Editing Ms.

{{short description|English honorific title for women regardless of marital status}}
{{about|the title|the magazine|Ms. (magazine)|other uses|MS (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2021}}

'''Ms.''' ([[American English]])<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of Ms.|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ms.|website=Merriam-Webster|language=en-US|access-date=2021-10-25}}</ref> or '''Ms''' ([[British English]];<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ms|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/ms|website=Cambridge Dictionary|language=en-GB|access-date=2021-10-25}}</ref> normally {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɪ|z}}, but also {{IPAc-en|m|ə|z}}, or {{IPAc-en|m|ə|s}} when unstressed)<ref name=OED>''Oxford English Dictionary'' online, Ms, ''n.<sup>2</sup>''. Etymology: "An orthographic and phonetic blend of Mrs ''n.<sup>1</sup>'' and miss ''n.<sup>2</sup>'' Compare mizz ''n.'' The pronunciation with final /-z/ would appear to have arisen as a result of deliberate attempts to distinguish between this word and miss ''n.<sup>2</sup>''; compare mizz ''n.'', and perhaps also Miz ''n.<sup>1</sup>''" — [mizz ''n.'': Etymology: Representing the spoken realization of Ms ''n.<sup>2</sup>'' (see discussion at that entry)]. Accessed 2012-07-25.</ref><ref>{{cite book
|title=Longman pronunciation dictionary r
|first=John C.
|last= Wells
|publisher=Longman
|location=Harlow, England
|year=1990
|isbn=0-582-05383-8
|page=463
}} entry "Ms". It may be pronounced with schwa even in stressed situation.</ref> is an [[English honorific|English-language honorific]] used with the last name or full name of a woman, intended as a default form of address for women regardless of marital status.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emilypost.com/everyday/forms_of_address.htm |title=Emily Post's Guide to Addressing Correspondence: Addressing a Woman |publisher=The Emily Post Institute |access-date=2013-03-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208230733/http://www.emilypost.com/everyday/forms_of_address.htm |archive-date=2010-02-08 }}</ref> Like ''[[Miss]]'' and ''[[Mrs.|Mrs]].'', the term ''Ms.'' has its origins in the female English title once used for all women, ''[[Mistress (form of address)|Mistress]]''. It originated in the 17th century and was revived into mainstream usage in the 20th century.<ref name=Zimmer>{{cite web |title=Hunting the Elusive First 'Ms.' |last=Zimmer |first=Ben |author-link=Benjamin Zimmer |url=http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/1895/ |date=2009-06-23 | work=Word Routes | publisher=The Visual Thesaurus |access-date=2009-06-23}}</ref>

It is followed by a [[full stop]], or period, in [[Canada]] and the [[United States]], but not in many other English-speaking countries.<ref name="OED" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Abbreviations : Capital Letters and Abbreviations |url=http://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/punctuation/capsandabbr/abbr|website=www.sussex.ac.uk|access-date=26 February 2018}}</ref>

== Historical development and revival of the term ==
[[Miss]] and [[Mrs.]], both derived from the then formal Mistress, like Mister did not originally indicate marital status.<ref>{{cite book|last=Spender|first=Dale|title=Man Made Language|year=1981|publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul|location=London|isbn=978-0-7100-0675-2|author-link=Dale Spender}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Stannard|first=Una|title=Mrs Man|year=1977|publisher=Germainbooks|location=San Francisco|isbn=978-0-914142-02-7|url=https://archive.org/details/mrsman0000stan}}</ref> Ms. was another acceptable, but rarely used, abbreviation for Mistress in England in the 17th and 18th centuries.<ref name=Buxton>{{cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/cultural-capital/2014/09/mistress-miss-mrs-or-ms-untangling-shifting-history-women-s-titles|title=Mistress, Miss, Mrs or Ms: untangling the shifting history of women's titles|first=Alexandra|last=Buxton|date=September 12, 2014|access-date=May 15, 2019|work=New Statesman America}}</ref> During the 19th century, however, Mrs. and Miss came to be associated almost exclusively with marital status.<ref name=Luu>{{cite web|url=https://daily.jstor.org/from-the-mixed-up-history-of-mrs-miss-and-ms/|first=Chi|last=Luu |title=From the Mixed-Up History of Mrs., Miss, and Ms. |work=JSTOR Daily|date=November 8, 2017|access-date=May 15, 2019}}</ref> Ms. was popularized as an alternative in the late 20th century.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/columns/missmanners/story/824581.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091014151111/http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/columns/missmanners/story/824581.html | archive-date = 2009-10-14 | title = What's in a name? | date = October 11, 2009 | author-link = Judith Martin | last = Martin | first = Judith | work = [[Buffalo News]] | department = Miss Manners }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author-link = Judith Martin | last = Martin | first = Judith | title = Miss Manners' Guide for the Turn of the Millennium | page = [https://archive.org/details/missmannersguide00mart_0/page/10 10] | publisher = [[Simon & Schuster]] | location = New York, New York | isbn = 0-671-72228-X | url = https://archive.org/details/missmannersguide00mart_0/page/10 | date = 1990-11-15 }}</ref>

