Re: CHAT: "Mister" (WAS: Re: New Lang: Igassik)

En réponse à The Gray Wizard <dbell@...>:

>
> First names have pretty much become the norm among adults in the US.  I
> suppose many of us have experienced the moment when those younger than
> we
> first address us as "Mister".  It's a coming-of-middle-age ritual.  My
> pat
> response has always been that Mr. Bell was my father, I'm David.  This
> still
> seems to work even at 57.  The other defining middle-age moment is when
> you
> notice that policemen all seem to look younger than you. ;-)
>
In France, using lastnames is still the norm (maybe linked to the existence of
"vouvoiement" againt "tutoiement"). At school, it depends on the grade: in
kindergarten, elementary school and junior high school, teachers call pupils by
first name (and say "tu") while we call them "monsieur, madame or mademoiselle"
+ lastname (and say "vous"). In high school, teachers still call pupils by first
name, but there use "vous" instead of "tu". Finally, after high school (that's
to say university or equivalent), both teachers and students generally use "M.,
Mme. or Mlle." + lastname, and the corresponding "vous". Of course, among
teachers themselves, as well as among students themselves, "tu" and firstnames
are the norm, as long as people feel near to one another (same class, same
faculty, etc...). It's not done between adults that one says "vous" while the
other answers "tu". This situation can only appear between an adult and a child
(it was when I was 16 that I was first called "vous" by a child. What a shock!)

Christophe.