How to address a lady
JamesBondGuy
DenmarkPosts: 144MI6 Agent
In Skyfall M is called mum throughout the film. Is that the correct way to address a lady? Isn't it spelled ma'am? I need a good explanation 
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Comments
It is spelled ma'am, yes, you are shortening "madam" then, just leaving the "d" out.
True Londoners (rare enough), what you find south of there and especially Wales are places where this English pronunciation still dominates.
To answer your question in a simple way:
What you heard means "madam".
And that's it.
They were just calling her "madam" basically.
Though etymologically madam and madame, maman and mutter, mater and mitera:
M.
Loved her.
I always thought they were saying ma'am, or mam. It sounds a bit like mom, but when they are actually saying mom, it sounds more distinctly like mum.
Or that of course :x
Thanks for the explanation
The current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, prefers to be addressed as "Ma'am as in Jam", but it is perfectly correct to say "Ma'am as in arm" (which is evidently how this lady prefers to be addressed, possibly out of deference to the Queen, we can't really say). "Mum as in bum" is only used to refer to your mother and nobody else, unless you want to offend them!
It should ONLY be pronounced mam as in jam....no other way is acceptable....but you CAN get away with mum....marm as in arm is a BIG no-no I'm afraid...and you will get funny looks if you do...
just give her a big peck on the cheek, could even go for a sneaky squeeze of the royal behind if ya wanted.
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
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I thought you prefered 'mummys little soldier'
Then how come they all referred to M as "marm"?!
Don't know....have you tried asking them ?
It's probably just 'movie misconceptions'....that's what most people expect to hear...so that's what they give them...it happens all too often...
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Cagney addressing a Lady.