I am no Commander, I'm an Adventurer!

[Aaron Ansari.1604]

Interesting. On this side of the pond, it's just an informal address of deference, a term that acknowledges someone's authority (at least in the context of that specific moment), while still giving the speaker a culturally appropriate way to make it clear they won't take that authority too seriously or stand on formalities. (For that reason, it's also often used sarcastically, as a way to put superiors who're full of themselves in a position where they can't push back against perceived insubordination without losing face- that's the derogatory connotations Gern mentioned.) It's common in most relaxed work environments, especially blue-collar positions.

In that context, it's a great fit for where the Commander stands now, as the leader of a loosely knit guild... although it wasn't so applicable at the time it was widely used, back when Dragon's Watch was a motley bunch of tagalongs that our hollow shell of a character hadn't developed any meaningful relationship with.

[Tiny Doom.4380]

@Castigator.3470 said:

@"Gern.2978" said:That definitely sounds like a specific cultural thing. I'm not sure what culture you're from but I've never heard of "Boss" being a family name nor "Chef" being used outside a restaurant's kitchen. But I can see how that would sound odd to you if that's the case in your culture.

In the US, "Boss" is just an informal name for a leader. Sometimes it has derogatory connotations, but not always. And a "Chef" is the head of a kitchen, or another name for a cook.

Well, I know where the chef-kitchen connotation comes from, namely the french

kitchen brigade

, which is a form of highly organised cooking. The chef de cuisine (maitre de cuisine for master craftsmen) is the head of the kitchen, the sous chef his second in command. The word chef, however, comes from chief and refers to a superior. A "Chef de Bataillon" is a military commander, for instance.This was adopted into german in the 17th century and retained its meaning. As for Boss being a last name, have you ever heard of a company called Hugo Boss? He named that company the Mechanische Berufskleiderfabrik Metzingen. After his death, the company was renamed to commemorate its founder.As for Boss, this word has entered our language through american movies (The Godfather) and is generally associated with shady businessmen, if not outright criminals.

Referring back to the origins of words taken from one language into another is interesting but all borrowed words cease to reatin that original texture when adopted. "Chef" in English has no lingering military connotations; it's associated solely with cooking.

Boss, on the other hand, has absolutely no connection to any family name. It derives from the Dutch "baas", meaning "master" and traces its usage in English back to the 17th Century. It's a somewhat vague term in modern English. In no way is it exclusive to "shady businessmen" or the Mafia. Any working person would be very likely to refer to their manager or supervisor as "the Boss", although sometimes it can mean someone of greater importance. It's often used ironicaly about friends, relatives or partners, too. It's generally seen as a friendly, informal sort of word, which I agree made it quite comfortable as an honorific for the Player Character.

Rather than trying to find a word everyone agrees on, though, surely a better way to deal with the issue would be to write the dialog in such a way as to avoid having to use any honorific or title in the first place. How many times in a day do most of us call anyone by a title or name? Mostly we just look at people and speak and they know we are talking to them. Just avoid having characters initiate conversations out of direct eye-line and there you go.

[Edelweiss.4261]

@"Aaron Ansari.1604" said:Interesting. On this side of the pond, it's just an informal address of deference, a term that acknowledges someone's authority (at least in the context of that specific moment), while still giving the speaker a culturally appropriate way to make it clear they won't take that authority too seriously or stand on formalities. (For that reason, it's also often used sarcastically, as a way to put superiors who're full of themselves in a position where they can't push back against perceived insubordination without losing face- that's the derogatory connotations Gern mentioned.) It's common in most relaxed work environments, especially blue-collar positions.

I've heard "boss" used similarly in the southwestern part of the states, but it isn't super common. I sometimes use "chief" in a similar fashion. I'm not sure where I picked that habit up from.