The Volokh Conspiracy
[Eugene Volokh, January 29, 2008 at 2:20am] Trackbacks
Now Here's a Form of Address I'd Appreciate:

"Your Tremendousness."

Idi Amin:
"Your deliciousness"
1.29.2008 1:25am
jim47:
are you calling me fat?
1.29.2008 1:27am
Milhouse (www):

On 20 January 1729, this independent principality was sold to the Savoy dynasty's Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, then ruled by Victor Amadeus II.

The argument for Seborga's present-day status as an independent state is founded on the claim that this sale was never registered by its new owner, resulting in the principality falling into a kind of legal twilight zone.

Um, with whom exactly was this transaction supposed to be "registered"? There was a European land registry? There were laws governing the transfer of sovereignty in territories? This sounds made up to me.
1.29.2008 3:01am
Evelyn Marie Blaine (mail):
I'm reminded of two things: first, Voltaire's lines in the Dictionnaire philosophique, s.v. "Cérémonies, Titres, Prééminence, etc.":
On conte qu’un vieil officier qui savait peu le protocole de la vanité, ayant écrit au marquis de Louvois: Monsieur, et n’ayant point eu de réponse, lui écrivit: Monseigneur, et n’en obtint pas davantage, parce que le ministre avait encore le monsieur sur le coeur. Enfin il lui écrivit: A mon Dieu, mon Dieu Louvois; et au commencement de la lettre il mit: Mon Dieu, mon Créateur. Tout cela ne prouve-t-il pas que les Romains du bon temps étaient grands et modestes, et que nous sommes petits et vains?

«Comment vous portez-vous, mon cher ami? disait un duc et pair à un gentilhomme. — A votre service, mon cher ami, répondit l’autre;» et dés ce moment il eut son cher ami pour ennemi implacable. Un grand de Portugal parlait à un grand d’Espagne, et lui disait à tout moment: «Votre Excellence.» Le Castillan lui répondait: «Votre courtoisie, vuestra merced;» c’est le titre que l’on donne aux gens qui n’en ont pas. Le Portugais, piqué, appela l’Espagnol à son tour: Votre courtoisie; l’autre lui donna alors de l’excellence. A la fin le Portugais, lassé, lui dit: «Pourquoi me donnez-vous toujours de la courtoisie quand je vous donne de l’excellence? et pourquoi m’appelez-vous votre excellence quand je vous dis votre courtoisie? — C’est que tous les titres me sont égaux, répondit humblement le Castillan, pourvu qu’il n’y ait rien d’égal entre vous et moi.»
Second, a line quoted in the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica, from an unnamed journalist, s. v. "Titles of Honour":
Honorary styles are, for the rest, now mere stereotyped formulae; the words that compose them have become - to use Emerson's phrase - "polarized" and deprived of meaning. Not otherwise could a German journalist, late in the 19th century, have recorded, without exciting surprise, that "to-day their All-highest majesties went to church to give thanks to the Highest" [Die Allerhochsten Herrschaften sind heute in die Kirche gegangen dem Hochsten ihren Dank].
1.29.2008 3:13am
Evelyn Marie Blaine (mail):
Correction: I realize that the last thing I posted didn't make any sense. Using the link from here, the footnote that I compressed is "Die Allerhochsten Herrschaften sind heute in die Kirche gegangen dem Hochsten ihren Dank u.s.w. The sentence is fixed in the writer's memory, but the exact reference is forgotten." I assume that this is bad OCR for "Die Allerhöchsten Herrschaften sind heute in die Kirche gegangen, [note the comma] dem Höchsten ihren Dank u.s.w." — i.e. dem Hochsten ihren Dank ... zu geben.
1.29.2008 3:25am
Hoosier:
Evelyn reminds me how much I enjoy receiving letters from German academics. The standard salutation translates as "Very Honored Dr. Prof. Hoosier." My students, on the other hand, begin their emails to me with "Hey".

