I hear that Ma’am is often used in the south of the US when speaking to women older than you,
on the other hand, it can sound offensive, or uncomfortable in other parts of the US. Is that the case?
There are places on the East Coast, notably places in Virginia, where the respectful term of address for a woman is "Miss" followed by her first name. I learned this from a friend of mine who used to live here in California and moved to Richmond, Virginia.
Yes, Miss Lucy. No, Miss Susan. And so on.
When it comes to these formulas of politeness, it's a matter of following local customs.
CJ
Comments
Actually, it is used with any woman of any age down south. Up north, we call younger women "Miss".
I have been all over, almost. I have never counted the states I've been to. Let's do it now. Ok, I've been to 35 of the 50 states of the Union, and I have never been anywhere that "Ma'am" was anything other than a polite way of addressing a strange woman.
I'm a native English speaker in the US and I avoid using terms like 'ma'am, sir (I personally find "sir" offensive when being addressed), miss, etc." Just speaking politely is enough, in my view.
And formulas will vary widely from place to place. For example:
~1:15