Mstresses
Sir: Mr J. S. Collis raises once more (Letters, 28 November) the question of how to pronounce 'Ms' and the significance of its use. The current terms 'Miss', "Missis" ' and 'Mrs' (this last also unpronounceable) are all abbreviations of the original title 'Mistress' which was used for all women, irrespective of marital status, below the rank of 'My Lady'. The title is still in contemporary, if dialect, use in the Western Isles (of Scotland).
'Mistress' was debased to mean 'concubine' during the 19th century, but since that relationship is now covered by the general term 'lover', it may be appropriate to reinstate the term 'Mistress' to its proper place as the pronunciation of 'Ms'.
Should I meet Mr Collis, I should not wish to know whether or not he were a married man, unless his conduct towards me presumed that he had no spouse and that I did not have one either. I ask only the same civility of every male person I meet, whether or not he considers me under the 'protection' of a husband.
Incidentally, the abbreviation in question is 'Ms'. The abbreviation for manuscript is `MS' (Plural `MSS'). The variant `M/S' for 'Ms' is a typographical monstrosity.
(Ms) B. M. Cook
238 Wilton Street North Kelvinside, Glasgow
Previous page
