Q&A: “Are there any gender-inclusive terms that can take the place of “ma’am” and “sir”…”
anonymous said: Are there any gender-inclusive terms that can take the place of “ma’am” and “sir” when trying to get someone’s attention? Or for addressing people when you need to be extra polite. I haven’t had any luck finding one. “Hey, you” doesn’t quite cut it. i usually just drop such words entirely rather than attempt to replace them. “excuse me, sir / ma’am.” “pardon me, sir / ma’am.” “i’m sorry, sir / ma’am, but do you…?” in writing, you could replace “sir / ma’am” with “mx” (pronounced ‘mix’), but in a verbal situation that calls for politeness, that’s probably not the way to go. anyone else have any suggestions for anon?
