| sb70012 | | Posted: Thursday, August 11, 2022 3:24:50 PM | |
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Rank: Advanced MemberJoined: 6/6/2013
Posts: 1,524
Neurons: 7,866 | Context: addressing a primary school teacher in the classroom. The students don't know her name. The teacher is about 25 years old. A young lady who seems to be unmarried. 1. Good morning, Sir. (BrE/AmE)
2. Good morning, Miss. (BrE)
3. Good morning, Ma'am. (AmE) This is my question for Americans. Isn't it weird or impolite to call a young female teacher "Ma'am" in my context? Is it common and natural in the US? But maybe the teacher is single. Then is it still to call her "Ma'am"?
Because outside of the South, most women would consider it an insult to be called "ma'am," as it implies that the speaker thinks that you look like an old maid! Any guidance? Thank you. | | FounDit | | Posted: Thursday, August 11, 2022 7:30:49 PM | |
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Rank: Advanced MemberJoined: 9/19/2011
Posts: 20,123
Neurons: 100,830 | sb70012 wrote: Context: addressing a primary school teacher in the classroom. The students don't know her name. The teacher is about 25 years old. A young lady who seems to be unmarried. 1. Good morning, Sir. (BrE/AmE)
2. Good morning, Miss. (BrE)
3. Good morning, Ma'am. (AmE) This is my question for Americans. Isn't it weird or impolite to call a young female teacher "Ma'am" in my context? Is it common and natural in the US? But maybe the teacher is single. Then is it still to call her "Ma'am"?
Because outside of the South, most women would consider it an insult to be called "ma'am," as it implies that the speaker thinks that you look like an old maid! Any guidance? Thank you. I don't think it is an insult. Children who are taught to be respectful of adults are often told to refer to men and women by the terms "Yes/No, Sir" and "Yes/No, Ma'am". The word "Ma'am" is seen as a term of respect for any female who is held in regard or esteem. I say that in the hope that the whole society has not gone completely insane yet, and that this is still true. It's what I experience here in the South of the U.S., but I think it is still the same in the whole country. | | tautophile | | Posted: Thursday, August 11, 2022 9:02:09 PM | |
| | Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 3/14/2018
Posts: 3,632
Neurons: 112,656 | I agree with FounDit. Two-thirds of a century ago, when I was in elementary school (years or grades 1 through 6), we always addressed our teachers--they were all women at my elementary school--as "Ma'am", or as "Miss" or "Mrs" (pronounced Miz) + their last name (as, e.g., Mrs Pfeiffer, Mrs Rich, etc., however they chose). Later on, in junior high school (grades 7 through 9) and high school (grades 10 through 12), this continued, except that some of our teachers were men, and would be addressed as "Sir" or as "Mister + their last name (Mr Sawyer, Mr Browning, etc.) We never addressed them by their first or given names, even though we knew what their given names were; and we didn't often them as simply "Miss" or "Sir" in the way British schoolkids apparently do or did. The one exception was that male physical education teachers were often addressed as "Coach" rather than "Mister". It was also customary for us kids to address neighborhood adults--next-door neighbors and the like--by their surnames: Mr & Mrs Edwards, not John and Kathryn; Mr & Mrs Winchester, not Lawrence and Dilly-Mae, etc., though of course my parents called them and referred to them by their given names. After the better part of a decade away at college, my wife returned to live in the town where she grew up, and had occasion to interact with some of her former school teachers as friends and associates, not as student to teacher. It took her a while to get used to addressing them by their first names as equals, as adult to adult. Now...as for SB's question: How would a child in a US elementary school address a woman teacher in her mid-20s? I would say the proper way would be "Good morning, Ma'am" if the student doesn't know the teacher's name, or "Good morning, Miss [or Mrs] Jones" if the student knows that the teacher's surname is Jones. If the teacher is a man, the proper way would be "Good morning, Sir" or "Good morning, Mr Jones". The teacher would return the greeting as "Good morning, Susie" or "Good morning, Johnny", using the child's first name. | Guest |
FAQs
The correct spelling is 'ma'am', with an apostrophe replacing the missing 'd' from 'madam'. It's a common mistake to spell it as 'mam', 'maam', or even 'ma'm', but these are incorrect. The apostrophe is crucial as it indicates the contraction and maintains the word's formal and respectful tone.
