SirSamuel2d ago

What is a gender neutral honorific for non-binary folk?

https://lemmy.world/post/44637079

What is a gender neutral honorific for non-binary folk? - Lemmy.World

I was raised to address strangers and those I wish to show social deference to as “Sir” or “Ma’am”. It’s a difficult habit to break, as it is deeply engrained. What is an equivalent gender neutral honorific that is relatively common in English? If I can’t break the habit I’d rather have a substitute word to use instead of an awkward pause in the middle of addressing someone I’d just use Google to ask but I’d rather ask the people directly rather than an AI generated answer based off of Reddit threads

Show threadAskewLord2d ago

just don’t use any honorifics.

problem solved.

Show threadSirSamuel2d ago

Honorifics are part of my culture and tradition. I’ve let go of a lot of other things from my culture that interfere with loving my neighbor, but there’s certain social mores I don’t want to abandon. Honorifics are a way of showing respect to others in my culture, it is as ingrained as taking off one’s hat and standing for a funeral procession.

Korean is easier, just call everyone Teacher. Problem solved.

Show threadhexagonwin20h ago
the word you mean (선생님) is quite different from ‘teacher’ tho, can’t think of an english equivalent of that word…
Show threadSirSamuel

Could… could it be summed up… like considering cultural context, including historical respect for certain vocations, and Confucian influences in earlier centuries, as a word like, I don’t know, Teacher?

I kid I kid, i get what you’re saying, but teacher is generally accepted as the English translation for 선생님 to the best of my knowledge. Granted, I haven’t studied the language for almost 20 years but I think that’s still the case, yes?

Also, and genuinely curious here, what is used for “teacher” in a school setting? Like I can see a little kid saying 제 선생님은 재미있서 because of how 선생님 is used. But if a teenager said their teacher sucks what word would they use?

2:28pmWeb
Show threadhexagonwin12h ago

honestly i’m not sure lol

you’re right but that’s mostly in the context of students referring to their teachers, i had the impression it’s quite different from the way it gets used as a second person pronoun or as a way of showing respect to someone.

Also, and genuinely curious here, what is used for “teacher” in a school setting? But if a teenager said their teacher sucks what word would they use?

선생님 is the primary way of refering to teachers, but if one’s being rude they might as well say “선생” (without the “님”) or their name, nickname, etc…

english isn’t my primary language so i’m not sure if my comment makes sense lol

Show threadSirSamuel8h ago

Oh yeah, dropping the 님 makes total sense, I just didn’t know if there was another word used besides “선생” for teacher in a general sense.

Don’t worry about your English, it’s better than mine and I’m a native speaker and occasional pedant. Your comment absolutely makes sense.