Luxor4u

carrie wrote:Actually I would be quite happy to be called Um Omar, don't want all and sundry knowing my name.

Exactly!

newcastle wrote:

Mad Dilys wrote:What about English titles?

Young boy - Master etc do you think that really demeans girls?

Of course not.

I'll respond.....if you explain what you mean.

I can't follow your remark

Sorry, I didn't want to make a long and boring post.

The title for a male child is Master and Mr. is a shortened version for an adult male.

The very word Master implies superiority.

Miss and Mistress being the female title are diminutives and imply subservience.

That's why some use the horrid Ms.

My Daughters and I tend not to use any title - indeed for years my youngest daughter refused to use her surname. Their names are quite unusual anyway.

Just labels, but why should a complete stranger know from my title that I have been married or maybe not?

Ms Miss and Mrs for women, and only Mr for adult males? We can't tell by his title if the man is married single or doesn't want you to know. For some this is important - I find it mildly irritating and also interesting, that's all.

Being known by your 'title' is one thing.

Being defined by it is quite another.

It's another example of the presumption (historically - on the part of men) that a woman should somehow be categorised by her marital status.

That some woman find this objectionable and adopt the title Ms. does not surprise me in the least.

I haven't checked the etymology but I expect the terms mister & master are related, and originate in the concepts of control and domination.

The terms missus (mrs) and mistress would be the female equivalents....originally indicating control or authority.

Nowadays , Mrs tends just to indicate a married woman whilst mistress has acquired a quite different connotation depending on the context

Many men are known as Abu Whatevertheirfirstson'sname too.

People here in Luxor who know my name and nationality also know that I am very private and they will not call my name out loud if they see me.

On my thirtieth birthday, my mother asked me if I was going to call myself Mrs. now that I was so old and unmarried. She said that was allowed, but I did not want to scare off potential husbands (I managed to do that anyway). Today, still never married, I accept Madame, but feel far too feminine for the Egyptian "Sir".

Yesterday, I was really upset for different reasons and screamed at a man:

"Stop calling me Sir!"
"Sorry Sir!"
"I am not a man!"
"No, sir, sorry Sir!" This went on for twenty minutes until I called him Madame.

Mad Dilys wrote:What about English titles?

Young boy - Master etc do you think that really demeans girls?

Of course not.

The exception being if the boys fathers surname is Bates.

BENNU wrote:Many men are known as Abu Whatevertheirfirstson'sname too.

People here in Luxor who know my name and nationality also know that I am very private and they will not call my name out loud if they see me.

On my thirtieth birthday, my mother asked me if I was going to call myself Mrs. now that I was so old and unmarried. She said that was allowed, but I did not want to scare off potential husbands (I managed to do that anyway). Today, still never married, I accept Madame, but feel far too feminine for the Egyptian "Sir".

Yesterday, I was really upset for different reasons and screamed at a man:

"Stop calling me Sir!"
"Sorry Sir!"
"I am not a man!"
"No, sir, sorry Sir!" This went on for twenty minutes until I called him Madame.

I remember feeling uncomfortable when I first came to Egypt and being addressed as Mr. (First name) all the time. Like a scene out of Gone With the Wind!

I explained to hotel staff etc. that it was a term with 'slavery' connotations and |I'd rather they used my first name....all to no avail

Took a while to take on board that, for the Egyptian, it was a respectful form of address.

Now I routinely announce myself as Mr. (First name) when dealing with Egyptians.

My little Egyptian 'grandson' calls me 'giddu' - though he's only just speaking so it sometimes comes out as 'dadadadada'

His parents call me 'dad' and have done for years.

When I'm visiting the sites of Luxor, where I'm recognised as a frequent visitor with some knowledge, the guardians etc. usually refer to me as 'doctor'.....quite flattering really

newcastle wrote: When I'm visiting the sites of Luxor, where I'm recognised as a frequent visitor with some knowledge, the guardians etc. usually refer to me as 'doctor'.....quite flattering really

"Doctora" means that noone will waste their time trying to show me anything.
I'm only flattered if they call me "nurse".

BENNU wrote:

newcastle wrote: When I'm visiting the sites of Luxor, where I'm recognised as a frequent visitor with some knowledge, the guardians etc. usually refer to me as 'doctor'.....quite flattering really

"Doctora" means that noone will waste their time trying to show me anything.

Ditto for me, but occasionally someone tries. It is when people call me "professor" that I feel a bit guilty.