Miss: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
Ponsonby100 (talk | contribs) Shortened racial discrimination section to bare essentials as it was disproportionate to the length of article. Removed section on Ms, there is already a link to article on that title in text above. This article is about Miss, not Ms. |
ClueBot NG (talk | contribs) m Reverting possible vandalism by 173.12.142.98 to version by JHunterJ. Report False Positive? Thanks, ClueBot NG. (4321619) (Bot) |
||
| (42 intermediate revisions by 27 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
{{About|the honorific for unmarried women|the honorific for women regardless of marital status|Ms.|the honorific for married women|Mrs.}} |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
{{refimprove|date=November 2010}} |
{{refimprove|date=November 2010}} |
||
{{globalize|article|USA|date=May 2012}} |
{{globalize|article|USA|date=May 2012}} |
||
}} |
}} |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | '''Miss''' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɪ|s|}}) is an English |
||
| ⚫ | '''Miss''' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɪ|s|}}) is an [[English-language]] [[English honorific|honorific]] typically used for a [[girl]], for an unmarried [[woman]] (when not using another title such as "[[Doctor (title)|Doctor]]" or "[[Dame (title)|Dame]]"), or for a married woman retaining her [[maiden name]]. Originating in the 17th century, it is a contraction of ''[[mistress (form of address)|mistress]]''. The plural of ''Miss'' is ''Misses'' or occasionally ''Mses''.<ref name="yourdictionary">{{cite web |last1=Gormandy White |first1=Mary |title=Messrs., Mmes. and Mses.: Quick Guide to Meaning & Use |url=https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/abbreviations-mr-mmes-mses-guide |website=www.yourdictionary.com |access-date=14 August 2023 |date=2020}}</ref> |
||
The plural '''''Misses''''' may be used, such as in ''The Misses Doe''. The traditional French "'''Mademoiselle'''" (abbreviation "'''Mlle'''") may also be used as the plural in English language conversation or correspondence. In Australian, British, and Irish schools the term 'miss' is often used by pupils in addressing any female teacher. |
|||
== Usage == |
|||
== Use alone as a form of address == |
|||
When used as a title, ''Miss'' is placed before the whole name or only the surname of the person. |
|||
''Miss'' is an honorific for addressing a woman who is not married, and is known by her maiden name. It is a shortened form of ''mistress'', and departed from ''misses/missus'' which became used to signify marital attachment in the 18th and 19th centuries. It does not imply age, though youth corresponds (as marriage implies adulthood). |
|||
As a form of address, ''Miss'' used alone can also be a polite and formal way to directly address a young and/or unmarried woman. In Australian, British, and Irish schools, it is often used by pupils in addressing any female [[teacher]]. |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Being addressed with "Miss" or "Mrs." was frequently denied to |
||
== |
== History == |
||
=== Origins === |
|||
* [[Fräulein]] (German-language term for ''Miss'', gained popularity due to the ''Fräuleinwunder'', lit. ''Miracle of the Miss''){{dubious|date=December 2020}} |
|||
Like ''[[Ms.|Ms]]'' and ''Mrs'', ''Miss'' has its roots in the title ''Mistress'' and was originally a title given primarily to children rather than adults. During the 1700s, its usage broadened to encompass adult women. The title emerged as a polite way to address women, reflecting changing societal norms and class distinctions. Prior to this, referring to an adult woman as a ''Miss'' might have carried connotations of prostitution.<ref name="Erickson">{{cite journal |last=Erickson |first=Amy Louise |title=Mistresses and Marriage: or, a Short History of the Mrs |journal=History Workshop Journal |volume=78 |issue=1 |date=Autumn 2014 |pages=39–57 |doi=10.1093/hwj/dbt002 |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/hwj/dbt002}}</ref> |
|||
=== Evolution of meanings and usage === |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
The meanings of both ''Miss'' and ''Mrs'' underwent transformations over time. Historically, these titles did not solely indicate marital status.<ref name="Erickson" /> Even after the adoption of ''Miss'' by many adult single women in 18th-century England, ''Mrs'' continued to signify social or business standing, rather than merely marital status, until at least the mid-19th century.<ref name="Erickson" /> |
|||
{{reflist}} |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Being addressed with "Miss" or "Mrs." was frequently denied to Black women in the [[Southern United States]] in the past. [[Mary Hamilton (activist)|Mary Hamilton]], a [[Civil rights movement|civil rights]] protester arrested in 1963 in [[Gadsden, Alabama]], refused to answer the prosecutor in a subsequent hearing unless he stopped addressing her as "Mary", demanding that instead she be called "Miss Hamilton".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H0yXQ8kq2gsC&pg=PT1207|page=1207|title=Prosecutorial Misconduct: Law, Procedure, Forms|first=Joseph F.|last=Lawless|publisher=LexisNexis|year=2008|isbn=9781422422137}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite magazine | title=Call Her Miss | magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date=April 10, 1964 | accessdate=July 13, 2013 | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,875740,00.