I think I'd most want to be "Your Serene Tremendousness." But "Your Flatulence" is out.
1.29.2008 4:53am
David M. Nieporent (www):
Yo, Hoosier.
1.29.2008 5:31am
dearieme:
Wotcha, cocky.
1.29.2008 5:56am
Alan Gunn (mail):
I once appeared before a colleague who in his spare time is a magistrate judge in a local court here. I was sorely tempted to address him as "Your Magnificence" (from a Monty Python thing), but I feared that I would be unable to do it with a straight face.
1.29.2008 6:53am
Sean M:
I always wish the U.S. would go to the British tradition of referring to opposing counsel as 'my learned friend,' but it does not seem to have caught on...
1.29.2008 7:16am
Arkady:
Then there's Peter Ustinov's character's reference to the high-society Roman lady in Spartacus as "Your pulchritude".
1.29.2008 7:38am
Tim Dowling (mail):
Why the obsession with titles?

Tim Dowling
Chief Counsel Plenipotentiary
1.29.2008 7:52am
Robert Stark (mail) (www):
Letter should have a title.

Robert Stark
Seattle Divorce Attorney
1.29.2008 9:36am
Ex parte McCardle:
On Saturday Night Live, when Eddie Murphy's Velvet Jones was in court, he consistently referred to the judge as "My Honor."
1.29.2008 9:38am
King of Tonga:
The title works for me.
1.29.2008 9:40am
Q the Enchanter (mail) (www):
"are you calling me fat"

No -- that's "Your Copiousness."
1.29.2008 9:53am
Hoosier:
Tim--I'd love to be *anything* plenipotentiary! I first came across the term in college, reading about the Congress of Vienna. I must have used the word half a dozen times in my report: It just caught my fancy.

David--Yeah-Howdy!

Evelyn-->>I'm reminded of two things: first, Voltaire's lines in the Dictionnaire philosophique, s.v. "Cérémonies, Titres, Prééminence, etc."

Yeah, uhh . . . that's the first thing that crossed my mind, too. (That and the Velvet Jones skit that McCardle mentioned.)

BTW--Was Catherine the Great ever addressed as "Your Copiousness"? Because I kinda doubt it.
1.29.2008 10:02am
Parker Smith (mail) (www):
In DNRC, I'm a 'Minister of Redundancy Minister'.

There are a number of us, but of course you can never have too many...
1.29.2008 10:02am
gregh (mail):
Yes, Your Incontinence
1.29.2008 10:32am
RainerK:
"Why the obsession with titles?"

To show respect. At least that's what I get from 18th century writings. It was a very formal age indeed. Nothing wrong with that, keeps others at a desirable distance.

My grandfather was Dr. K..., so many people would address my grandmother as "Frau Doktor". In Germany this used to be a very common way of addressing the spouse of a titled man.

Think about it EV: You are Mr. Professor, your wife merits Mrs. Professor. You think she'd be flattered?
1.29.2008 10:33am
RainerK:
Addendum:

Just saw Hoosier's post. "Hey" as an address in an e-mail to one's teacher? Makes my point. An utter lack of respect. We're all the same, right?
I'm not in academia, is there any attempt to get it across to the students that this is uncivilised behaviour? Or am I just too old-fashioned?
1.29.2008 10:39am
gregh (mail):
Anyone remember all of the salutations Bill Murray used when addressing the Bishop in Caddyshack?
1.29.2008 10:39am
ys:

My grandfather was Dr. K..., so many people would address my grandmother as "Frau Doktor". In Germany this used to be a very common way of addressing the spouse of a titled man.

His German background notwithstanding, Henry Kissinger was not very particular about titles. On becoming Secretary of State, when asked whether he preferred Dr. or Mr. Secretary, he famously responded: "Your Excellency would be just fine"
On a different topic, the most famous micronation to split from these here United States is of course Conch Republic. I have not seen any reference to the honorary title of its leader. Any finds or lacking those suggestions?
1.29.2008 10:57am
mcsey (mail) (www):
Danny Wallace has an interview with Sua Tremendità in his whimsical "documentary" How to Start You Own Country.
1.29.2008 10:59am
NRWO:
I have told my five-year-old daughter (she says, "five- and-A-HALF-years-old) to address me as "Master O Master."

She has yet to comply.

I still call her my princess.

