Mr.ジェームス

[chikara]

To me "Mr/Miss First-Name" sounds odd and quite unidiomatic English. .....

Always reminds me of Mr. Squiggle's female assistant, "Miss Jane". I don't recall hearing anyone else referred to in that way other than in British period dramas.

The only time honorific + first name sounds natural to me is when it's used to address a children's teacher ........ All of our teachers when we were young were always addressed this way ......

The only teaches we ever addressed by their first name were those prefaced by "Sister" or "Brother". All other teachers were referred to by their surname.

[tōkai devotee]

These days even at Kindergarten, the students call their teachers by their first names. I find it quite inbelievable. In my day, we had to learn to respect our elders and teachers and had to call them Miss..... or Mr......

[furrykef]

In high school I sometimes called my 11th/12th grade computer science teacher "Mikey" just to tweak him (though I usually just called him "Mr. McGuire" like everybody else) -- perhaps because he had a childlike personality. I don't think I can even remember the first names of any of my other teachers except one or two, and I still called them by their last name.

- Kef

[keatonatron]

Do we know Mr. James' full name?? Maybe James is his last name.

God I hope his name isn't "James James" or "Jim James" or something like that

[chikara]

Do we know Mr. James' full name?? Maybe James is his last name.

God I hope his name isn't "James James" or "Jim James" or something like that

I assumed "James" was his family name/last name/surname but that is probably my western bias.

There is a well known craniofacial surgeon in this town called "David David".

[tōkai devotee]

There is a well known craniofacial surgeon in this town called "David David".

I was going to say the exact same thing!! Great Adelaidian minds think alike.

Or there's the son of Aussie cyclist, Robbie McEwen. His son is Ewen!! Classic

[phreadom]

I was thinking of the main character from The Mentalist, "Patrick Jane".

[two_heads_talking]

The only time honorific + first name sounds natural to me is when it's used to address a children's teacher, i.e. nursery school teacher, gymnastics or dance teacher etc. All of our teachers when we were young were always addressed this way: Miss Susan or Miss Emily or what have you.

funny, that's what I just said.. lol (maybe I wasn't clear.)

[NileCat]

When Rowan Atkinson visited Japan to promote his movie, I saw many TV program hosts introduced him going;
「ミスター・ビーンさんです！」

If the guy in the Macdonald's ad appeared in the TV shows here, I'm sure he would be called;
「ミスター・ジェームスさんです！」

No problem at all for us.

[furrykef]

When Rowan Atkinson visited Japan to promote his movie, I saw many TV program hosts introduced him going;
「ミスター・ビーンさんです！」

Too bad he couldn't have been ミスター・ブラックアダーさん. I think Blackadder is much funnier than Mr. Bean.

(But I imagine it was a Mr. Bean movie, so...)

[becki_kanou]

The only time honorific + first name sounds natural to me is when it's used to address a children's teacher, i.e. nursery school teacher, gymnastics or dance teacher etc. All of our teachers when we were young were always addressed this way: Miss Susan or Miss Emily or what have you.

funny, that's what I just said.. lol (maybe I wasn't clear.)

Hmmm... I thought you were talking about adressing teenagers as Miss/Mr. Somethingorother not teenagers addressing their teachers that way.

And for the record we only addressed our nursery school teachers (and dance teachers etc.) this way, once we got to kindergarten it was Mr./Mrs. + last name, as for any adult. Although my kindergarten teacher actually was named Mrs. James.

[Mike Cash]

To me "Mr/Miss First-Name" sounds odd and quite unidiomatic English. .....

Always reminds me of Mr. Squiggle's female assistant, "Miss Jane". I don't recall hearing anyone else referred to in that way other than in British period dramas.

In the American South it has long been a traditional way for young people to address adults who are particularly close friends of the family....people it would be too distant and formal to address as Mr./Mrs./Miss Family Name but with sufficient age difference that it would not be proper to address solely by first name. Also for others for whom a certain closeness or fondness is present but for whom position and/or age differences would not allow the dropping of the forms of address. For example the wife of my high school principal, a very beloved and dear woman who often served as a substitute teacher, was known to one and all as "Miss Mary Lee" instead of "Mrs. Poteet". A motherly woman who worked in the office and who was similarly close to and dear to the students was "Miss Rachel" instead of "Mrs. Ballentine". Keep in mind we're talking about an area where it is common and traditional to address even strangers as "honey", "sweetie", etc.

[Infidel]

Don't forget the "My first name is easier to pronounce" Mr. First name crowd. Or the my last name sounds bad in your language.

Mr Jim Couso might not have been amused being referred to as Kuso san. Kinda like how Ralph Lifshitz changed his name to Ralph Lauren so he could market his goods in the U.S.

[john2]

If this kind of stuff is mild compared to how cruel some language has gotten .

[shin1ro]

Is she Ms. James?
The link sais she was born as Jamesetta Hawkins. I wonder if James is a surname even if it's a stage name.

-shin1ro