The earliest known proposal for the modern revival of Ms. as a title appeared in ''[[The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts)|The Republican]]'' of [[Springfield, Massachusetts]], on November 10, 1901:

{{blockquote|There is a void in the English language which, with some diffidence, we undertake to fill. Every one has been put in an embarrassing position by ignorance of the status of some woman. To call a maiden Mrs is only a shade worse than to insult a matron with the inferior title Miss. Yet it is not always easy to know the facts...
Now, clearly, what is needed is a more comprehensive term which does homage to the sex without expressing any views as to their domestic situation, and what could be simpler or more logical than the retention of what the two doubtful terms have in common. The abbreviation Ms is simple, it is easy to write, and the person concerned can translate it properly according to circumstances. For oral use it might be rendered as "Mizz," which would be a close parallel to the practice long universal in many [[bucolic]] regions, where a slurred Mis' does duty for Miss and Mrs alike.<ref name=Zimmer />}}

The term was again suggested as a convenience to writers of business letters by such publications as the ''Bulletin of the American Business Writing Association'' (1951) and ''The Simplified Letter'', issued by the National Office Management Association (1952).<ref>{{cite web|title=Ms.|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Ms+%28title%29|work=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|year=2009}}</ref>

In 1961, [[Sheila Michaels]] attempted to put the term into use when she saw what she thought was a typographical error on the address label of a copy of ''[[News & Letters]]'' sent to her roommate.<ref>{{cite news |title=Missing piece of puzzle in story of 'Ms.' |author=Jeffs, Angela |newspaper=[[The Japan Times]] Online |date=November 5, 2000 |url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20001105a1.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.solidarity-us.org/node/1399 |title=Forty Years of Defying the Odds |author=Michaels, Sheila |date=March–April 2008 |work=Solidarity Webzine |publisher=[[Solidarity (U.S.)|Solidarity]] |access-date=November 9, 2009}}</ref> Michaels "was looking for a title for a woman who did not 'belong' to a man."<ref>{{cite web | last = Kay | first = Eve | date = 28 June 2007 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/gender/story/0,,2114612,00.html | title = Call Me Ms | work = [[The Guardian]] | access-date = August 20, 2007 }}</ref> She knew the separation of the now common terms ''Miss'' and ''Mrs.'' had derived from ''Mistress'', but one could not suggest that women use the original title with its now louche connotations. Her efforts to promote use of a new honorific were at first ignored.<ref>{{cite web|author=Fishko, Sara |url=http://www.wnyc.org/shows/fishko/2012/jun/28/ |title=Fishko Files: Ms. |publisher=WNYC |date=June 28, 2012 |access-date=2013-03-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312061805/http://www.wnyc.org/shows/fishko/2012/jun/28/ |archive-date=2013-03-12 }}</ref>

[[File:Gloria_Steinam_Endorsement_(3838080804).jpg|thumb|right|alt=Gloria Steinem, who founded the magazine Ms., popularising the term|Gloria Steinem, who founded the magazine Ms., popularising the term.]]
In 1969, during a lull in an interview with ''The Feminists'' group on [[WBAI]]-FM radio in New York City, Michaels suggested the use of ''Ms.'' A friend of [[Gloria Steinem]] heard the interview and suggested it as a title for her new magazine. The magazine ''[[Ms. (magazine)|Ms.]]'' debuted on newsstands in January 1972, and its much-publicized name quickly led to widespread usage.<ref>{{cite news |title=On Language: Ms. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/magazine/25FOB-onlanguage-t.html |last=Zimmer |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Zimmer |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2009-10-25 |access-date=2009-11-16}}</ref> In February 1972, the US Government Printing Office approved using ''Ms.'' in official government documents.<ref name="'70s 246">{{cite book|title= How We Got Here: The '70s|last= Frum|first= David|author-link= David Frum|year= 2000|publisher= Basic Books|location= New York, New York|isbn= 0-465-04195-7|page= [https://archive.org/details/howwegothere70sd00frum/page/246 246]|url= https://archive.org/details/howwegothere70sd00frum/page/246}}</ref> In 1976, [[Marvel Comics]] introduced a new [[superhero]] named [[Ms. Marvel]], billing her as the "first feminist superhero."{{Citation needed|reason=No source for the quotation, and no such statement from Marvel during her creation can be easily found.|date=May 2024}}

[[File:Geraldine_Ferraro,_first_female_Vice_Presidential_candidate_running_with_Presidential_candidate_Walter_Mondale,_visits_University_of_Texas_at_Arlington_campus_(10006337).jpg|thumb|right|alt=Geraldine Ferraro, who argued the case for recognition of "Ms"|Geraldine Ferraro, whose case encouraged the recognition of "Ms."]]
Even several public opponents of such usage, including [[William Safire]], were finally convinced that ''Ms.'' had earned a place in English by the case of [[US Congresswoman]] [[Geraldine Ferraro]]. Ferraro, a United States vice-presidential candidate in 1984, was a married woman who used her birth surname professionally rather than her husband's (Zaccaro). Safire, though saying "it breaks my heart," admitted in 1984 that it would be equally incorrect to call her "Miss Ferraro" (as she was married) or "Mrs. Ferraro" (as her husband was not "Mr. Ferraro")—and that calling her "Mrs. Zaccaro" would confuse the reader.<ref>Safire, William. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/05/magazine/on-language-goodbye-sex-hello-gender.html?pagewanted=1 On Language: Goodbye Sex, Hello Gender]", ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 5, 1984, Section 6 p. 8.</ref>

== Usage ==
Suggestions about how ''Ms.'' should be used, or whether it should be used at all, are varied, with more criticism in the U.K. than in the U.S.