Which one is correct, I am an English teacher or I am an English teacher? ›
'I am a teacher of English ' is the correct option. 'I am an English teacher' is good too. Of course, there is a tiny bit of ambiguity, especially if you happen to be English as well.
What's the difference between mam and ma am? ›
The main difference between “Mam” and “Ma'am” is that “Mam” is an informal way to refer to one's mother, while “Ma'am” is equivalent to addressing a woman as Miss or Missus. “Mam” is a very casual term that should not be used in formal contexts, while “Ma'am” is used to address a woman politely in very formal settings.
What is the English version of Maam? ›
Madam (/ˈmædəm/), or madame (/ˈmædəm/ or /məˈdɑːm/), is a polite and formal form of address for women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced /ˈmæm/ in American English and this way but also /ˈmɑːm/ in British English).
Is there a comma before ma am? ›
Use a Comma Before or After a Vocative
Vocatives are when you address someone by their name or title, such as “Abby” or “madam.” You should always separate a vocative from the rest of the sentence using commas.
Is there a comma after ma am? ›
A direct address is anything you call someone, be it a name or a term like “sir,” “ma'am,” “dude,” “gorgeous,” etc. So when you write, “Excuse me, sir,” “Hello, gorgeous,” “Listen up, bub” or “Later, Paula,” a comma should always separate the name or other direct address from the rest of the sentence.
Is I am a grammatically correct sentence? ›
To be grammatically correct, you need the “I” with “am”. “Am” is not correct in such a sentence. Most listeners would understand what your meant, but it would sound awkward without the “I”. However “I am” and “I'm” are perfectly interchangeable as the latter is merely a contraction of the former.
How do you use I and am in a sentence? ›
So “I”' is our subject, “am” is our verb and “done” is our adjective. “I am done” is a simple present tense statement. “I have done”, on the other hand, is “I”, our subject, “have”, our auxiliary or our helping or linking verb, and “done” which is the verb in the past particle form.
Is it correct to say I am a teacher? ›
“I am a teacher” is the correct one. Singular concrete common nouns, which are nouns that signify one among a group of entities with a definite physical existence, are always preceded by determiners (a, the, an, my, your, our, their, etc.).
Is Ma'am for old ladies? ›
Ma'am is short for Madam and, by definition, is age-neutral.
Apostrophes are used to form contractions—that is, words that are shortened by omitting one or more letters—for example, you're for you are, ma'am for madam, tellin' for telling, and 'til for until. When the apostrophe is at the start of the word—as in 'til—be sure that the punctuation mark is inserted correctly.
Do you address the Queen as Mam or Ma Am? ›
On presentation to The Queen, the correct formal address is 'Your Majesty' and subsequently 'Ma'am,' pronounced with a short 'a,' as in 'jam'. For male members of the Royal Family the same rules apply, with the title used in the first instance being 'Your Royal Highness' and subsequently 'Sir'.
Can I say ma am to a girl? ›
“Ma'am” is generally considered to be a polite term to address a woman, but depending on the region or context, it can mean the exact opposite.
Can I call my teacher Ma'am? ›
Using "Ma'am" is a respectful and common way to address a female teacher. You can say, "Excuse me, Ma'am" or "Thank you, Ma'am" as appropriate. It's a polite form of address in many educational settings.
Is calling someone "ma am" flirting? ›
It 100% only means respect. And we use it as to let you know that, you know, we're on board with you.
How to use ma am in a sentence? ›
noun
- "Yes, ma'am. Come in, ma'am. I'll tell Miss Lavendar you're here, ma'am. She's upstairs, ma'am." ...
- "My dear ma'am," said the parson, replying in preference to the lady … Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
- She looked down at him and said, "He most certainly is a large dog." " Yes ma'am," I told her. " He has a large heart, too."
Although the plural of Mrs is Mme (Mesdames), these are not used on their own without a surname following. Furthermore, ma'am cannot be used apart from direct address such as “Yes, ma'am!”, nor can it be pluralized. Try using their names.
How do you write Maam in plural? ›
The plural form of ma'am is ma'ams.
Is it miss or ma am for teachers? ›
“Miss” can be used while addressing women who are unmarried - so nothing to do with only women teachers. Ma'am, is applicable for addressing any woman. Basically, it is used to show that you are addressing with “respect”. I would go with addressing my female teachers as “Ma'am” as it is applicable to all women.
