Talk:3237: Husband and Wife - Revision history

62.56.234.252: opinion regarding whether it's the possession that's the issue

2026-04-25T09:03:58Z

opinion regarding whether it's the possession that's the issue

2A00:23CC:D248:8901:94BC:C8D7:48AA:C9CB at 08:42, 25 April 2026

2026-04-25T08:42:17Z

Coconut Galaxy at 06:34, 25 April 2026

2026-04-25T06:34:19Z

99.10.82.184 at 05:06, 25 April 2026

2026-04-25T05:06:40Z

Cream Starlight: A little thing

2026-04-25T04:56:06Z

A little thing

Gvanrossum: more of the same

2026-04-25T03:55:42Z

more of the same

TPS: A rare opinion (here)

2026-04-25T03:39:23Z

A rare opinion (here)

84.233.216.250: "My wife": international usage

2026-04-24T23:10:34Z

"My wife": international usage

109.88.43.61 at 20:48, 24 April 2026

2026-04-24T20:48:06Z

50.45.232.78: edited one of my previous comments

2026-04-24T20:34:47Z

edited one of my previous comments

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:03, 25 April 2026
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	In summary, it seems Randall is vastly overestimating how many people have seen and remember Borat. Really, the "most salient cultural reference"? --[[User:Coconut Galaxy\|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy\|talk]]) 06:34, 25 April 2026 (UTC)		In summary, it seems Randall is vastly overestimating how many people have seen and remember Borat. Really, the "most salient cultural reference"? --[[User:Coconut Galaxy\|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy\|talk]]) 06:34, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
	:Indeed, I've never seen Borat. (And being British, I always called my mother "mum".)		:Indeed, I've never seen Borat. (And being British, I always called my mother "mum".)
		+
		+	I think the possessive pronouns is unlikely to be the issue presented. In Hebrew, the very word "husband" means "owner of", and it's become quite common for young people to shun it for feministic reasons.
		+	In English that's much less prevalent though, so it's probably just how marriage is sometimes seen as an outdated, oldish, formal concept (a family consisting of a "husband and wife" does negate other forms of families). [[Special:Contributions/62.56.234.252\|62.56.234.252]] 09:03, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:42, 25 April 2026
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	In summary, it seems Randall is vastly overestimating how many people have seen and remember Borat. Really, the "most salient cultural reference"? --[[User:Coconut Galaxy\|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy\|talk]]) 06:34, 25 April 2026 (UTC)		In summary, it seems Randall is vastly overestimating how many people have seen and remember Borat. Really, the "most salient cultural reference"? --[[User:Coconut Galaxy\|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy\|talk]]) 06:34, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
		+	:Indeed, I've never seen Borat. (And being British, I always called my mother "mum".)

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:34, 25 April 2026
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	This comic is very nice [[Special:Contributions/99.10.82.184\|99.10.82.184]] 05:06, 25 April 2026 (UTC)		This comic is very nice [[Special:Contributions/99.10.82.184\|99.10.82.184]] 05:06, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
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		+	In summary, it seems Randall is vastly overestimating how many people have seen and remember Borat. Really, the "most salient cultural reference"? --[[User:Coconut Galaxy\|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy\|talk]]) 06:34, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:06, 25 April 2026
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	And I feel unaccustomed to call my mom "Mom" while speaking to her [[User:Cream Starlight\|Cream S.L.]] ([[User talk:Cream Starlight\|talk]] / [[Special:Contributions/Cream_Starlight\|contribs]]) 04:56, 25 April 2026 (UTC)		And I feel unaccustomed to call my mom "Mom" while speaking to her [[User:Cream Starlight\|Cream S.L.]] ([[User talk:Cream Starlight\|talk]] / [[Special:Contributions/Cream_Starlight\|contribs]]) 04:56, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
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		+	This comic is very nice [[Special:Contributions/99.10.82.184\|99.10.82.184]] 05:06, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

