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Re: Women v. ladies
John Pastore (venture@CANCUN.RCE.COM.MX)
Fri, 31 May 1996 05:19:35 +0000
On 31 May 96 at 15:51, m_c_004b@frank.mtsu.edu wrote:
> On Thu, 30 May 1996, James Murphy wrote:
> > > On Wed, 29 May 1996, John Pastore wrote:
> > > > The librarian, for sure, would be a lady though.
> > And Carolyn Martin replied:
> > > A Lady? You mean, she would be married to an English
> > > Lord? Wow!
> James Murphy wrote:>
> > No, Carolyn, he probably was using it in sense 3, according to my
> > dictionary, "a woman of good breeding," perhaps not the rarity in
> > Cancun that it seems to be elsewhere these days; or, possibly, he
> > was using in in sense 4, "any woman: used in polite reference."
> > James L. Murphy
>
> =Now= who has no sense of humour? The full post should have
> read, "you mean she would be married to an English Lord? Wow, I knew
> the British aristocracy isn't what it used to be, but..."
> My point, which I guess I'll have to now make unsubtly, was that
> this is an archaic and erroneous use of the word. "Lady," in any
> sense...
...that is why I explained" 'l' as in lowwer case as in lady, and
not, ''L' as in uppercase"...
>..but that of a knighted woman or other member of the
aristocracy,...
...right --like in 'L'ady Godiva ?...
... or used in conjunction with "gentlemen" in polite
> formal introduction), implies a moral judgment (as your own
> definition reveals,...
...moral judgement by saying "lady" as to grant the benefit of any
possible doubt?..
>.... though you seem to think this shows good taste on your part,..
...
>... and is not interchangeable with "woman"...
...right about that, I seem to have met some who would call
themselves "ladies" who could hardly be considered interchangable
with "woman"...
... I believe
> the MLA and other modern usage authorities back me up on this. "Good
> breeding" applies to livestock...
...certainly maners don't (not that I'm any expert)...
> If John is trying to say "the librarian would no doubt be a
> woman," it's certainly accurate, as librarian is a traditionally
> female occupation.
Thanks Carolyn, but I did say what I was trying to say.
By the way, do you remember that Miss Universe Pageant where the
girl/wombman/lady/ladyette from Veracruz lost in the finals? If I
understand feminist anthropolgy right, this would be a dandy.
:*)
Ka Xiik Keech Ya Utzil,
John Pastore
Writer/Guide in 'El Mayab'
("The Mayan Homeland")
venture@cancun.rce.com.mx
"A teepee is a pyramid, isn't it?"
Pyramid="fire (pyre) in the middle (amid)"
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