''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' states in its [[style guide]] that ''Ms'' should only be used if a subject requests it herself and it "should not be used merely because we do not know whether the woman is Mrs or Miss."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/about-us/style-book/1435296/Telegraph-style-book-names-and-titles.html|title=Telegraph style book: names and titles |date=19 February 2008 |work=Telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> ''[[The Guardian]]'', which restricts its use of honorific titles to [[leading article]]s, states in its style guide: "use Ms for women ... unless they have expressed a preference for Miss or Mrs."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-m |title=The Guardian Style Guide: Mr, Ms, Mrs, Miss |newspaper=The Guardian |date=August 2009 |access-date=2021-03-05}}</ref> A [[BBC Academy]] style guide states, "In choosing between Miss, Mrs and Ms, try to find out what the person herself uses, and stick to that."<ref>{{Cite web|title = Names|url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/journalism/news-style-guide/article/art20130702112133537?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_college&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=corporate|access-date = 2015-06-25|publisher = BBC Academy}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' embraces the use of all three: Mrs., Miss, and Ms.,<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/magazine/25FOB-onlanguage-t.html Zimmer, Ben. "On Language: Ms."] ''The New York Times’’. 23 October 2009.</ref> and will follow the individual’s preferences.<ref>Siegal, Allan M., Connolly, William G. "Courtesy title". ''The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage: The Official Style Guide Used by the Writers and Editors of the World's Most Authoritative News Organization''. Random House USA Incorporated, 2015. {{ISBN|9781101905449}}. Page 79.</ref>

Some British etiquette writers and famous figures do not support the use of ''Ms'', including Charles Kidd, the editor of [[Debrett's]] Peerage and Baronetage, who claims the usage is "not very helpful" and that he had been "brought up to address a married woman as Mrs John Smith, for example."<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7952261.stm|title=Mrs? Or is that Ms, Miss?|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> Debrett's itself, concerning the case of a married woman who chooses not to take her husband's name, states, "The ugly-sounding Ms is problematic. Although many women have assumed this bland epithet, it remains incorrect to use it when addressing a social letter."<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/mother-tongue/7852516/Etiquette-Mind-your-please-and-cues.html |title=Etiquette: Mind your 'please' and cues|first=Jessica|last=Fellowes}}</ref> The former British [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) [[Ann Widdecombe]] has stated, "I can't see the point of Ms and I don't see it as an issue",<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk" /> whilst author and journalist [[Jessica Fellowes]] describes the title Ms as "ghastly."<ref name="telegraph.co.uk" /> The [[Queen's English Society]] has criticised the use of Ms as "an abbreviation that is not short for anything", describing it as a "linguistic misfit [that] came about because certain women suddenly became sensitive about revealing their marital status."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.queens-english-society.com/errors_ms.html |title=ERROR – Ms |website=The Queen's English Society: QES English Academy |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806111200/http://www.queens-english-society.com/errors_ms.html |archive-date=August 6, 2010 }}</ref>

The default use of ''Ms.'', especially for business purposes, is championed by some American sources, including [[Judith Martin]] (''a.k.a.'' Miss Manners).<ref>{{cite web | last = Martin | first = Judith | author-link = Judith Martin | title = Miss Manners: How and When to Use 'Ms.' in Business Correspondence | url = http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8318992 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120315222532/http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8318992 | archive-date = 2012-03-15 | publisher = [[MSN]] | department = Lifestyle |url-status=dead}}</ref> Concerning business, the [[Emily Post Institute]] states, "Ms. is the default form of address, unless you know positively that a woman wishes to be addressed as Mrs."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.emilypost.com/forms-of-address/titles/96-guide-to-addressing-correspondence | title = Guide to Addressing Correspondence}}</ref> ''The American Heritage Book of English Usage'' states, "Using Ms. obviates the need for the guesswork involved in figuring out whether to address someone as Mrs. or Miss: you can't go wrong with Ms. Whether the woman you are addressing is married or unmarried, has changed her name or not, Ms. is always correct."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bartleby.com/64/C005/025.html | title = The American Heritage Book of English Usage | date = 31 October 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081209005030/http://www.bartleby.com/64/C005/025.html | archive-date = 2008-12-09 }}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|33em}}

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary|Ms}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070216040332/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tools_and_services/specials/style_guide/ ''The Times'' style guide]
* [https://www.theguardian.com/styleguide ''The Guardian'' style guide]

{{Social titles}}
[[Category:17th-century neologisms]]
[[Category:Honorifics]]
[[Category:Women's social titles]]
[[Category:History of women in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:History of women in the United States]]