Is Ms. now considered an abbreviation for Miss?

[poppy]

The only time I hear "Miss" used with adults in my area is for teachers of preschool age classes. Children address their teachers as Miss Sara or Miss Kim and if there's a male teacher it would be Mr. Joe, etc. This is mostly rec classes like swimming or art, but I have 4 yos tell me that they go to school and are in the "bear class with Miss Becky."

 

Outside of preschool situations I don't hear Miss used. I don't use Mrs for myself. I did change my name. I go by Ms. And always have. (Side note dh last name is at the beginning of the alphabet and easy to spell. So I changed mine because his name was easier to deal with. Even though I changed my name I don't think my marital status is relevant for most people to know.

 

Yup, preschool teachers.

 

I have a Girl Scout troop and we generally call adults by first names, but some kids aren't comfortable with that so they put a "Miss" before any woman they meet. For example, we had a guest come in to teach pottery. I introduced her as Becky.  One of my girls (age 7) kept calling her "Miss Becky". 

 

I think it's fine for a parent to instruct young kids to not be on a first-name basis for adults, so, I can't object to that.

 

Otherwise, I think "Miss" is weird.  It implies "not yet complete" to me. I don't use it even when addressing children. 

[SKL]

What we lack now is a gender-neutral general honorific for those who would prefer that and aren't a Dr.

 

:leaving:  

 

I have seen "M." used in this way.

 

But usually, even in professional correspondence, I now think it is usually accepted if you use the first name.  "Dear Ruth,"

[Crimson Wife]

 What we lack now is a gender-neutral general honorific for those who would prefer that and aren't a Dr.

 

I've seen Mx. (yuck) and M. (fine). These days with so many people having androgynous names, I wish that M. would catch on more widely. Who knows whether a "Taylor" or "Jordan" is a man or a woman?

[redsquirrel]

In written correspondence or conversation? Because orally it is all the same to my ear. Miss or Ms. If you introduced yourself as "Ms" at work I would probably think unmarried, then see your wedding ring and be really confused lol

 

 

Why be confused? Can't you see the wedding ring and adjust to Ms? 

 

This must be one of those regional differences.  I have met exactly one woman who identified herself as 'Mrs' in these parts, and she was my son's 70 year old piano teacher.  In the public schools here, all teachers are Ms and Mr.  The only exception is some of the teachers of very young children go by Ms or Mr first name. That is generally because their last name is difficult to pronounce.

 

My kids automatically refer to adults as Ms or Mr lastname, unless they are instructed to call them something else. Usually, adults here ask to be called by their first name, but they know to start with Ms or Mr.  Even the ballet teachers go by their first name. Even the scary French one! Even I have to stop myself from calling her Madam, she is older than my mother and very formidable. But she goes by her first name. 

 

When we had to do titles of respect in FLL, my kids were all confused by Mrs, lol. They had never heard it.

[Farrar]

Yes, let's get on board with M. (Definitely not Mx though - x has enough random usage going for it.) Except, how do you pronounce it? Or is it just like an abbreviation that you don't pronounce ever?

[Bluegoat]

Yes, let's get on board with M. (Definitely not Mx though - x has enough random usage going for it.) Except, how do you pronounce it? Or is it just like an abbreviation that you don't pronounce ever?

 

I don't think M would work.  I would assume it was Monsieur.

[gardenmom5]

That's not true. It came about because both married and unmarried women particularly in the feminist movement wanted a title that didn't define them by marriage.

 

It's not an abbreviation for Miss. That's just incorrect. I have noticed that it has become more common. It may be that more unmarried women are using it. However, I'm married and I certainly use it.

 

there is a huge difference between incomplete and incorrect, and it is woefully inaccurate to equate them.

 

never married feminists of the 70's (when it first came into use) didn't want to be called miss.  divorced women didn't want to be called miss - and certainly didn't want to be called mrs.

married and widowed women varied greatly in what they wished to be called.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I like Ms because then I don't need to know if someone is married or not.  That really should not be assumed and men don't have to deal with that crap.

