I was raised to address strangers and those I wish to show social deference to as "Sir" or "Ma'am". It's a difficult habit to break, as it is deeply engrained.
What is an equivalent gender neutral honorific that is relatively common in English? If I can't break the habit I'd rather have a substitute word to use instead of an awkward pause in the middle of addressing someone
I'd just use Google to ask but I'd rather ask the people directly rather than an AI generated answer based off of Reddit threads
ETA: I suppose if Yessir and Yes'm work, Yesn't could too? Mostly joking… but maybe… 🤔
Mostly southern but definitely prisons as well. Predominant in chain gang type situations. An example more people might be familiar with would be Morgan Freeman's line "bathroom break, boss?" in Shawshank Redemption when he's been paroled and working at the grocery store. Yes, it's from a movie but it's also a reverence more likely to resonate. Shawshank takes place in the Northeast, hence prison...uh, "culture".