LINGUIST List 6.1451

Wed Oct 18 1995

Sum: Madam Chairman

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1. hiro-t, Summary: Madam Chairman

Dear Linguists,
 I posted a query on the possibility of _Madam Chairman_ on behalf
of my teacher at the university I graduated from a couple of months ago.
My original poting was as follows:

 When you address a chairman/chairwoman/chairperson, you use "Mr. Chairman"
to a male chair and "Madam Chairman" to a female chair. But don't you use
a phrase like "Madam Chairwoman" or "Madam Chairperson" if you exactly
follow the rule of anti-sexism? Or jus use "Chair"?

 5 peole responded my query.
 Anton Sherwood (dashernetcom.com)
 Steven Scaufele (fcoswsprairienet.org)
 Anthea F. Gupta (ellguptaleonis.nus.sg)
 Linda Coleman (Linda_K_COLEMANumail.umd.edu) answered twice.
 Anonymous

 The following table is the result. Multiple answers were given.

 Madam Chair Chair Madam Chairman Madam Chairwoman
 2 1 OK: 1 2
 unacceptable: 3
 (even offesive)
 Last Name
 2

The issue is not so easy to decide which adress we should use, and
it depends on the norms of the organization of the committee belongs to,
and the wishes of the Chair herself, as Anthea gupta says. In Western
society, as againast Japan, people seem more likely to avoid using titles
altogether, as one anonymous person says.

 We should make a further research more sociologically and
even sociolinguistically on this isuue. Thank you very much
for all those who helped.

Best Wishes,
Hiroaki Tanaka, Tokushima University, Japan
E-mail: hiro-tias,tokushima-u.ac.jp