General Question

flo's avatar

How often do people need to refer to someone whose name they don't know?

Asked by flo (13313points) June 12th, 2018

Say someone works as a cashier, for example, or a teacher, etc., (people who deal with plenty of people every day), when they want/refer to someone, (usually when the person is not around) it would be the manager, the janitor, or a/the student, an/the English teacher, etc., correct? And then, once they find out their name, do they not start to refer to them with their names?

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6 Answers

LadyMarissa's avatar

I refer to people by their job title UNTIL I learn their name & I then call them by their name because they are often MORE than just their job title & I consider them a friend!!!

yesitszen's avatar

I try to learn and remember names in general. Everyone likes to be remembered. One of the sweetest sounds you’ll ever hear is your own name.

LadyMarissa's avatar

I’m great with faces but not that good with names…byproduct of my stroke. iF I see you daily, I’m pretty good at remembering the name; but don’t go on vacation or i’ll know that I know you but won’t recall the name or from where…FRUSTRATING

MrGrimm888's avatar

When I was a LEO, it was important to know someone’s name.

If there was a situation where I was trying to talk someone down/de-escalate, I asked their name.
A person’s name, is one of the first words they learn. It is arguably the most important word to a person, subconsciously.
So. When I was talking to people who were out of control, I ask their name. Then, I use it often while talking to them. You can see that pull someone down a bit.
A person hearing their name knows 2 things; the person saying it knows them. The person saying it is trying to get your attention.

Knowing someone’s name, and using it in your conversations will often deepen the relationship between you, and that person.

Another example. Waking up next to a girl. You BETTER know her name. Or it could get ugly…. I recommend trying to get a number afterwards (if applicable. ) That way, you can at least fake not knowing her name. You can say “OK, so how do I spell your name?” Then she spells it, and you now have the name. Or the best way, is to give her your phone and let her type it in. That way you avoid “How would you spell it?”

New bosses. I am in a new job now. Like three girls have very similar names. Uugh…..

LostInParadise's avatar

Most people use a mixture of the name along with pronouns, with pronoun use being more frequent. In particular, when talking to a person about that person, it is difficult to avoid using second person pronouns (you, yours, yourself).

flo's avatar

@All, thanks.
How often do people need to refer to someone who’s not there? “Where is the stapler?” The manager has it”

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