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050719075725/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,875740,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=July 19, 2005}} {{subscription required|s}}</ref> She was subsequently jailed for contempt of court after refusing to pay a fine. This led to ''[[Hamilton v. Alabama (1964)|Hamilton v. Alabama]]'', 376 U.S. 650 (1964), a [[Supreme Court of the United States|United States Supreme Court]] case in which the court held that Mary Hamilton was entitled to the same courteous forms of address customarily reserved solely for whites in the southern United States<ref name=LSAT>{{cite book | title=Barron's How to Prepare for the LSAT, Law School Admission Test | author=Bobrow, Jerry | page=587 | publisher=Barron's Educational Series | date=2005 | isbn=978-0-7641-2412-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SBuAXRPCZzYC&pg=PA587 | accessdate=July 13, 2013 | archive-date=August 14, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814015255/https://books.google.com/books?id=SBuAXRPCZzYC&pg=PA587 | url-status=live }}</ref> and that calling a Black person by their first name in a formal context was "a form of racial discrimination."<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=18021404763502537300|title=Hamilton v. Alabama, 376 US 650 – Supreme Court 1964 – Google Scholar|access-date=2022-11-06|archive-date=2022-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106210421/https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=18021404763502537300|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
== See also == |
|||
* [[Fräulein]], the German equivalent of ''Miss'' |
|||
* {{linktext|Fröken}}, an archaic Swedish equivalent of ''Miss'' |
|||
* [[Mademoiselle (title)|Mademoiselle]], the French equivalent of ''Miss'' |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
{{Reflist}} |
|||
{{Social titles}} |
{{Social titles}} |
||
[[Category:Women's social titles]] |
[[Category:Women's social titles]] |
||
[[Category:Honorifics]] |
[[Category:Honorifics]] |
||
[[Category:Titles]] |
|||
Latest revision as of 06:47, 9 May 2024
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Miss (pronounced /ˈmɪs/) is an English-language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, it is a contraction of mistress. The plural of Miss is Misses or occasionally Mses.[1]
Usage[edit]
When used as a title, Miss is placed before the whole name or only the surname of the person.
As a form of address, Miss used alone can also be a polite and formal way to directly address a young and/or unmarried woman. In Australian, British, and Irish schools, it is often used by pupils in addressing any female teacher.
History[edit]
Origins[edit]
Like Ms and Mrs, Miss has its roots in the title Mistress and was originally a title given primarily to children rather than adults. During the 1700s, its usage broadened to encompass adult women. The title emerged as a polite way to address women, reflecting changing societal norms and class distinctions. Prior to this, referring to an adult woman as a Miss might have carried connotations of prostitution.[2]
Evolution of meanings and usage[edit]
The meanings of both Miss and Mrs underwent transformations over time. Historically, these titles did not solely indicate marital status.[2] Even after the adoption of Miss by many adult single women in 18th-century England, Mrs continued to signify social or business standing, rather than merely marital status, until at least the mid-19th century.[2]
Racial discrimination[edit]
Being addressed with "Miss" or "Mrs." was frequently denied to Black women in the Southern United States in the past. Mary Hamilton, a civil rights protester arrested in 1963 in Gadsden, Alabama, refused to answer the prosecutor in a subsequent hearing unless he stopped addressing her as "Mary", demanding that instead she be called "Miss Hamilton".[3][4] She was subsequently jailed for contempt of court after refusing to pay a fine. This led to Hamilton v. Alabama, 376 U.S. 650 (1964), a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that Mary Hamilton was entitled to the same courteous forms of address customarily reserved solely for whites in the southern United States[5] and that calling a Black person by their first name in a formal context was "a form of racial discrimination."[4][6]
See also[edit]
- Fräulein, the German equivalent of Miss
- Fröken, an archaic Swedish equivalent of Miss
- Mademoiselle, the French equivalent of Miss
References[edit]
- ^ Gormandy White, Mary (2020). "Messrs., Mmes. and Mses.: Quick Guide to Meaning & Use". www.yourdictionary.com. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ a b c Erickson, Amy Louise (Autumn 2014). "Mistresses and Marriage: or, a Short History of the Mrs". History Workshop Journal. 78 (1): 39–57. doi:10.1093/hwj/dbt002.
- ^ Lawless, Joseph F. (2008). Prosecutorial Misconduct: Law, Procedure, Forms. LexisNexis. p. 1207. ISBN 9781422422137.
- ^ a b "Call Her Miss". Time. April 10, 1964. Archived from the original on July 19, 2005. Retrieved July 13, 2013. (Subscription required.)
- ^ Bobrow, Jerry (2005). Barron's How to Prepare for the LSAT, Law School Admission Test. Barron's Educational Series. p. 587. ISBN 978-0-7641-2412-9. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
- ^ "Hamilton v. Alabama, 376 US 650 – Supreme Court 1964 – Google Scholar". Archived from the original on 2022-11-06. Retrieved 2022-11-06.