Pet Peeve: Plural of "Sir" & "Ma'am"

[FlyTiger77]

Although this was covered fairly succinctly in a thread about four years ago, a periodic refresher may be in order:

The plural of "Sir" is "Gentlemen" while the plural of "Ma'am" is "Ladies." Of course, a mixed-company group would be "Ladies and Gentlemen." In a group with several more-senior (to you) female officers and a single more-senior male, it would be appropriate to say, "Sir/Ladies" and vice versa for a group of males and a single senior female.

It has been my experience that adherence to this method greatly enhances the listener's perception of the speaker's professionalism.

[davidsinn]

Thank you Colonel. I hate it when cadets pull an O'Reilly.

[Майор Хаткевич]

Yes Sirs! will keep in mind.

When do the Ma'ams get here?

[FlyTiger77]

Yes Sirs! will keep in mind.

When do the Ma'ams get here?

Cute.

[FlyTiger77]

Thank you Colonel. I hate it when cadets pull an O'Reilly.

Pardon my ignorance, but what in the world is an "O'Reilly?"

[SarDragon]

Radar O'Reilly, the clerk from M*A*S*H.

[davidsinn]

Radar O'Reilly, the clerk from M*A*S*H.

Yup. Always going around saying "sirs."

[FlyTiger77]

Radar O'Reilly, the clerk from M*A*S*H.

Gotcha. I actually HAVE seen that. For some reason I was stuck at "Bill O'Reilly"...

[Майор Хаткевич]

Yes Sirs! will keep in mind.

When do the Ma'ams get here?

Cute.

I try sir.

I've heard the male version a lot, but not so much for the female version. I guess sirs is easier to roll off than ma'ams.

Still tickles me each time when a cadet says it.

[DakRadz]

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thank you for informing the unwashed masses of cadets, sir.

Yeah, no, I didn't know that at all.

[FlyTiger77]

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thank you for informing the unwashed masses of cadets, sir.

Yeah, no, I didn't know that at all.

You're welcome, but this was in no way directed strictly at cadets. The e-mail that precipitated my comment came from a new SM and I also beat up, with some regularity, some military officers for the same thing.

v/r

[octavian]

"Sirs" is the plural of "sir" and is acceptable to use, though many people in the U.S. prefer "gentlemen". 

[FlyTiger77]

"Sirs" is the plural of "sir" and is acceptable to use, though many people in the U.S. prefer "gentlemen".

I would be interested to see your source(s) as none of the four dictionaries I have readily at hand list "sirs" as acceptable.

v/r

[octavian]

"Company to Company",  Andrew Littlejohn. Cambridge University Press.1988,1994.  "Sirs" is used in a formal setting.  I also have a dictionary which lists the plural of "sir" as "sires" or "seres".

[raivo]

[RRLE]

MSN Encarta sir definition

sir [ stressed sur, unstressed sər ] (plural sirs)

[lordmonar]

Dictionary.com also uses "Sirs" in one of its examples of how to use sir in a sentance.

I do agree that while Sirs may be technically correct.....the pefered address whould be Gentlemen.

and of course YMMV.

[SarDragon]

IMHO, the differences in use are situational. Gentlemen would be used to broadly address a larger group, say in auditorium or similar venue, while sirs would be used to directly address a smaller group in your immediate presence, like Radar used to do.

YMMV.

BTW, I doubt that ma'ams is ever correct.

[vmstan]

If I'm standing there talking to another senior member, and a cadet walks up to tell us it was time for opening, hearing him address us as "Sirs" sounds better than "Gentlemen" -- but that's just me.

If the same cadet came up and told an entire room of senior members that it was time for opening, gentlemen seems more appropriate. I think it just has to do with the number of people being addressed and the situation.

[SarDragon]

There you go, examples of what I said.

Thank you.