Re: [DEB-USER] Re: At peace with Debian (was: This is the last war...)
On Tue, 16 Jul 2002 18:41:26 -0700, Eric G. Miller wrote:
>On Tue, Jul 16, 2002 at 01:38:27PM -0500, Gary Turner wrote:
>> On Tue, 16 Jul 2002 10:07:32 -0500, Alex Malinovich wrote:
>>
>> >I don't quite recall the exact beginnings of this thread, but I'm
>> >assuming that "Miz" = Ms?
>>
>> Almost. "Miz," which is strictly oral, long predates the written "Ms,"
>> which was invented circa 1970.
>
>Webster's says circa 1923 for Ms., but it doesn't say how it arrived at
>that date... Possibly showed up with the suffragettes (U.S.
>Constitutional Amendment XIX was ratified in 1920).
I won't argue with Webster. My personal recollection is that it was
pushed by the women's movement in the early 70's as a marital-status
neutral replacement for "Mrs." and "Miss." It was pushed as a new word,
not an abbreviation. Thus there is no period, "Ms". It was to be
pronounced "miz" and perhaps is truly derivative.
My then wife's positions as executive vice president of the Dallas
chapter of N.O.W. and managing director of The Women's Center gave me a
front row seat to the events of the time.
--
gt
It ain't so much what you don't know that gets you in trouble---
it's what you do know that ain't so.--unk
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