[Ifeffit] Using this mailing list effectively

[Scott Calvin]

On Jan 6, 2013, at 5:54 PM, Zhaomo Tian wrote:

Ps. I am always curious why people think me as Mr.by just seeing my name, actually I am Ms., but just call me Zhaomo is ok.

I think I can answer that, Zhaomo.

In Romance languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, etc.) given names that end in "o" are usually masculine, just as those that end in "a" are usually feminine. Since most English speakers are more familiar with Romance names than east Asian ones, "Zhaomo" subconsciously looks male to many of us.

--Scott Calvin
Sarah Lawrence College