6.1451, Sum: Madam Chairman

[The Linguist List]

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LINGUIST List:  Vol-6-1451. Wed Oct 18 1995. ISSN: 1068-4875. Lines:  70
 
Subject: 6.1451, Sum: Madam Chairman
 
Moderators: Anthony Rodrigues Aristar: Texas A&M U. <aristar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
            Helen Dry: Eastern Michigan U. <hdry at emunix.emich.edu>
 
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Assistant Editors: Ron Reck <rreck at emunix.emich.edu>
                   Ann Dizdar <dizdar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
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Editor for this issue: lveselin at emunix.emich.edu
 
---------------------------------Directory-----------------------------------
1)
Date:  Wed, 18 Oct 1995 14:53:06 +0200
From:  hiro-t at ias.tokushima-u.ac.jp (hiro-t)
Subject:  Summary: Madam Chairman
 
---------------------------------Messages------------------------------------
1)
Date:  Wed, 18 Oct 1995 14:53:06 +0200
From:  hiro-t at ias.tokushima-u.ac.jp (hiro-t)
Subject:  Summary: Madam Chairman
 
Dear Linguists,
   I posted a query on the possibility of _Madam Chairman_ on behalf
of my teacher at the university I graduated from a couple of months ago.
My original poting was as follows:
 
  When you address a chairman/chairwoman/chairperson, you use "Mr. Chairman"
to a male chair and "Madam Chairman" to a female chair. But don't you use
a phrase like "Madam Chairwoman" or "Madam Chairperson" if you exactly
follow the rule of anti-sexism? Or jus use "Chair"?
 
   5 peole responded my query.
  Anton Sherwood (dasher at netcom.com)
  Steven Scaufele (fcosws at prairienet.org)
  Anthea F. Gupta (ellgupta at leonis.nus.sg)
  Linda Coleman (Linda_K_COLEMAN at umail.umd.edu) answered twice.
  Anonymous
 
   The following table is the result.  Multiple answers were given.
 
       Madam Chair     Chair   Madam Chairman       Madam Chairwoman
            2           1        OK: 1                       2
                                 unacceptable: 3
                                 (even offesive)
       Last Name
            2
 
The issue is not so easy to decide which adress we should use, and
it depends on the norms of the organization of the committee belongs to,
and the wishes of the Chair herself, as Anthea gupta says. In Western
society, as againast Japan, people seem more likely to avoid using titles
altogether, as one anonymous person says.
 
   We should make a further research more sociologically and
even sociolinguistically on this isuue.  Thank you very much
for all those who helped.
 
Best Wishes,
Hiroaki Tanaka, Tokushima University, Japan
E-mail: hiro-t at ias,tokushima-u.ac.jp
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