There's a southern thing that I've never really liked. It's a bit of a tradition for showing respect in a casual way. People often put a title in front of a first name. For instance, my daughter's friends call me "Mister Darrell." That's always bugged me. I used to say, "Please call me Darrell or Mr. Rebouche. 'Mister Darrell' sounds like a hairdresser or something." It's not unusual around the hospital to hear a nurse refer to a familiar physician as "Doctor Bob." I still don't like it, but I've stopped fighting it. So, Mr. Darrell has a story.
In a nearby building on this campus, there are two people who work in the same office named Evonne and Hugh. I happened to be in the facility this week, and I saw a man wandering the halls. I asked if I could help him, and he said he was looking for Missy Vaughn. Well, I don't know Missy Vaughn, but I was determined to help him. So, I talked to several people in the office and asked if they knew Missy. No one did. The man was certain that Missy Vaughn worked there. Finally, he said, "She's not at her desk." I told him we could go to her desk and leave a message for her. He led me to a desk, Evonne's desk.
He wasn't looking for Missy Vaughn. He was looking for Miss Evonne.
Just yesterday, I walked down that hallway again. Hugh and Evonne were standing side-by-side at Missy Vaughn's desk. I said, "Hi, Evonne. Hi, Hugh." (Do yourself a favor and say that part aloud).
Evonne said, "Hi, Darrell. I'm Fine. How are you?" At that point, Mr. Darrell officially surrendered.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Southern Accents and Homonym Hell
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2 comments:
Is it just a southern thing?
Well, we know how it is being Southern ... I would usually address a woman by a "Miss," "Mrs.," or "Ms." followed by the first name, though. I learned it from my dad, who did that quite often.
My dad was known as "Vic," and people would often address my mom as "Ms. Vic." I thought that was kind of odd, but as Daddy D indicates, it's just one of those Southern things ...
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