<p>Just wondering because all my professors say “spouse” instead. I’ve never heard them say “wife” when referring to their wife.</p>
<p>Perhaps your professors have male “life partners?”</p>
<p>spouse is more generic, and wife is only demeaning to me if they say man and wife instead of husband and wife</p>
<p>my H calls me the “missus” (an Irish term) - must go home to the Missus</p>
<p>Better than “the old ball and chain”. :(</p>
<p>Nothing can be worse than the Japanese term for wife (which is probably Chinese in origin.)</p>
<p>家内</p>
<p>It basically means “inside house person.” There’s a better term, but you still hear “kanai” thrown around. Ugh.</p>
<p>Around here spouse doesn’t carry the same respect as wife. </p>
<p>Wife, loosely translated, means “All mighty and omnipotent one you don’t want to mess with if you’d rather not sleep in the garage”</p>
<p>I never once used the term “husband” to refer to my first spouse; he was always my “spouse”. I only realized that after we’d been divorced. I’ve always used the term “husband” to refer to my husband, though. 
And I far prefer the term “wife” to the term “spouse”.</p>
<p>I always associate the term “spouse” with the feeling that you’re not too happy to be stuck with the person you’re married to. But that’s just my own experience and reaction, I have no idea whether that can be generalized or not.</p>
<p>My ex used the term spouse exclusively, which always made me feel about as special as an IRS tax deduction. I think he liked the non gendered connotation. But it felt cold and non caring, if PC.</p>
<p>mootmom, I think you’re right. </p>
<p>Ironically, I refer to him as my ex husband now, far more than I ever called him my husband during our married years.</p>
<p>I don’t generally like to pick apart someone’s words or to take offense where none was intended. I’m not at all offended by the term “wife.”</p>
<p>I always thought anyone who used spouse was weird. Generally I was right.</p>
<p>I’m with WashDad on this one. If someone’s avoiding using gender-specific nouns or pronouns while talking about a partner, it’s usually a good bet that he or she’s gay. </p>
<p>I don’t think wife is offensive. I think that spouse is a stale word, but it has its uses.</p>
<p>When referring to a group of people’s married partner, one generally says “spouse,” because you’re speaking to both men and women, so the spouses are both wives and husbands. </p>
<p>When a professor is addressing you and uses this word, it may be because he thinks it’s a “bigger” word than wife. And it puts a little distance between him and you.</p>
<p>The “Force” is more appropriate.</p>
<p>“Wife” in Spanish is “esposa” . . . and “esposas” are handcuffs…hmmmm.</p>
<p>Well, I prefer it to “the little lady.”</p>
<p>^^^LOL, jmmom</p>
<p>she who must be obeyed</p>
<p>In a similar vein, The High Command.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone thinks “spouse” is a “bigger” word. Some may think it’s more egalitarian. I have a tic in that I seldom use the locution “my wife,” not liking the possessive connotation. But I recognize that mileage varies and it’s my tic and nobody’s problem.</p>
<p>TheDad:</p>
<p>Well, whose wife would she be, if not yours? Somehow “the wife” has a totally different connotation. Do you feel the same about your D? You don’t call her “the daughter” do you?</p>
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<p>Spouse isn’t a bigger word than wife so much as it is a more scholarly or more formal word – a grander word if you will. </p>
<p>The reason why is because wife is of good old Anglo-Saxon origin, whereas spouse is from Latin. And as is usually the case, the Saxon word seems less formal than its Latinate synonym. It’s similar to the differences between say “aviation” (Latin) and “flying” (Saxon.)</p>