This thread brings to mind a story about Henry Kissinger:


When he became Secretary of State, he was asked by a reporter, “So now how should we address you? Is it Mr. Secretary or Dr. Secretary?” and Henry said, “Oh, no, I’m easy. Your Excellency is fine.”
1.29.2008 11:14am
some sense:
THat's Mr. Doctor Professor Patrick to you!

Quote from SpongeBob Squarepants
1.29.2008 11:33am
Syd Henderson (mail):
I'd settle for "Humungous," as in Road Warrior
1.29.2008 11:34am
rarango (mail):
IIRC in a military setting Germans include one's military rank along with any degrees; eg: Colonel Dr. Blimp and the wife would be Mrs Colonel Dr. ........

I have to say, though, that your tremendousness is really, well, tremendous! Me? Somehow I seem to have acquired the address of your averageness.
1.29.2008 11:41am
theobromophile (www):

I'm not in academia, is there any attempt to get it across to the students that this is uncivilised behaviour? Or am I just too old-fashioned?

Well, when I begin emails to some of my professors as "Dear Prof. Lastname," I get back a reply, "I'm Firstname." So much for that attempt at old-fashioned Southern manners!

Breaking news: in a controversy sure to exceed that of the Tarot Card Debacle of 2007, EV tells his students that they may refer to him as "Your Tremendousness." ;)
1.29.2008 12:20pm
The Barn:
The best passage from White Noise:

"Have you ever had a woman peel flaking skin off your back after a couple days at the beach?"

"Cocoa Beach, Florida. It was very tremendous. One of the two or three best experiences of my life."

"Was she naked?"

"To the waist."

"From which direction?"
1.29.2008 12:24pm
Tony Tutins (mail):
So did the guy ever get a response from Louvois or not?
1.29.2008 12:30pm
BobVDV2 (mail):
I wonder what esoteric subject EV was researching when he came across "Your Tremendousness". Wikiepedia's random article button?
1.29.2008 12:52pm
Aaron:
Not to pile on, but Venice was styled "La Serenissima." How marvelous to title a city!

Also, St. Petersburg (vice "Leningrad") was granted a medal as a "Hero of the Soviet Union" for the siege of 1941-42.

I think I'd like to be styled "Your Triviosity".
1.29.2008 1:41pm
LongDongSilver:
I has paid for an' approved dis titles.
1.29.2008 1:43pm
Hoosier:
I'm even more interested in having an honorific AFTER my name. Like "Hoosier the Dread."

I've always thought "Sviatopolk the Damned" sounded intimidating. But I was raised Catholic, so in my case that suffix would carry too much baggage.

And who can forget "St. Apronian the Executioner"? (NOT a Monty Python charater.)
1.29.2008 1:56pm
Kevin R (mail):
I'm even more interested in having an honorific AFTER my name. Like "Hoosier the Dread."


http://www.transmogrifier.org/ch-img/ch920320.gif
1.29.2008 2:00pm
Smokey:
"Had I been present at the Creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the Universe."

~ Alphonso the Learned, 1226-1284
1.29.2008 2:48pm
happylee:
Outstanding. It stands in opposition to the continued de-evolution of language. See, for example, the SAG Awards, where all the gals preferred "female actor" as opposed to "actress."
1.29.2008 3:00pm
ys:

Hoosier:
I've always thought "Sviatopolk the Damned" sounded intimidating. But I was raised Catholic, so in my case that suffix would carry too much baggage.

It was really "Sviatopolk the Cain-like" in the original (the guy allegedly killed his brothers making them saints), so you can relax, drop your baggage, and be like Sviatopolk to your heart's content.
1.29.2008 5:32pm
Porkchop:
Q the Enchanter wrote:


"are you calling me fat"

No -- that's "Your Copiousness."



My wife calls me "Your Corpulence."
1.29.2008 8:39pm
Fitzwilliam_Darcy99:
The inhabitants of Seborga do seem to have a gift for words. Their motto is pretty good, too: Sub Umbra Sedi ("Sit in the Shade").

The linked article on the "Principality of Seborga" notes that a Plantagenet pretender has laid claim to the throne. Those Plantagenets keep popping up everywhere. You'd think that the Tudors would have done a better job of wiping them out.
1.30.2008 2:13pm

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