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johnslat · Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:21 pm Post subject:

Dear Badar Bin Bada Boom,

"We never refer to a secondary school as a "college," however. That can cause some confusion between opposite sides of the Atlantic, with continental Europeans as well as with Brits.[/i]"

And with Australians/New Zealanders/South Africans

Regards,
John

PC Parrot · Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 3:30 am Post subject:

Badar Bin Bada Boom · Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 8:30 am Post subject:

In Europe, perhaps in some cases at the secondary level. In the US, sometimes at community colleges, yes. Not in high schools. As for the UAE, there aren't too many TEFL "professors" among the rank and file.

PC Parrot · Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 5:14 am Post subject:

That doesn't square away with my experience ...

Outside the UAE, I have met more than just the occasional US TEFLer referring to himself/herself as an 'English Professor' when speaking with other native speakers of English - hence my surprise at your claim of US modesty and hence my comment ..

All they held was a degree .. generally not even a related one ..

johnslat · Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 12:12 pm Post subject:

Dear PC Parrot,

I've been EFLing/ESLing for thirty-four years now. In all that time, I haven't met any US TEFLers who referred to themselves as "English Professors.: I did, however, have five or six British colleagues who claimed that title.

Experiences differ.

Regards,
John

Ignatius Reilly · Joined: 30 Jun 2011 Posts: 29 Location: East of Suez

I can claim never to have referred to myself as a 'professor' or 'doctor' for the simple reason I'm not one or the other. I can't imagine why anyone who wasn't either of these would want to do so. But, I suppose, there is 'nowt so *beep* as folk', as we say in my part of the world.

johnslat · Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 2:00 pm Post subject:

Some of my Saudi students would address me as "Doctor John" (which always made me think of "Dr. John, the Night Tripper."

I'd tell them, "I'm not a doctor."

So, they'd ask, "What we call you then, teacher?"

And I'd reply, "Well, I do have a Master's degree, so you can call me Master."

Some of them actually got the joke.

Regards,
John

Ignatius Reilly · Joined: 30 Jun 2011 Posts: 29 Location: East of Suez

I've been beeped! The word I used begins with the letter 'Q' and is a synonym for 'unusual'. I hope I didn't cause offence.

It's Scary! · Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 823

"Professor" is the air pump for the underinflated ego. I've taught amongst many of our "British brethren" who required a few extra pumps to keep them head and shoulders above the 'mericans who continually spout their vulgarities which they term as "English"! Rolling Eyes

It's silly and archaic!

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

In my (admittedly limited) experience, non-Gulf Arabs (I haven't come across many GCC teachers in my tenure) really like "professor" and "doctor" to the extent a colleague (and I use the term extremely loosely) insisted the ladies who operated the "saloon" address my colleague as Doctor (I believe she had a B. Ed. - but never put it to good use during our acquaintance)

johnslat · Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 4:47 pm Post subject:

Dear heleni,

That matches my experience, too (and I'm pretty sure we're not talking about the same "non-Gulf Arabs" Very Happy

)

Regards,
John

Badar Bin Bada Boom · Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 6:41 pm Post subject:

Yes, I've never met an American who doesn't teach at a bona-fide college/university referring to him/herself as a "professor."

I don't care who thinks I'm trying to claim that Americans are more modest than others. That's hardly the point. On a personal level, some Americans can be quite arrogant. (And so can people of many other nationalities.) But the topic here is academic nomenclature, and it's simply not "cool" (i.e., it's not done) to say "I'm a university student" or "I'm studying for my doctorate" in the U.S. unless, as I mentioned earlier, the information is useful or required. On ze ozzer hand if you study in Germany you should address your university lecturer as Herr/Frau Doktor Professor--that is, if you ever get to see your exalted lecturer outside the 150-student lecture hall!

As for non-Gulf Arabs in the UAE, everyone's an engineer and takes the title "Engr. So-and-so" on his business card and by his apartment doorbell. I mean the cheapest apartments in Ras al Khaimah.

PC Parrot · Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 4:09 am Post subject:

I'm sorry to interrupt all this chest beating ... but has it occured to any of you that perhaps ... just perhaps ... our fellow countrymen or countrywomen don't try to pull that sort of stuff when in the company of their fellow countrymen or countrywomen ...

And anyway ... if johnsat has been TEFLing for 34 years and the only people he has met met swanning around as bogus professors were 5 or 6 Brits ... and I have been TEFLing for 16 years and have only met a dozen or so Yanks ... then .. by extrapolation, over 34 years I could expect to meet more than 25 such yanks ..

Seeing that the population of Britain is one fifth that of the US ... we can surmise that Britain and the US produce an equal proportion of wonkers ..

johnslat · Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 1:18 pm Post subject:

Dear PC Parrpt,

". . . . we can surmise that Britain and the US produce an equal proportion of wonkers ."

Now that's an assumption I can heartily concur with Very Happy

.

Regards,
John

tefllifer · Joined: 13 Jun 2003 Posts: 81

Thanks for giving me a good laugh!