“No,” said Harry, getting to his feet as far from Snape as he could, “No, of course I w–” Whereas the British and Commonwealth female equivalent is Miss, students will often refer to female teachers as Ma'am.[22]. It was first published in 2005. Robert Skeris, KCHS. In the United States, it is much more common in certain areas (even when addressing male peers or men considerably younger). In the Northeast United States, particularly New England, there remains influence of both the British and French traditions as noted above; in general parlance, teachers, authority-figures, and so forth, are referred to by a title of respect such as 'Sir' for males and 'Miss, Ms, or Mrs' for females: 'Miss' for unmarried, younger females; 'Ms' for senior, elder, or ranking females that may or may not be married (see article Ms/Mrs/Miss); and 'Mrs' for married or widowed females. baawri, Source: i run a d.a. Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face. “Coward, did you call me, Potter?” shouted Snape. Sirius let out a bark of laughter. That Bell girl must’ve had an enemy no one knows about — don’t look at me like that! No part of your body has permission to be in Hogsmeade.” (PA14), “How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter,” Snape said suddenly, his eyes glinting. Harry tried hard not to blink. They're showing respect by giving me a title rather than 'hey' or 'oi, you' or whatever", and dismissed the male/female issue as "That's just the way the English language works". There was another pause. Softly wondered what the hell would happen if something were to happen here. “Looks like you’ll have to break it, then, because I don’t need your protection! ‘I thought she wasn’t much of a looker,’ said Ron. New pictures adorned the walls, many of them showing people who appeared to be in pain, sporting grisly injuries or strangely contorted body parts. The words had escaped him before he knew what he was saying.” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. The form 'Sir' is first documented in English in 1297, as title of honour of a knight, and latterly a baronet, being a variant of sire, which was already used in English since at least c.1205 as a title placed before a name and denoting knighthood, and to address the (male) Sovereign since c.1225, with additional general senses of 'father, male parent' is from c.1250, and 'important elderly man' from 1362. For example, a 1980 study showed that 80% of service interactions in the South were accompanied by 'Sir' or Ma'am, in comparison to the Northern United States, where 'Sir' was only used 25% of the time. ‘And isn’t Voldemort convinced that Snape’s on his side, even now? “Impedimenta!” he said, pointing his wand at Snape, who was knocked off his feet, halfway through a dive toward his own fallen wand. Behind Snape, however, Ron, Dean, and Seamus grinned appreciatively. He will penetrate your mind with absurd ease, Potter!” (OP24), ‘Shut up, Ron,’ said Hermione angrily. of course darling!! [17] The prefix is appended with the relevant post-nominal according to their rank at the end of their names: Knight of Rizal (KR), Knight Officer of Rizal (KOR), Knight Commander of Rizal (KCR), Knight Grand Officer of Rizal (KGOR) and Knight Grand Cross of Rizal (KGCR).