What Kind Of Person Can Be Called Madam

Is there a difference between calling someone "madam" and "ma'am"?

Yes, it's the same word said faster =)There's no real denotative difference, but there are some connotative differences:Calling someone "a madam" (at least in America) means she manages or owns a house of prostitution.Saying "madam" (Madam, if you would be so kind to follow me to your seat) would not be wrong but it would be different, identifying you as an outsider (not negatively so, though) and we'd probably think European-outsider. "Madam" sounds very formal and Old World to us. A maitre d at an expensive restaurant in America calling me madam would be more elegantly cordial, and I would enjoy it. And if I were overseas, I would expect to hear madam with greater frequency.In the South (southern states in the U.S.), as basic courtesy, we say "ma'am" with greater frequency than most would hear in the North. This is not to say that Northerners are less courteous; it's only to say that saying "sir" and "ma'am" (especially by kids to adults) is a big part of the Southern take on what courtesy and being raised right looks like.

Why do Nigerians call everyone uncle/aunty instead of sir/madam?

Hmm. Will I be wrong if I say it's common with the Yoruba's.Its a way of showing respect to anyone older than you. Even if the age difference is just a year. You must add a prefix like an aunt or uncle.Growing up in Ibadan, I learnt to call everyone older than me uncle/bother(brother) or anty. They don't have to be related to me in anyway. Then one day, we went to my village in Edo state. Think I was 10 or 11 years at that time. A small boy called my elder sister by her name. And I was angry. My sister was 8 years older. To me it was disrespectful for a boy my age to insult my sister by calling her name without adding the “auntie" thing. I made it an issue. Until my mum decided to step in. She said I shouldn't take it personal because he is not used to what I am correcting him for. She made me understand the difference in culture and tradition. And also made me realise he isn't a bad person because of what he did.I once called my friends sister who is just a year older than me by her name. And I heard the history of my life.It still does not end there. As a woman, if you marry a Yoruba man, you have to respect all his siblings both young and old by adding the same prefix. This is the wierd part of it all . I once heard my friend referring to her husband's brother, who she is older than with 9year “ bother Deji”. What amazes me about this Culture thing is that you are expected to call his “aburos” aunt and uncle. meanwhile,they are not obligated to call you the same. They will call you by your name because according to hierarchy, they are above you.I was taught in school that my mum/dad’s sister/brother is my auntie/ uncle. But in Nigeria culture, any man or woman who is significantly older than you is your auntie or uncle. This is the simplest way to be polite.

What does it mean when a guy calls you madam? Does he respect you or did he just put you in a friendzone?

He sounds really creepy and you did the only thing you could by removing him from your life and social media. It’s not normal behavior at all.

Is it rude to call a woman "ma'am"?

It is not rude to call a woman ma’am, but it can be ego-bruising.Ma’am is short for madam and is the proper way to address a married female, or a widow, regardless of age. Miss is short for Mistress or Missus, and is the proper way to address an unmarried female of any age. 300 years ago, miss meant unmarried, but Mrs. did not mean married. When a girl transitioned into adulthood, or her mother died, a girl because Mrs, married or not.In a way, we still allocate miss and Mrs. according to age, but the dividing line is decades later than it used to be. If we wanted to allocate solely on the basis of marital status, we’d have to know every addressee’s marital status. We don’t, so we have fallen into the convention of addressing young women as miss and middle-aged and older women as ma’am. There comes a day for every woman when someone will see her as a ma’am and address her as such. What does it mean? I don’t think I have to tell you.After her first ma’am, there will still be more misses than ma’ams for a few years. The ma’ams are jarring at first, but less so as the years go by.Boys and men experience an age-related change in how they are addressed, but it happens in the transition from boy to man, not from young man to old man. When a boy starts looking as though he no longer is a ward of his parents, he’ll start hearing hey, mister from children, the equivalent of hey, lady for girls. Sir kicks in a little later on, so there are a few years when no one knows how to address a man. Older people can say Excuse me, young man when they need a store clerk’s assistance, but it’s old fashioned and probably won’t last many more generations.A woman might seem foolishly vain if being addressed as ma’am gets under her skin, but if men who appear to be middle-aged or older were addressed as sire and only young, spongeworthy men were sir, they would feel the sting of that first sire just as surely as women feel the sting of the first ma’am.

What should I call a female, when I don't know whether she is married or not? Is madam too old-fashioned or weird? Is there any other saying?

Mrs. denotes a married woman.Miss is a young woman, whom you know is unmarried.Ms. Can be either married or unmarried, even if you already know which one they are.Mrs. is pronounced, “mizz”; it is more if a “z” sound then an “s”.Miss is a hard, literal pronunciation as in, “Don't miss the target.”Ms. is pronounced as an in between — neither a hard “ss” nor a solid “zz” — and can be imagined to be a shortening of “mis”. Withal, Ms. lies more on the “s” side when spoken. Even if said as “miss”, the meaning will be interpreted by the person to whom you are speaking as correct.It is very important to note: referring to a woman who isn't very old, around middle age, with one of these bbefore their name, unless one of your teachers, may make them self-concious about their age. I've heard many women talk about how a young woman referred to them as, say, “Miss Angela” and be confused as to why they “were a ‘Mrs. Angela'.” and not just “Angela”.Ma'am is the modern version, a shortened version, of “madam”.My general guideline to follow is,If someone is your age, it's always ok to say “miss” over 18, if it's a formal introduction.Unless you are working at your job and, say, delivering something, do not use any of these in front of the name. Just address them as Mrs, Miss, etc.Younger than you by around 10 years: MissOlder than you by around 10 years: ma'amIf you don’t know the person, try not to use “Mrs, or ms, miss [first name]”. That is where people may become self-concious of their age. If you are around the same age and do this, it's just a little odd because it's a show of respect, and isn't usually applied to people of the same age as a prefix.It's a judgement call based on how prevalent respect for your elders is in your region, and when someone may be considered one. These ages I've given as examples are what I've learned as an American in the south. Other areas may be far less concerned with these social principals.Mr. is a formal prefix for a man, regardless of age.Sir is always used without a name (unless someone is knighted).