Many of us confuse the addresses Miss and Mrs. How they differ and to whom they relate, we will now understand this. And we will also plunge into the history of these appeals, for a better understanding of the essence of these titles for women. Mrs in English sounds like " mistress", what in literal translation means "mistress".

History of the origin of "Miss" and "Mrs"

Miss has a multi-layered history. The meanings of the word "mistress" from the Oxford Dictionary are defined by the following meanings:

1. The woman in charge.
2. Qualified woman.
3. Woman teacher.
4. Beloved or mistress.

The definitions of the meaning of the word are a striking example of the evolution of address towards women. At the end of the eighteenth century, unmarried women in old age in society were equated with married women, calling them all the same Mrs, which has become a tradition to this day.

Gradually, the girls changed from Miss to Mrs when they entered the adulthood or after the death of the mother. The process of change can be seen in literary use authors of those times. Until the beginning of the eighteenth century there was no form of address preceding the name. But already from the middle of the eighteenth century, "miss" began to be used rather as a pejorative, as village boys addressed their mistresses.


The author of the famous diary Everyday life Londoners of the Stuart Restoration period, Samuel Peeps, clearly used "little miss" for girls only.

In letters from 1754, Miss appears as general form appeal, perhaps even to teenagers.

Between 1695 and 1706, high percent the remaining unmarried women were stigmatized with the phrase "old maid" and "maiden" was used in colloquial situations. Thus, concern was expressed about the decrease in the number of marriages. But this craze for encouraging marriage seems too far in time to inspire the nickname Miss. Moreover, its use was socially limited.

However, Miss's appeal to adult women did coincide with the increase in London's population. The distinction based on marriage may have been adopted from the French. During the long eighteenth century, lower-middle-class French women were described as "mademoiselle," regardless of marital status.

Active use of appeals in society

It is worth noting that the popularization of the address "Miss" was facilitated by the industrial boom. Expanding the areas in which women were involved, increasing communication links and involvement in social processes contributed to changing the perception of the role of women in society. According to some sources, the distinction between "Miss" and "Mrs" arose as an implicit definition of sexually available women, when a large number of them went to work in factories. Much more mundane explanations are that it was a fashion of eighteenth century literati who became obsolete and gradually expanded its social application to become part of English culture.


Miss seems to be one of the few words in the description English women who successfully elevated the quality of his status—from defining frivolous ladies to appealing to high society.

Long-term use of "Mrs." As a rule, women who were referred to as "madam" and "lady" in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were called "Mrs" by the eighteenth century. "Madame" remained in use into the eighteenth century, at least outside of London.

The association of Mrs. with business can be seen in the surviving archival censuses taken in the market town of Essex of Bucking in 1793. Among the 650 families, fifty were headed by men who received the title of Mister. These people were farmers, grocers, millers, manufacturers and other significant traders. Twenty-five of the women heading their households were named Mrs. Nearly two-thirds of these titled Mrs., were identified in business. AT rare cases, Mrs. appears in the records of business companies, it is generally clear from the context that its use denotes social rather than marital status.

The story presents conflicting explanations for the introduction of the address "Miss". One of them is that women are tired of identifying themselves with men.

In the twentieth and twenty-first century, the use of "Mrs" has more often created confusion. For example, the editor, Mary Wortley, corrected Mrs. to Miss, in order to avoid the erroneous opinion of readers that the correspondent was married.
Throughout the period, England was the only country in Europe in which married women, usually taking their husbands' surnames, were a kind of hostage to the characteristic regime of matrimonial property. But then, she was entitled to the social status of Mrs., which accompanied her own name and her husband's last name.

Whereas the form "Miss" was even desirable for some segments of the population.

Miss and Mrs, our days

In the twentieth century, "Mrs" and "Miss" acquired their final statuses, which determine whether a woman is married or not when addressing. As for the definition of "miss", it is also worth noting that this is a common address if a person does not want to focus on their marital status.

Girls are different ... And appeals to them too. Let's take a look at the features English address to women of different social status, because the rules good manners oblige us to know.

AT Western culture when introducing a woman (in oral and written speech), it is customary to indicate not only her first and last name, but also her “status”. This status is usually special word, which often acts as a reference. There are no analogues of such treatment in Russian culture. Appeal to a woman with the designation of her status was typical for carriers title of nobility. In general, this division of statuses is not typical for Russian culture, therefore the English “Miss” and “Mrs” cannot be unequivocally compared with similar addresses to women in Russian culture.

