Milady or Mylady, Mylord or Milord?

dpaterso

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There's also m'lady and m'lord.

If it pleases m'Lord, I shall serve the after-dinner mints!

And if it's a British courtroom scene, possibly m'lud.

-Derek
 
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mirandashell

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It's also class-based. Peasants say 'm'Lord' and 'm'Lady'. Nobles say 'my Lord' and 'my Lady'.
 

BethS

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What's the difference?
Also, do you capitalize them?
Thanks for any replies

This is what I've seen in published novels:

My lady, milady, m'lady. Ditto with lord.

Only capitalize when it's part of a title or name. Lord Powell. Lord John.
 

Jamesaritchie

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It's usually m'lady or m'lord. This is how they're written in every dictionary I have.
 

WWWalt

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It's usually m'lady or m'lord. This is how they're written in every dictionary I have.

Merriam-Webster and the OED -- pretty widely accepted as authoritative for American and British English. respectively -- both have milord and milady, and neither has m'lord or m'lady. They come from French words as much as from the English phrases "my lord" and "my lady." They're not dialectical terms at all, though they are archaic.
 

Reziac

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I've used 'em thus:

my lord, my lady -- the generic term like anyone might use
milady, milord -- mildly sarcastic or ironic
m'lord, m'lady -- variously peasant or familiar speech

Since my people aren't speaking English, I assume this reflects the nuances of the words I'm translating.