In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack explain how you should address peers and authority figures in the United States.
Transcript:
00:00:01
Jack
Welcome to the A to Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have a new kind of episode that we'd like to call the culture corner.
00:00:12
Jack
And social today's question comes from one of our listeners and our listener. This is Nash to asking. Nash is from Iraq and she says she asks, what did the majority of people in America prefer to be called?
00:00:31
Jack
So when we talked about this episode earlier today, you you've separated it into two really interesting categories. I think peers and authority figures. Is that what you said?
00:00:44
Xochitl
Yes, that's what I said.
00:00:45
Jack
OK, OK. So I like that because I think that that's a really good way to to like kind of picture the situation in America. And so how would you what? Well let's start with peers first, what do peers prefer to be called?
00:01:02
Xochitl
Ears are usually referred to informally and you talk.
00:01:05
Xochitl
To them by.
00:01:06
Xochitl
Their name?
00:01:07
Jack
Right.
00:01:08
Xochitl
So peers refers to also someone on your same level hierarchically. So if we're talking about, for example, your classmates in school, college, elementary school, whatever.
00:01:22
Xochitl
Those are your peers. If you're at a job, everyone who's in your same station as you, like anyone who is your colleague and isn't above.
00:01:29
Xochitl
View hierarchically, those are your peers in a family setting. Even your brothers and sisters are really your peers, and the parents are basically the 30 or any older adults are basically a 30.
00:01:44
Jack
Right. And now what about our case like I'm 47? You're 26. Or did you turn?
00:01:48
Jack
27 I can't remember.
00:01:50
Xochitl
I turned 27.
00:01:51
Jack
You turned 27 so OK, so I've got 20 years in you, but I still think.
00:01:55
Jack
Of you as like.
00:01:55
Jack
A peer, because we're both podcasters. We're partners in this in our business.
00:02:01
Jack
And so, even though there's a 20 year, 20 year gap, I I don't know about you, but if you started calling me, Mr. McBain, that would be really weird. You know what I mean?
00:02:12
Xochitl
So awkward. And that brings you a really important point, which is.
00:02:18
Xochitl
Sometimes if you start out formally, Jack was talking about, it's important to.
00:02:24
Xochitl
So start formally because it's you're unlikely to offend someone, you might make it a little awkward, but if you start formally, you're unlikely to offend someone. They'll just correct you to speak to them more informally. And so if I started calling Jack, Mr. McBain now.
00:02:43
Xochitl
If you insist, once a person has told you to draw up formalities, you can actually make the situation way more uncomfortable than you would have just following what they prefer and just being informal.
00:02:58
발표자
Right.
00:02:59
Jack
I would say like a lot of people.
00:03:01
Jack
That are you.
00:03:02
Jack
Know. So let's let's go to like authority figures.
00:03:05
Jack
Right. So and it so.
00:03:06
Jack
It doesn't matter the age, it's more about the like situation like.
00:03:10
Jack
So social and.
00:03:11
Jack
I are. We're both podcasting partners in this business, so.
00:03:15
Jack
So she and I.
00:03:16
Jack
Use our names. I call her social, she.
00:03:18
Jack
Calls me Jack.
00:03:19
Jack
Well, let's say let's you say you go to university.
00:03:24
Jack
You you meet your.
00:03:25
Jack
Professor for the first time, you know, at the beginning of the semester, like you said, you're always gonna start with the formal, right? You're gonna say Professor Smith?
00:03:35
Xochitl
John. Ohh yeah.
00:03:38
Jack
Professor Johnson or Professor Smith or whatever. And then if the professor says no, no, don't call me Professor Johnson, call me Deborah or Deb.
00:03:48
Jack
Maybe then you have to switch to i
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