[Ads-l] unisex "Sir"

[Jonathan Lighter]

> a way to indicate that the world of the series is more different from our
world than just having super-powered aliens running about in it.

You don't get any more different than that.  Anyway, the usage was
inconspicuous.

ISTR too that Marcy has been calling Patty "sir" for 40+ years.

But it used to be a joke. A joke!!!

JL



On Wed, Nov 11, 2015 at 12:47 PM, Jeff Prucher <
000000b93183dc86-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jeff Prucher <jprucher at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: unisex "Sir"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> > On Tuesday, November 10, 2015 7:40 PM, Jonathan Lighter <
> wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: unisex "Sir"
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
>
> > Supergirl, of course, takes place now, rather than in a sci-fi future.
> >
>
> > So I suspect the usage is more widespread.
>
>
> Could well be, which would be pretty interesting. But if not, the SF angle
> shouldn't be discounted. The show is set in a sci-fi present, not the
> actual present. And the use of "sir" could simply be an estrangement tactic
> on the part of the writers -- a way to indicate that the world of the
> series is more different from our world than just having super-powered
> aliens running about in it.
>
> Jeff
>
> > JL
> >
> > On Tue, Nov 10, 2015 at 10:19 PM, W Brewer <brewerwa at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>  -----------------------
> >>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>  Poster:       W Brewer <brewerwa at GMAIL.COM>
> >>  Subject:      Re: unisex "Sir"
> >>
> >>
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>  Strange how we still pass out Master's degrees to the ladies. Something
> >>  should be done about that.
> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > truth."
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>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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