[ti:Hello, Teacher!]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:01.84]This week, we received a question from Agnaldo, a teacher in Brazil. He asks,
[00:10.64]I've seen recently that we shouldn't call a teacher "Teacher."
[00:15.40]We should call him or her by their name.
[00:18.28]Is that true? Why?
[00:20.72]Is it the same for professors? -- Agnaldo, Brazil.
[00:26.64]Dear Agnaldo,
[00:28.56]This is a great question.
[00:30.44]I have taught in many countries where the common practice
[00:34.48]is for students to call me Teacher.
[00:37.60]It always sounded a little strange to me.
[00:40.80]Most Americans do not use Teacher to address a teacher in English.
[00:46.32]Sometimes Americans do use titles this way, however.
[00:51.52]For example, they might address a medical doctor as simply Doctor,
[00:57.52]a religious leader as Reverend or a judge, as Your Honor.
[01:03.84]So, how should students address their teacher?
[01:09.28]Most American teachers of children are addressed using the honorifics
[01:15.28]Miss, Mizz, Missus or Mister, with their family or last name.
[01:23.56]The last three are shortened in writing to Ms., Mrs. and Mr.
[01:30.48]The honorific Miss does not have a shortened version.
[01:35.44]At the beginning of a school term,
[01:37.80]a teacher should tell students how to address her or him.
[01:41.76]Suppose the teacher's name is Elissa Brown.
[01:44.88]She most likely will tell her students to call her Ms. Brown.
[01:50.04]For men, Mr. is used.
[01:52.60]The honorifics Miss and Mrs. identify if a woman is unmarried or married.
[02:01.08]These terms are less common in the modern world
[02:04.12]as they provide unnecessary, personal information.
[02:08.88]There is no English honorific that communicates if a man is married or single.
[02:15.52]You also asked about professors.
[02:18.48]Generally, they also choose how they want to be addressed.
[02:24.24]It is not unusual for a professor to be addressed as Professor, however,
[02:29.20]especially in the learning setting.
[02:32.88]Here is an example sentence:
[02:35.04]Professor, what is the difference between Mr. and Ms.?
[02:40.40]Most university professors in America hold doctoral degrees
[02:45.00]and many of them use the title of Doctor.
[02:49.16]The second part of your question was about why "Teacher"
[02:52.36]is not a good name to call your teacher.
[02:56.12]In many cultures, using the word "Teacher" shows great respect.
[03:01.24]But for many American teachers, including me, "Teacher" is an impersonal term.
[03:08.00]The good news is teachers of English as a second language
[03:11.92]expect cultural differences between themselves and their students.
[03:17.16]We understand our students are trying to show respect when they address us.
[03:22.52]That's Ask a Teacher for this week.
[03:25.24]What questions do you have about English?
[03:28.48]Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
[03:34.36]I'm Jill Robbins. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM