Reading the books of foreign writers, some novice readers may wonder: what is this “ser” and why is this word so often found in books of the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries? In the article we will try to understand the etymology, spelling, meaning and relevance of this word.
Origin of the word
Like most words in English, the word "ser" is a borrowing from Latin. All of you have heard the Italian word "seigneur" in films or colloquial speech. So, this word, like "ser", takes its roots from the Latin senior, which translates as "senior". The English "ser" is also a transformed form of the Old French sieur, meaning "lord". This once again proves that the etymology of many words of the vocabulary of the Romanesque group is closely intertwined.
So, “ser” is the name of the high title given to knights-bachelors, knights of the order, or baronets (men inheriting this aristocratic title, which was issued by the British Crown). Such men should be addressed by first and last name, be sure to put “ser” in the beginning. For example, Sir John Barrymore, Sir James Parkinson and so on. It can be noted that it was impossible to add the appeal of "ser" only to the last name of the man, without naming the name - this was considered great disrespect.
Use in the modern language
Today among the English there are hardly many knights and baronets left, but we can still hear the word "ser". This is normal, as the title has now been transformed into a simple respectful appeal. It is possible to draw an analogy with the Russian words “master,” “mistress,” “gentlemen” - here, too, those who are addressed with these words are not required to “dominate” something or someone.
Now “ser” is an optional prefix to either the name or the surname of the person you want to contact. One of the most common cases of such treatment is when you do not know the name of a person, but you have a desire to treat him respectfully (it can be either a doorman, or a waiter, or a secretary, or a police officer, or a civil servant). In this case, the word "ser" is really appropriate, unlike "mister", which, said without mentioning the name or surname, may seem rude.
By the way, if you want to appeal to a girl or woman, then the word "ser" is definitely not worth using. The fair sex should be called "miss" (if the girl is not married) or "Mrs." (if this is a married woman). Due to the inability to immediately determine the marital status of a woman, confusion can often occur, so the win-win option would be to call the one you want to contact, “lady”.
How is it all right?
The question of how to write correctly - ser or sir, can be called ambiguous and even rhetorical, like many spelling rules of the Russian language. In many editions of old books you can find both options, because people are still confused about which letter to write after hissing and whistling sounds. Complexity is added by the fact that in the original in English the word is pronounced “ser”, and spelled sir. You can write as you like, because the main thing is to be sure that you are right.