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	I was just around a bunch of colleagues (in America) in social settings (meals, driving around) and "my wife"/"my husband" was used frequently. Not necessarily only once per person per conversation. Though we often did throw in the spouses' names in too, for variety. On the question whether Megan was concerned about the possessive or the formality of "husband", it's definitely the latter. Complaining about the supposed possessive is just being dense or juvenile about language. Using the phrase when you're recently married is awkward for almost everyone. [[User:Gvanrossum\|Gvanrossum]] ([[User talk:Gvanrossum\|talk]]) 03:55, 25 April 2026 (UTC)		I was just around a bunch of colleagues (in America) in social settings (meals, driving around) and "my wife"/"my husband" was used frequently. Not necessarily only once per person per conversation. Though we often did throw in the spouses' names in too, for variety. On the question whether Megan was concerned about the possessive or the formality of "husband", it's definitely the latter. Complaining about the supposed possessive is just being dense or juvenile about language. Using the phrase when you're recently married is awkward for almost everyone. [[User:Gvanrossum\|Gvanrossum]] ([[User talk:Gvanrossum\|talk]]) 03:55, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
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		+	And I feel unaccustomed to call my mom "Mom" while speaking to her [[User:Cream Starlight\|Cream S.L.]] ([[User talk:Cream Starlight\|talk]] / [[Special:Contributions/Cream_Starlight\|contribs]]) 04:56, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

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	Am I in the minority? When referring to spouses, especially the 1st time, I usually say "[your\|my\|their\|the] [Mrs\|Mr]" as a noun, not including any surname @ all. Avoids this whole thing neatly, while being utterly clear & a bit ''(intentionally)'' corny. --[[User:TPS\|TPS]] ([[User talk:TPS\|talk]]) 03:39, 25 April 2026 (UTC)		Am I in the minority? When referring to spouses, especially the 1st time, I usually say "[your\|my\|their\|the] [Mrs\|Mr]" as a noun, not including any surname @ all. Avoids this whole thing neatly, while being utterly clear & a bit ''(intentionally)'' corny. --[[User:TPS\|TPS]] ([[User talk:TPS\|talk]]) 03:39, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
		+
		+	I was just around a bunch of colleagues (in America) in social settings (meals, driving around) and "my wife"/"my husband" was used frequently. Not necessarily only once per person per conversation. Though we often did throw in the spouses' names in too, for variety. On the question whether Megan was concerned about the possessive or the formality of "husband", it's definitely the latter. Complaining about the supposed possessive is just being dense or juvenile about language. Using the phrase when you're recently married is awkward for almost everyone. [[User:Gvanrossum\|Gvanrossum]] ([[User talk:Gvanrossum\|talk]]) 03:55, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

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 ::::You forgot SWMBO, "She Who Must Be Obeyed" - from an old Edgar Rice Burroughs story, I believe (Edit: I was wrong. It's H. Rider Haggard.), and popularised by Rumpole the defence lawyer in the books/TV show. [[Special:Contributions/50.45.232.78|50.45.232.78]] 20:31, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
 :: To me (an American), the phrases "my husband" and "my wife" are so common and ordinary that I'm surprised to hear someone say they've never heard them before. Out of curiosity, where is it that people ''don't'' say things like "I went to that restaurant with my wife once," and what do they say instead (assuming that the person being spoken to doesn't know the wife's name)? --[[Special:Contributions/2601:404:C300:8040:7A4A:8D8C:3378:DA33|2601:404:C300:8040:7A4A:8D8C:3378:DA33]] 19:35, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
-Gay [[Special:Contributions/47.28.76.207|47.28.76.207]] 17:49, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
 Where does it say Megan is concerned with "My" because it's possessive? I think she's just commenting on how fancy and formal it sounds. Also, I don't see how the comic age plays into anything. I do think there is definitely a nod to the ghost in #1108 though. [[Special:Contributions/170.187.32.34|170.187.32.34]] 17:50, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
 :I agree, it doesn't seem to be related to the possessive pronoun, but with the title "husband", which is deeply rooted in how traditional heteronormative families are constructed.
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 :When I hear the phrase "my wife" I always end up finishing it with "Morgan Fairchild ... whom I've slept with" [[Special:Contributions/66.212.184.170|66.212.184.170]] 20:05, 24 April 2026 (UTC)'
 There are a few questions about usage. Just to clarify, most (many?) Americans say "''My wife, Alice is... She likes... Alice does....''" Americans tend to say "my wife" *once* in a conversation to make the listener familiar with the relationship. I've known very few people who *never* use the spouse's name, but who consistently say "''My wife is... she likes... My wife does...''". The last person I heard doing it was a xennial from South Africa, maybe 20 years ago. That feels extremely possessive and insecure to me, particularly given that I was friends with his wife. Still, I think the comic is only commenting on one-off usage, not this insecure, possessive usage. I haven't heard any slang for "spouse" ("better half", "ball and chain") from anyone born after 1960. [[Special:Contributions/84.233.216.250|84.233.216.250]] 23:10, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

