Question Home

Position:Home>Arts & Humanities> For English native speakers: why people in some older novels call each other by


Question:

For English native speakers: why people in some older novels call each other by last name only?

Whereas in real life, we usually call people by their given names, or we put a Mr./Mrs./Miss prefix when calling by last name...

For ex:
Instead of Dirk of Dirk Struan (Tai Pan saga), people call him and each of his descendants Struan.
Instead of Jill (in Jill Pole of Narnia), Eustace in (Eustace Clarence Scrubb), they call each other Pole and Scrubb?

Additional Details

2 weeks ago
Thanks! But however nowadays it seems rude to call people only by their last names. When did this "respect" change to "rudeness"? Or did it change at all?


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: 2 weeks ago
Thanks! But however nowadays it seems rude to call people only by their last names. When did this "respect" change to "rudeness"? Or did it change at all?