Ammy claims that 殿 is more respectful than 様:
様 -sama: a respectful honorific used for those of a higher social standing
殿 -dono: even more respectful than -sama, less likely to be used solely out of obligation
However, Wikipedia claims otherwise:
殿 when attached to a name, roughly means "lord" or "master". . .
. . . and lies in between san and sama in level of respect.
Who is right?
Does「様」command more respect than「殿」, or is it the other way round?
Answer
様 is more respectful than 殿. The reason Ammy gets it wrong is because 殿 used to be more respectful in the past, but it has changed overtime and 様 has become more respectful. Nowadays, 殿 is used as a fixed expression in some circles. Many companies use it in their e-mails when referring to a coworker, but I would use 様 instead if I were referring to someone in a different company. However, it may still be tradition at some companies to use 殿 all the time, but always use 様 instead if you are not sure.
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