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)"