I need help of you Americans.

[El Kabong]

sir and ma'am are signs of respect....you don't have to be a fucking knight to be called sir here. Therefore the lowest economic classes over here can still recieve respect from their children and sometimes co-workers or even everyday people.

[OumaFan]

I never called my mom or dad sir or maam, not out of a lack of respect, it just wasn't what me or my brother did. It just seems a bit odd to me, too formal and I wouldn't want my kids doing it either. Did always use it for other people's parents/old people in general.

The one English thing I could never get used to is mate. Just doesn't sound right.

[leftylee]

This 'mate' word I always use on myspace and stuff. I also use lad a fir bit. In Liverpool we say "Scran" for food and we use the word "Sound" for good, decent etc and also the word "Swerve" i.e. (swerve this lesson or swerve gettin the train lad haha)

The scouse accenet is the best

[BoxingGorilla]

I never called my mom or dad sir or maam, not out of a lack of respect, it just wasn't what me or my brother did. It just seems a bit odd to me, too formal and I wouldn't want my kids doing it either. Did always use it for other people's parents/old people in general.

The one English thing I could never get used to is mate. Just doesn't sound right.

Yeah, I never used that "sir" or "ma'am" crap when dealing with my parents. I had a friend whose parents made him address them as such and I found it quite ridiculous! My friend's father always called him "son" instead of his name. I thought it strange and wondered how such a tradition got started.

I call my father "Dad" and my mother "Ma."

Mate is hard to get used to but I through it around now and again

[El Kabong]

Yeah, I never used that "sir" or "ma'am" crap when dealing with my parents. I had a friend whose parents made him address them as such and I found it quite ridiculous! My friend's father always called him "son" instead of his name. I thought it strange and wondered how such a tradition got started.

I call my father "Dad" and my mother "Ma."

Mate is hard to get used to but I through it around now and again

It's not just for parents either but the reason BG didn't use Sir or Ma'am is because he's a God Damned Yankee

[BoxingGorilla]

Yeah, I never used that "sir" or "ma'am" crap when dealing with my parents. I had a friend whose parents made him address them as such and I found it quite ridiculous! My friend's father always called him "son" instead of his name. I thought it strange and wondered how such a tradition got started.

I call my father "Dad" and my mother "Ma."

Mate is hard to get used to but I through it around now and again

It's not just for parents either but the reason BG didn't use Sir or Ma'am is because he's a God Damned Yankee

Maryland swung both ways

Johnny Reb...

[X]

Why would your right-on wierdy beardy teacher want to to use American lexus for an 'English' essay, in England.

Perhaos you could stick some serbo-croat and see if you get extra PC marks for that?

[donnydarkoIRL]

I never called my mom or dad sir or maam, not out of a lack of respect, it just wasn't what me or my brother did. It just seems a bit odd to me, too formal and I wouldn't want my kids doing it either. Did always use it for other people's parents/old people in general.

The one English thing I could never get used to is mate. Just doesn't sound right.

I see

It's pretty common everywhere really, arises from shipmate etc.

Where I'm from we've got an entirely different diction.
Scan, Lad, Kid, Boy (pronounced bi) are all common versions of mate here

[Mad_Dog]

I have said it from the very beginning of this forum that the word mate was gay. as a matter of fact it was a banned word for a very long time, till the gay tide took over. a lot of homoes on this forum I tell you that right now.

lefty you might be one of them. I don't know at this point.

anyways....what was the question?

[Mad_Dog]

maybe Memphis too....