I grew up down South (N.C.), and most of the time, people would refer to a woman with the title "Miss" and her first name, even if the woman was married. So, I would refer to my father's friend's wife as "Miss Violet" and my friend's mother as "Miss Jeaninne." I never really thought about it until lately. Is this something unique to the South? I'm wondering if anyone has any insight into whether this is widespread down South, and if it is, why we would use the term "Miss" for even married women.
Are you sure you weren't hearing "Miz" from your father? Long before it became the pronunciation of the "Ms." abbreviation used by the women's movement, "Miz" was being used, always with a woman's first name as you noted.
Singer Tiny Tim used this form when addressing or speaking of women, as a form of respect (the woman he married was always "Miz Vicki", usually written "Miss Vicki" by newspaper people unfamiliar with the practice). He adopted this Southern form of address even though he was originally from New York city; apparently his own hometown didn't provide him with a title to use that was sufficiently courtly to suit his tastes.
One of my professors in college did the same thing. He also addressed male students as "Brother" plus the first name (I was "Brother Ron" whenever he mentioned me).
I believe "Miss Violet" is a Southernism.
Several decades ago, I think businesswomen would be normally addressed as "Miss Smith," "Miss Jones," etc. rather than worry about whether or not they were married and were a "Mrs."
Interesting! Thanks for the replies.
I first came across "miss" as a polite term for an older lady (lady, not woman) in A Rose for Emily, a short story by William Faulkner we had to read in high school. The main character is an elderly woman known as "Miss Emily." I remember being told that this is what Southern people do.
My aunt from Texas calls me "Miss Lilly," even though I'm not married. I'm 25, which I think is still in the "miss" range nationally. Right? Totally.