And getting back to Mademoiselle,+ it's interesting that +Mrs+ and +Mr have no English plural. The plurals are "Messrs" (from Messieurs) and "Mesdames" or "Mmes". Nowadays, these plurals are pretty much only used in formal writing or as a joke, at least int he US.
The plural of Miss is English--MIsses.
I've seen Mss and Mses proposed as plurals for Ms.
Ms is perfectly common here but I am struggling with trying to say 'mz' and not either pronounce it to rhyme with fizz, or, possibly like a fly buzzing...mz mz mzz.
I would understand ms to be for women, regardless of age or marital status. But I know some people use it strictly to mean someone who is divorced. I've always found that usage slightly odd.
Traditionally, there were a few ways to address a divorced woman. Let's say Mary Smith married John Jones, then divorced him.
One way to address her was Mrs. Mary Jones. A married woman or a widow was Mrs. John Jones, so the use of "Mary" was a sign that she was a divorcee.
Another was to combine the two last names. She would be Mrs. Smith Jones or Mrs. Mary Smith Jones
Or, she might be Mrs. Mary Smith.
If you were speaking to her or introducing her to someone, you would call her "Mrs. Jones." (Or Mrs. Smith Jones or Mrs. Smith)
Is "mz" perhaps mmmmz? Like "mmm, mmm, that tastes good"?
Ms is perfectly common here but I am struggling with trying to say 'mz' and not either pronounce it to rhyme with fizz, or, possibly like a fly buzzing...mz mz mzz.
This. A truly vowel-less pronunciation is impossible in English, and, besides, the pronunciation /miz/ is absolutely standard--the only one you'll find in any dictionary of the English language.
I don't believe in a dialect of English that pronounces it /mz/. I suspect Jeremy simply hasn't had much aural exposure to the word, for whatever reason.
