Manners
Added 2017-11-15 18:15:09 +0000 UTCI had a moment the other day of wishing for a more structured set of rules of engagement.
This is possibly the result of me reading too much historical fiction, but also having learned German as a kid.
The difference between the formal Sie and the informal Du, the Regency formality that people (at least of the class generally covered in historical romance novels) would have found it improper to talk to a stranger unless they’d been introduced by a mutual acquaintance, the current spate of backlash against consistent sexual line-crossing in my industry, have all washed around my fuzzy jetlagged head in the past few days.
Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part, that you could indicate the level of familiarity you desired from a colleague purely through a trick of speech. Because part of the nature of professional collegiate interaction (particularly in the arts) is cultivating intimacy and friendship with people you want to work with.
But it would be so nice to be able to head off a pass at the pass, purely by subtle linguistic choice - refusing someone’s over-familiar use of your name, rather than waiting for them to cross the line into your physical space and hoping you have the physical courage to talk your way out of that.
