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
Thank you, that is a valid concern.
It’s all about tone. I’m most concerned about in-person interactions, and tone and intent is easier to convey in that type of encounter. I used to be a very sarcastic PoS, so I’m pretty aware of how to use words and tone The result is I’m pretty good at conveying earnestness and empathy. My challenge is that my speech patterns for polite formal are heavily engrained, so I’m looking for substitutes that flow with my existing speech patterns.
Also this has been a fascinating discussion and I’m loving all of the responses and suggestions, including yours. Thank you for contributing :-)