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>Woohoo! The Chetmans! But wouldn’t Mrs. Chetman be Chetwoman?
Good question, but I think based on (at least American) social nomenclature norms (yes yes patriarchy), no.
If we treat “Chetman” like we might treat a surname, the idea of a “Mrs Chetman” is sort of like there being a “Mrs John Smith” — it’s a title, not a name. Royals get to be styled lots of ways; why shouldn’t us filthy commoners?
In any case shifting a proper to nonstandard plural forms isn’t cricket. I have also, in recent years, heard of husbands being “styled” similarly in such contexts — ie, referring to the name-unknown but known-to-exist spouse as, for example, Mr Zoe Keating. I think this is probably equally useful.
And now I am guilty of excessively nerdy literalism again, mostly because questions of name and identity and tradition are interesting.
Anyway: She was Erin! on her badge for JCCC4, complete with exclamation point, and that’s how I think of her. 🙂
149 days.