History and etiquette tell us that Mister and Missus, known by the
contractions Mr. and Mrs., are the proper form
of address for men and women. Beneath the surface of these everyday honorifics lies a linguistic glitch that has spawned social havoc since “Mrs.”
entered mainstream English in the 17th century.
Mister
is a direct variant of master, which in turn derives from the Old English maegester meaning “one having control or authority.” Already a discrepancy rears
its head: The period that follows the abbreviation Mr. is usuallyomitted in British English grammar. According to the Oxford A-Z of Grammar and
Punctuation, “If the abbreviation includes both the first and last letter of
the abbreviated word, as in ‘mister’ and ‘doctor’, a full stop is not used.”
However, a period always follows the title in American English grammar – as in
Mr. President and Mr. Speaker.
Once used to address men under
the rank of knighthood, by the mid-18th century mister became a common English
honorific to generally address males of a higher social rank. English domestic
servants often used the title to distinguish the eldest member of the household
– a practice that is, for the most part, obsolete today.
Mrs. is a contraction derived from Middle English maistresse, “female teacher,
governess.” Once a title of courtesy, mistress fell into disuse around the late 14th century. The pronunciation,
however, remained intact. By the 15th century, mistress evolved into a
derogatory term for “a kept woman of a married man.”
By
the early 17th century, Mr., Mrs. Ms. and Miss became part of English vernacular, creating an awkward
socio-linguistic discrepancy. In an attempt to avoid the use of “mistress,” a
variety of phonetic substitutes have been utilized, including “missus” or
“missis.”
While
Mrs. does refer to a married woman, according to The Emily Post Institute, Ms. is the proper way to address a woman regardless of marital status — the
term alleviates any guesswork. Miss is often used to address an unmarried
woman, presumably a girl under the age of eighteen years old. Note however,
that “Miss” also derives from “mistress.”
In 2011, what is the proper
manner of address for men and women? Miss, Ms., or something entirely
different? Are these honorifics too formal for our society, or the perfect bit
of courtesy? (