The Miz[UK spelling], Ms. [ˈmɪz], , [ˈməz], [ˈməs]) - "Madam ...". This treatment is neutral in English-speaking countries. Ms is placed before the surname of both married and unmarried women, if her marital status is unknown or the woman deliberately emphasizes her equality with a man. This appeal appeared in the 1950s and came into use since the 1970s at the initiative of representatives of the feminist movement.

As The American Heritage Book of English Usage states, “Ms. eliminates the need to guess is the addressee Mrs. or Miss: using Ms., it is impossible to make a mistake. Whether the female addressee is married or not, whether she has changed her last name or not, the use of Ms. always correct." In my style guide The Times states: “Today, Ms is completely acceptable if a woman wants to be called that, or if it is not known exactly, Mrs. she or Miss. The Guardian, which uses "women's titles" exclusively in editorials, advises in its style guide to "use Ms for women...unless they have expressed a desire to use Miss or Mrs."

Appeal Ms. is the standard term for a woman, unless another preferred term is given to her. Per standard usage Ms. etiquette authors also perform, including Judith Martin (also known as "Miss Manners").

Appeal to an unmarried girl

Miss (Miss)- an English-language address to an unmarried woman. Is an abbreviation for mistress (obsolete form addressing a woman). It can be used before a surname or as a direct address. An analogue in Russian can be the word "girl" or the pre-revolutionary "lady" or "mademoiselle".

The address "miss" is also used in relation to the teacher, regardless of her marital status. This rule associated with a period when only unmarried women could engage in teaching activities.

Appeal to a married woman

Mrs (Mrs)- Appeal to a married woman. Addressing a woman using her husband's name is rare nowadays, although it is possible to address a couple jointly, such as Mr and Mrs John Smith. It is generally considered polite to address women as Miss (Ms.) rather than Mrs., especially if the woman's preference for addressing her is not known, especially when communicating in writing.

Punctuation after abbreviation

A period is put on the letter after the abbreviations:

• Dear Miss Jones! Dear Miss Jones!
• Dear Mrs. Wilson! Dear Mrs Wilson!
• Dear Ms. Smith! Dear Miss Smith!

If the appeal is written in full, then the point is not put:

• Miss Dana Simms - Miss Dana Simms.

Let's summarize:

• Ms – polite form addressing a woman in letters without direct instructions for marital status.
• Miss- Appeal to an unmarried woman.
• Mrs- Appeal to a married woman.

Adapted texts on the English language
Rhyming words in English
English female names

AT European culture the rules of etiquette provide for addressing a woman in a form that corresponds to her status, age and marital status.

Definition

madam- obligatory word usage in France and some European countries at official communication with representatives of the weaker sex. This form was originally courtesy denoted the belonging of a woman to the upper class or a noble family. Later appeal madam lost its pronounced class coloring, moved into the category of words used in etiquette formulas of speech, and began to be used in relation to women in general.

Ma'am- short form of address madam, which was actively used in England in the 18th - 19th centuries in relation to a woman who occupied significant position in society. Currently in English word form ma'am is obsolete and almost never used. In the meanings of " mistress», « hostess», « mentor» it has taken root in countries North America and became part of active vocabulary modern Americans.

Miss and Mrs- Forms of polite address to a woman in England and America. Appeal Mrs. in combination with the surname of the husband is used in relation to persons who are married. In relation to an unmarried woman, the rules of etiquette prescribe the treatment miss.

Mademoiselle- polite address to girls and young women before their marriage, which in France until recently was considered a sign of good taste. With the spread French and French etiquette in the Russian nobility of the XVIII - early XIX centuries, this form began to be used in Russian speech. Modern usage appeals mademoiselle limited: under the influence of the feminist movement since 2012 in France, it has been excluded from official use.

Comparison

Married women are usually addressed in the form madam and Mrs..

Miss- a form of address for unmarried women, which is used in countries that inherit the rules English etiquette, regardless of the age of the fair sex.

The form mademoiselle as a polite appeal to a girl is gradually losing its meaning: since February 2012 in France, it has been officially replaced by the commonly used form madam.

Appeal ma'am widespread in America: it is used by subordinates in relation to a woman who has a certain official position.

