Since this is a slow news day I thought I would write about something of interest to me, regional differences in English usage.
I started hearing a few clients refer to me as Mr. Charles when I was in my 40s. This usage was not unfamiliar to me. I particularly remember a woman in my neighborhood growing up in Winston-Salem who was always referred to as Miss Pearl but she was not the only one who received this honorific, and, yes, it was intended as an honorific. I always understood this usage as one denoting increasing age, respect and affection. Miss Pearl qualified in every way. I was not completely happy being referred to as Mr. Charles since it indicated I was getting older but I knew I was being referred to with affection and respect so I couldn’t complain. I have no problem with it now.
I’ve always thought of this as a Southern thing and particularly common among African Americans but I’ve never known for sure. I do know it’s less common than it used to be but that may be because I now live in Raleigh, a community that has received a huge influx of people from other parts of the country and the world. As an example, Raleigh’s largest suburb is Cary. The joke locally is that Cary is an acronym standing for Containment Area for Relocated Yankees! The last person who called me Mr. Charles was a young woman wearing a hijab.
Anyway, I’d be interested in knowing if this is a usage you’re familiar with. Who uses it? How is it used? Is it as common as it used to be?
15 comments:
What you refer to is a sign of deference/respect for older African Americans in NE OH. Many of them relocated up from the South (mainly Alabama) right after WW2.
I've noticed that in the Deep South, places like Alabama, Mississippi, etc., children will call their parents Sir and Ma'am.
Wow, as I am getting older, that is happening to me! I thought it was because people had a hard time pronouncing my last name. I trust your east coast view on this! I moved out west LONG ago and never had this happen until recently! Yup...age, it catches up.
I agree with 11:27. I live in south central Texas and I am referred to with the honorific on an occasional basis. Now that you mention it, I have been hearing it more often lately. I am 77 years of age.
On a “slow” news day…
The Social Security Administration is looking to speed up disability claims adjudication by allowing Americans to consent to their medical providers sending the agency digital copies of their health records through a data sharing superhighway.
In April, Epic — the largest electronic health record vendor for U.S. hospitals — announced that its health system customers are connected to SSA through the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, or TEFCA. Through that superhighway, dozens of hospitals and clinics can send digital medical records to SSA, eliminating the need to fax documents to the agency and slashing disability claims processing times by up to 50%.
Jacksonville, Florida-based Baptist Health is among the first Epic customers to start sharing electronic health records with SSA through TEFCA.
Same here in Virginia. Can confirm. It’s not only honorific, but affectionate. “Mr. Hall” is civil and respectful but also distant, whereas “Mr. Charles” is both respectful and a term of endearment - it means more.
My mother was born in South Carolina and that's the way she always addressed people.
At a high school reunion, I referred to one former classmate as "Mr. Jeff." His reaction was to grimace, telling me it sounded like he was a hair professional.
So, Mr. Charles, hair stylist to the stars, where is your tonsorial parlor?
Pretty common in Washington DC
Yep this is the way. My name is Mr q
Common enough in the Baltimore-Washington area. Even more likely if people have an issue pronouncing your last name.
My parents were born in Maryland and we were raised to call any adult we knew Mr or Miss [first name]. I have my kids do it too, except for my closest friends they call by their first name only.
@10:39 When we didn't know a friend's last name, we would refer to parents as "Mrs. Tommy's Mother".
Yeah, in the AA community, you have to put a handle on an elder's name. I was born and raised in NJ, but my roots are southern. If I had to guess, I would say the practice originated in church. Even Weezy called her Mother Jefferson. You don't even know what her first name was.....LOL. LOL.
Never here in California, but yes when I went to South Carolina recently. I was referred to this way but with my first and last name which was fine. And long ago in Virginia with my first name only. Always Miss too, not Mrs. I don't mind it at all but it's unheard of in western states (I think).
It's something I've heard from both white (including my family) and black folks here in Virginia, and my wife (who grew up in VA and NC although her mom was from NYC) also uses it. It's not something I ever use with family members since other titles will apply. When our daughter started talking, we would introduce close friends of ours this way as well.
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