "Miss First Name". I thought that was so strange when I moved here, because where I'm from Doctors are always "Doctor First Name" or if you don't know them it's "Doctor Last Name".

I'm usually called "Miss Frances" by my kids friends and people who don't know me well. If they write it in something, they write Mrs Frances, but it's always pronounced Miss.

Frances

Calling a "Mrs" a "Miss" is considered flattery in a lot of places. Might be associated with the Great American Quest for Permanent Youth.

It's just how we pronounce it, that's all.

Also, "Boss" is a common name for men to call each other here. Especially if you don't know them. It's like "Man" is in other parts of the country. Examples would be "Scuse me Boss" when you are having to squeeze around somebody or "What'll it be Boss?" in a restaurant.

We also say Sir and Maam all the time, men especially say Maam to women and we usually always say Sir and Maam to people older than us.

Frances

Ms. came from the women's liberation movement and is used when you are single, but do not want to be referred to as Miss. Miss is for single women, Mrs for married women, but Mr. goes for both, and Ms is for single women who prefer to use that over Miss. I think they may have looked at Miss as degrading or something, particularly when they are older.

If I want the attention of someone I don't know, or I say yes or no to someone I don't know, I use Sir and Ma'am.

It is also considered polite to call someone by their last name until you get to know them. First names are very personal. If you walked into the CEO's office and say "Good Morning Bill" when he has no idea who you are it comes across as a sign of disrespect.

I object to being called Ms I prefer Miss I even got them to change it at the Doctor's if anyone calls me Ms I say its MISS.

I'm a Miss butu I don't really care what I get addressed as.

Some women get uppity when you address them as Mrs when they're really a Ms, as if to say "I am no longer that man's wife, thank you very much".

Addressing a woman as Miss means you are unconsciously assuming they're unmarried.

I know from experience, never call a woman Ms. unless she gives her name as starting with that.

I guess it's seen as rude because it implies that the woman is old. I dunno. A long time ago, when the women's lib movement started, women were fighting for their right to called "Ms." and now it's like "call me Ms. and I'll bite your head off!"

Move to the south where it's all pronounced the same.

Frances

1. Anyone I have been introduced to by a first name (by themselves or others) I will call by their first name.

2. Anyone senior to me at work I would address as Mr (if it's a man), Mrs/Miss (if it's a woman and I know her marital status) or Ms (If it's a woman and I don't know her marital status or she has expressed a preference).

3. Clients if I was working in an office/professional type job I would address as in 2 unless they have expressed a preference otherwise

4. Clients if I was working in a lower role (e.g. in a shop/bar etc.) I would address as sir/maam unless they have expressed a preference otherwise

5. Anyone with a doctorate (medical or non-medical) of either sex I would address as Dr

6. The Queen likes to be addressed as Your Majesty initially, and from then on Ma'am (to rhyme with "ham")

Mr. - for men

Mrs. - for women you KNOW are married

Miss - for women you KNOW are single (and likely single and young)

Ms. - for women you don't know their marital status...maybe includes single MATURE women

I dont know. but i have a feeling god has something to do with it, why do you think women have the word men in it?

obviously its because they were taken out of the mans rib ok

Unless people are willing to address me with the correct term for an unmarried man (Master), then I'll not pay too much attention to correctly addressing them.

And when someone gets pissy about being referred to by title (doctor, etc.), then I point out that I'm ordained and insist they call me "Reverend."

Thanks, Universal Life Church.