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

These days when I hear someone call a person aloud "Miss Firstname", "Miss Lastname," "Miz Firstname," or "Miz Lastname," I assume all those are simply verbalizations of Ms.

 

At work we address all letters to female clients to "Ms. Name." This is simpler and eliminates inquiring about marital status when it is irrelevant.

 

What we lack now is a gender-neutral general honorific for those who would prefer that and aren't a Dr.

 

:leaving:  

 

Nothing annoys me more than being called Miss Wendy.  I had a friend once who wanted her kid to call me that.  I said oh please please please do not call me that.  Ugh....

[poppy]

I don't understand going from being Ms. to Mrs. Doesn't that kind of defeat the whole point?

[Bluegoat]

I don't understand going from being Ms. to Mrs. Doesn't that kind of defeat the whole point?

 

I've never see someone do that.  I know some people use one in business and the other socially - sometimes even attached to different last names.

 

I tend to circle Mrs and I used to use Miss but I really don't care if people call me Ms either, so I have correspondence with all of them.

[vonfirmath]

I've never see someone do that.  I know some people use one in business and the other socially - sometimes even attached to different last names.

 

I tend to circle Mrs and I used to use Miss but I really don't care if people call me Ms either, so I have correspondence with all of them.

 

I preferred Miss when single and Mrs. or Miss now (My 1st graders tend to call me Miss Sarah because my last name is hard to say)

 

But I answer to just about anything. (except maybe "late to dinner" as my dad used to say)

[SparklyUnicorn]

Ms is actually not an abbreviation of anything though right? 

 

 

[Bluegoat]

Ms is actually not an abbreviation of anything though right? 

 

No, its new.  Maybe "Miz" if you wanted to write it out phonetically.

[bwdiaz]

I began using Ms. As soon as I went to college, and I still use Ms. even though I've been married for 18 years.

 

I found these articles were interesting.

 

http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2011/11/what-are-mrs-and-ms-short-for/

 

http://blog.oup.com/2010/08/miss-or-ms/

 

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/magazine/25FOB-onlanguage-t.html?referer=&_r=0

 

http://www.newstatesman.com/cultural-capital/2014/09/mistress-miss-mrs-or-ms-untangling-shifting-history-women-s-titles

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SparklyUnicorn]

No, its new.  Maybe "Miz" if you wanted to write it out phonetically.

 

I think Miz would be the cooler spelling.  :laugh:

[Spy Car]

Yes, let's get on board with M. 

 

I could get behind M., unless the non-gender specific person was really hot, in which case we'd go with Mmm.  :D

 

Bill (who makes joke)

[Reefgazer]

Married women who think being married confers some kind of "status" on them, and people who feel the need to nose into a woman's marital status, have tried to convert this to the substitute for Miss for years. When I see only Ms. And Mrs. as a designation, I generally leave the form blank or check both just to screw with the questioner. But in the case of this assignment, I would inform your child of the correct designations, correct the assignment, and then email the teacher to let her know the correct designations.

 

My fourth graders brought home a language arts paper practicing abbreviations, and they were meant to use Ms. as an abbreviation for Miss.

 

I know that is technically incorrect. "Miss" designates an unmarried woman; "Ms." is an honorific for any woman and does not specify marital status. However, I'm wondering if the acceptable usage and understanding of these terms have changed over the years since I learned them.

 

I want to email the teacher to explain the accurate use of these words, but I thought I'd check to see if my understanding and usage is out of date. (My online research suggests I am correct.)

Edited April 9, 2016 by reefgazer

[heartlikealion]

I'm pretty sure I hear people say "Miss Lastname" here. Seriously. I think that is what they are saying. They know I am married but I think "miss" is just what they say. Ok now I'm going to try to pay very close attention next time I hear it.