Re: German 'duzen' and 'siezen' - etymology ?

On 10/19/06, Carsten Becker <carbeck@...> wrote:
> But then I've been taught that English speakers often
> address each other by their first name ..
Not sure you can generalize to the whole Anglophonic world that way.
It is true that we modern Americans tend to leap into first-name-basis
with no provocation whatsoever(*), but I was under the impression that
Brits were still more reserved even in this relatively informal age.

Workplace address varies dramatically with the company, team, and
individuals; many of my coworkers call me "Mark", but some call me
"Reed", and the proportions could easily be swapped if I worked in a
different company.  "Mr. Reed" is generally reserved for exaggerated
politesse.

Back in high school my Spanish teacher was always Señora Valdés, but
my German teacher insisted we call him just Wän (real name Wayne);
those who felt uncomfortable doing so compromised on "Herr Wän".
Looking back over my school career, it seems that male teachers were,
in general, more likely to want to be addressed by their first name
than the female teachers were, but it was hardly a universal rule.
Several male teachers who were also athletic coaches preferred to be
addressed as e.g. "Coach Jordan", and in some cases just "Coach".

(*) Cold-calling salespeople call me "Mark" instead of "Mr. Reed", for
instance.  With them it's as much technique as anything else, but it's
not uncommon in general.
--
Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>

Replies