Fräulein
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This article is about a German word. For the 1958 film, see Fräulein (1958 film). For the 2006 film, see Das Fräulein.
Fräulein (German: [ˈfrɔɪlaɪn] (
listen); literally, "little woman" or "little Mrs.") is the German language honorific previously in common use for unmarried women, comparable to Miss in English. Fräulein is the diminutive form of Frau, which was previously reserved only for married women. Since the 1970s, Fräulein has come to be used less often, and was banned from official use in Germany in 1972 by the German Minister of the Interior.[1] Nowadays, style guides and dictionaries recommend that all women be addressed as Frau regardless of marital status, particularly in formal situations.[2][3] German dictionary Duden, for instance, notes that women should only be addressed as Fräulein when they specifically request this form of address.[4]
[edit] Usage in culture
- Literature and film depict the former usage. Examples are E.T.A. Hoffmann's tale Das Fräulein von Scuderi (1819), Elizabeth von Arnim's epistolary novel Fräulein Schmidt and Mr Anstruther (1907), and the comedy film Fräulein vom Amt (1954), whose title was a common phrase denoting a female operator at a telephone exchange. In an earlier comedy film, Unser Fräulein Doktor (1940), Jenny Jugo plays Dr. Elisabeth Hansen, a young attractive teacher at a Gymnasium (German highschool) who has to fight to be taken seriously as an intellectual. The term was also used for the title of the 1969 film Fräulein Doktor, the code name of a World War I spy.
- In English-language film, fräulein is sometimes used as a hint that the characters are actually speaking German. An example of this is The Sound of Music.
- "Fräulein" is the title of a 1960s song sung in German by Chris Howland. The song was a German cover from Bobby Helms's 1957 song Fraulein.
- The legendary German tennis player Steffi Graf was given the nickname "Fräulein Forehand" by the press due to her extremely powerful forehand, considered by many as one of the greatest shots in the history of women's tennis.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Okamura Saburo (2006). "Das Fräulein ist tot! Es lebe das Fräulein! - Fräulein im Archiv der Süddeutschen Zeitung (1994–2005)". http://dspace.wul.waseda.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2065/11342/1/11S.Okamura.pdf. Retrieved 2010-12-26. ""Even into the 1970s, honorific titles in German included Fräulein for unmarried women, but in 1972, the Minister of the Interior banned it from official use; since then, it has largely disappeared from everyday speech as well.""
- ^ Exeter University Faculty. "Exeter University Beginners' German". http://www.exeter.ac.uk/german/abinitio/chap1-4.html. Retrieved 2006-09-29. "The formal use of Fräulein to translate "Miss" is outdated and should be avoided, not least because the literal translation of Fräulein is "little woman"! You should instead use Frau."
- ^ Oxford Dictionary. "Writing Letters in German". Oxford University Press. http://www.askoxford.com/languages/de/german_letters/?view=uk. Retrieved 2010-12-26. "Note that in German all women are addressed as Frau (the equivalent of both Mrs and Ms) in formal and business letters."
- ^ Duden (2002-03-06). "Frau und Fräulein in der Anrede". http://www.duden.de/deutsche_sprache/newsletter/archiv.php?id=52. Retrieved 2007-11-03. "Dass es heutzutage als einigermaßen veraltet gilt, eine junge Frau als Fräulein anzusprechen, dürfte sich inzwischen bis zu den verstocktesten Gleichberechtigungsmuffeln herumgesprochen haben. Bei der Anrede für eine erwachsene Frau sollte man immer Frau wählen, und zwar unabhängig von Alter und Familienstand. Fräulein ist nur dann noch angemessen, wenn sich die angesprochene Frau diese Anrede selbst wünscht. Auch in Cafés und Restaurants sollte auf diese Titulierung lieber verzichtet werden. Statt Fräulein, könnten Sie mir bitte die Rechnung bringen? genügt auch ein einfaches Entschuldigung, könnten Sie mir bitte die Rechnung bringen? (That today it is considered fairly outdated to address a young woman as Fräulein should have reached even the most obdurate grouch. When addressing a grown woman one should always choose Frau and this is independent from age and marital status. Fräulein is only appropriate when the addressed women wants this form of addressing. Also in cafes and restaurants it is better to forgo this form of address. Instead of "Fräulein, would you please deliver the bill?", a simple "Excuse me, would you please deliver the bill" suffices)"
