Britain: NO LOVE, DEARS

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Luvs,

I think it's actually lower middle class women, those who are most likely
to become teachers, also.  It's been fun for me in the last 8 years,
incidentally, to be in an area (Delaware Valley)  where people get
addressed with exactly these terms--love, hon(ey), dear, babe; and from
men to men: buddy, pal, boss.  A not-young woman cashier addressed me at
Home Depot thus: "That'll be $55.23, Babe."  (If I had use this
reciprocally with her, I think I might be in trouble, but I'm not sure.)

So I'd be surprised if the Bristol city government will have any success
legislating this; more likely, instead of "Sir and Madam" they'll get
"no-naming" and "no-title-ing"

Hal S.

On Fri, 15 Aug 2003, Rachel R. Reynolds wrote:

> Dears:
>
> Isn't one of the general Labovian theories of language change this:  it is
> strong working class women at the center of dense and multiplex networks
> who have their hands, so to speak, on the language-change button.  After
> all, you can't fight city hall...
>
> Rachel Reynolds
>
> At 01:03 PM 8/15/2003 -0400, Harold F. Schiffman wrote:
> > >From the New York Times, World Briefing (Europe), August 15, 2002.
> >
> >BRITAIN: NO LOVE, DEARS
> >
> >Receptionists and the security staff at government headquarters in Bristol
> >have been told to stop calling members of the public "dear" or "love," and
> >to address them as "sir" or "madam" instead. The order came from Barbara
> >Janke, the new leader of the City Council, who said that some visitors to
> >city offices had objected to the informal way they were greeted. But in a
> >city known for its use of endearments, the move has not been universally
> >popular. "I think the majority of visitors prefer a friendly welcome,
> >rather than being confronted by faceless bureaucracy," Richard Eddy, a
> >council member, told The Times of London.
> >
> >    Sarah Lyall (NYT)
>