Question about usage of names and social convention
Sarah Hurst
sarahhurst at ALASKA.NET
Wed Apr 29 22:32:22 UTC 2009
I don't lie awake at night fretting about it either, FYI.
-----Original Message-----
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[mailto:SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Paul B. Gallagher
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 2:21 PM
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Question about usage of names and social convention
Sarah Hurst wrote:
> Yes, first name is what I mean, and "Mr/Mrs" would be more polite,
> but the problem is that you can't make an assumption about "Mrs",
> "Ms" or "Miss", and I've also been addressed by the wrong last name
> at Safeway based on using a shared store card, which produced a name
> on the receipt. I think it's better for salespeople not to use names
> in brief transactions, or to ask "what would you like to be called?"
> if they need to deal with you on an ongoing basis.
Or else you could just get over it.
As offenses go, this one is really very minor, especially since the
people are /trying/ to be friendly and courteous. It's not as if they
called you by someone else's name /intentionally/, or by some racial or
ethnic epithet.
When I talk to adult females of unknown marital status, I just call them
"Ms Xxxxxxx," and no one has ever given the slightest hint of offense (I
admit I haven't been to the UK, where things might be different). A few
will correct me to "Mrs" or "Miss," I thank them, and that's the end of it.
In a few fast-food restaurants that I frequent, the order taker will
occasionally take one look at me and start punching buttons; the first
thing out of their mouth is the amount due (they have my order
memorized). I find /that/ offensive -- as if I were not a person
meriting a greeting, just an order. But I don't lie awake at night
fretting over it.
--
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com
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