Findings site

1. Appeal madam to married women is accepted in France and some English-speaking countries of Europe.
2. In American communication, the word madam transformed into short form ma'am and partially lost the meaning indicating social status married woman.
3. The use of addresses miss and Mrs. common in England. The form Mrs. in combination with the husband's surname, it is used in relation to a married woman; miss It is customary to use in combination with the surname received at birth.
4. Appeal mademoiselle can refer only to young unmarried women and young girls. It is excluded from official business communication in France, but traditionally remains in speech use.

Both words are used to refer to the fair sex. If you are studying English or are considering moving to English speaking country you need to know in without fail what is the difference between miss and miss and in what cases to use these words.

Miss and Mrs: Difference

Since it is not customary for us to call girls and women with these words, many have no idea how they differ. Miss, Mrs, Ms and Madam are not interchangeable, so you should not confuse them.

"Miss" (miss) should be used when we are talking about an unmarried woman. After the word miss comes the name of the girl. Most often, this treatment is used for very young girls, aged no older than 18-20 years. Miss is also used if the girl is in this moment performs his professional duties (salesman, waitress, teacher).

"Mrs" (Mrs) (Mistress, missis) is the proper title for a married woman or widow. The full name is mistress, which is used as a designation for "wife", "mistress". After the word "Mrs." the surname of her husband is used. If the woman is widowed or divorced, Mrs. must be followed by her maiden name.

But what if we have no idea whether a woman is married or not? How not to get into awkward situation? In this case, you need to contact her Miz (Ms). Usually this title is used with the surname of a girl or woman. This appeal was coined in America, in 1952.

The official address for a woman is Madam. It is used in cases where the woman's surname is unknown.

What is the difference between Miss and Mrs? Now that you know all necessary information about these titles, you will definitely not get into an awkward situation. Well, if you have no idea about the status of a woman, call her "Miz" or Madam.

How to address an unfamiliar lady in Russia? There is no universal appeal: a girl, a young lady - everyone uses these and other options in accordance with their own taste. For foreigners, things are somewhat better with this: Fröken and Frau in Sweden, Fraulein and Frau in Germany, Senorita and Senora in Spain, Mademoiselle and Madame in France, Miss and Mrs in England, USA, Australia, Canada and a number of others. There doesn't seem to be much difference between the two words. And yet there are nuances that are not known to everyone.

It would seem, why so strictly separate Mrs. and Miss? The difference is in two letters, and there are a lot of questions. What is the best way to address a stranger? Arises a large number of doubts, if the matter concerns not personal communication, but business correspondence.

The difference between Miss and Mrs is that the former is applied to unknown young and unmarried women, while the latter is only applied to married and widowed women. "Mrs" can be called an older lady if there is no certainty in her marital status.

When a surname is added to the address, you need to carefully choose between "Mrs" and "Miss". The difference is the same - However, in this case, the ladies are a little more likely to be offended if you say "Mrs" to an unmarried woman. Therefore, in case of any doubt, it is better to use the "girlish" option. In extreme cases, you can apologize and make some nice compliment.

As for here, the situation has long been simpler, since the neutral version of "Ms" is increasingly being used, which does not focus on the marital status of the interlocutor. Although in some

In cases, which will be discussed a little later, "Miss" and "Mrs." are also used in official letters. There is also a difference here, although general case the neutral "Ms." is used. or "Ms" - the presence or absence of a dot depends on whether the correspondence is being conducted with a European or an American.

And yet in some cases marital status can and should be emphasized. This is done, for example, in official invitations to some events when they are intended

the whole family. Then there is the enumeration: Mr, Mrs and Miss, if we are talking about a man, his wife and daughter. It is obvious that in similar cases the use of a neutral address is absolutely inappropriate, it will be more organic to look exactly like "Mrs" and "Miss". The difference between this and other cases is that here the emphasis on kinship and marital status of ladies is absolutely natural.

But perhaps in the future, something neutral will be used in these cases, as feminist sentiments are raging in Europe. Women are not inclined to advertise their marital status, therefore they consider the use of separate appeals to married and unmarried ladies to be sexism. Last year, France banned the use of "mademoiselle" in official documents, which was replaced by "madame."

So, in the addresses "Mrs" and "Miss" the difference is still quite large. And the point here is not in the marital status, but rather in the attitude of those around him. In the future, perhaps, there will still be one thing left, not only in business correspondence, but also in personal communication, but for now it remains to puzzle over which word is still better to use.