The interesting thing was just having "you" originated as an effort to refer to everyone formally. Now, it almost seems rude to use "you" and there's certainly some desire to create a new you plural, indicating that people have forgotten this origin.
Over my dead body. There's no reason to have a formal system of address. It's a horrible thing.
“Horrible”? What are you, a Commie or something?
Seriously, there’s nothing wrong with a language having familiar and polite forms of address. Using the formal pronoun keeps a respectful distance between people. In most Spanish-speaking countries, it’s considered extremely bad form, verging on insult, to address a stranger with the familiar “
tú” rather than the formal “
usted.” I believe they have an expression that translates as, “Since when are we
tu-ing each other?”
. . . One odd cultural behavior I have noticed in Texas is how women are addressed in the workplace. It seems common for people to refer to female co-workers as "Miss Jennifer" or "Ms. Susan". . .
That’s also common in the Deep South — remember “Miss Scarlett”? Interestingly, Southerners were using “Miz” long before Gloria Steinem was born! (Of course, that was just a dialect pronunciation of “Miss.”)
I look forward to you addressing the US President as "Barry" on your first meeting. . .
You don't call an adult by their given name until they give you permission. Until such time as President Obama says, "you may call me Barry", you call him Mr Obama/ President Obama. Just as you call me Mrs/ Ms W... until I tell you that you may call me by my first name.
It’s customary and correct to address the POTUS as either “Mr. President” or “Sir.” “Sir” will do if you’re on active duty in the military, since he’s your Commander-in-Chief.
I grew up with "dudes." "Y'all" does sound so southern and redneck-ish.
Southern, yes. Redneck-ish? That’s simply stereotyping. Millions of educated professionals in the South use “you all” and “y’all.”
Sometimes I feel that saying "dudes" ages me. Is this correct?
Originally,
“dude” meant a fancy dresser, or it was a term used by Western rural folks for an Eastern city slicker. (Remember “dude ranches”?)
The use of “dude” as a general slang word for “man” or “boy” started with surfing culture in the 1960s and spread into the mainstream in the late ’70s and ’80s. By me, that’s recent.
ADDENDUM: It just dawned on me that nowadays, “dude ranch” could have a
completely different meaning!
) - I've used Ms since I was 18.
