Assertion: SIR = "Slave I remain!"
Assertion made by – Internet and social media
Confirmation by Ayupp.com – REAL
More Samples –
U MUST BE KNOW Every one Dont Call "SIR" anyone.... Because That means by "SLAVE I REMAIN"
S for-SLAVE
I for- I (Me)
R for-REMAIN so, U can call by name any others with mr. or mrs....Thats all....
You call everybody by title 'Sir'. You know what is meant by word 'Sir'..? 'Slave I Remain (SIR)' The British During their rule wanted all Indians to address them as 'Sir'. Even after 69 years of independence, we still keep calling everyone 'Sir'. Even American President is addressed 'Mr. President', not 'Sir'.....!! Happy 70th Independence Day in 2 all my friends
Ayupp Analysis- I understand that this topic is very contentious and many might not settle with my view. I ran across several site on the internet which states that the meaning of Sir ( Slave I remain) is not a truthful. Let me run you through the arguments made for its refutation -
1. As per dictionary.com –
a. Sir is a respectful or formal term of address used to a man.
b. As per history it was used as the distinctive title of a knight or baronet for eg Sir Walter Scott.
2. As per Wikipedia - Sir is an honorific address used in a number of situations in many anglophone cultures. The term can be used as a formal prefix, especially in the Commonwealth, for males who have been given certain honours or titles (such as knights and baronets), where usage is strictly governed by law and custom.
3. Quora states that –
a. We use the term “Sir” for anyone who is superior to us. Read the article.
b. Regarding full form of sir - It started as the word 'Sire' in the 12th century and if put before a name meant that someone was a knight, eg Sir Galahad. 'Sire' on it's own was a form of address used for the King. It comes from the Latin seior, meaning 'senior. It's still used in the UK for people who have inherited or been granted a knighthood by the Queen, eg the actor Sir Michael Caine. Read the Article.
Arguments made for its Sustenance
1. A very good article is given by udaypai. They claim that in French the word Sir mean Slave I remain. Knights were termed as Sir. India was never colonized in history of 10,000 years before Muslims invaders started conquering us. Then the British came as travellers and got hold of whole India. As an Indian we believe in all are equals. But British people wanted to show their superiority and thus the usage of term Sir came into existence in India. Indians were treated as Slaves in those days and this made British proud.
2. I work in a multinational company (Origin – United States). I am never allowed to address my seniors ( mostly US People) as Sir or Madam. They prefer to be called by their name. It makes them feel friendly and it creates comfortable environment to work. If the most civilized nation of the world do not use the word “SIR”, then why we Indians are using it. So, even if we speak English as common mode of communication, it does not teach us to pronounce our seniors as Sir.
3. Sanskrit is the oldest language of world. It teaches a lot of words for us to communicate to each other. We can make use of words like Shriman, Mahodaya or even Jee looks very convincing. For eg Shri Modi jee gives a lot of resepect to our Prime Minster than use Modi Sir.
4. Movies like Purab and Paschim and Namaste London has displayed a lot of respect for the Indian culture. Like the usage of word Namaste.
5. The True Gospel Revival movement Community on Facebook has beautifully explained this topic -
I know one simple fact, if we all human beings are equal then why do need to use this SIR among us. This is not the correct word used to respect our seniors. We should stick to our traditional and use word like Jee, Shri, etc. English langauage teaches us to call the seniors by their name. So that we can eliminate discrimination.