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 :I also strongly doubt this is what concerns Megan. To me it's just the connotations to traditional, since outdated, family values that worries her. (This is probably why in the UK people appear to have stopped using the term, which must be an old thing as my parents who emigrated in the 80s also do it.)
 Randall is a young pup. When someone says "my wife", the first thing I thought of wasn't Borat; it was Henny Youngman. [[Special:Contributions/136.226.20.200|136.226.20.200]] 19:33, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
-:When I hear the phrase "my wife" I always end up finishing it with "Morgan Fairchild ... whom I've slept with" [[Special:Contributions/66.212.184.170|66.212.184.170]] 20:05, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
+:When I hear the phrase "my wife" I always end up finishing it with "Morgan Fairchild ... whom I've slept with" [[Special:Contributions/66.212.184.170|66.212.184.170]] 20:05, 24 April 2026 (UTC)'

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 :: In the UK it's more normal to use expressions such as "my better half" when talking about your spouse to somebody that doesn't know them, other than in that role [[Special:Contributions/2A02:C7C:AD6D:1900:643A:9B89:E674:2F22|2A02:C7C:AD6D:1900:643A:9B89:E674:2F22]] 17:45, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
 :::"My better half" can be said with genuine feeling or sarcasm, either way. Then there's "my other half", "(him/her) indoors", occasionally "my spouse", "my partner" (downplays the possibility of there being an actual full marriage/similar), "the first Mrs Surname" (usually for men who think it's funny to joke about a long-time relationship maybe ending one day), "the latest Mrs Surname" (for those, again, as well as any who have gone through that at least once), and "Mr" versions of those last two (on occasions). Also "the old man" (or lady/girl/lass, etc, to suit) and other regional variations. Rhyming slang versions include "the Trouble" (and Strife, ie. 'wife'), "pot" (and pan, 'old man'), even "Danger" (mouse, 'spouse') etc... [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:48, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
-::::You forgot SWMBO, "She Who Must Be Obeyed" - from an old Edgar Rice Burroughs story, I believe, and popularised by Rumpole the defence lawyer in the books/TV show. [[Special:Contributions/50.45.232.78|50.45.232.78]] 20:31, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
+::::You forgot SWMBO, "She Who Must Be Obeyed" - from an old Edgar Rice Burroughs story, I believe (Edit: I was wrong. It's H. Rider Haggard.), and popularised by Rumpole the defence lawyer in the books/TV show. [[Special:Contributions/50.45.232.78|50.45.232.78]] 20:31, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
 :: To me (an American), the phrases "my husband" and "my wife" are so common and ordinary that I'm surprised to hear someone say they've never heard them before. Out of curiosity, where is it that people ''don't'' say things like "I went to that restaurant with my wife once," and what do they say instead (assuming that the person being spoken to doesn't know the wife's name)? --[[Special:Contributions/2601:404:C300:8040:7A4A:8D8C:3378:DA33|2601:404:C300:8040:7A4A:8D8C:3378:DA33]] 19:35, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
 Gay [[Special:Contributions/47.28.76.207|47.28.76.207]] 17:49, 24 April 2026 (UTC)