volta

It still happens today. They just love their titles, even if it is just Dipl. Ing., they love to put it on their business cards and PhDs are addressed as Doctor soandso. After working 10 years in the US, it sounds very strange to me for such formalities.

hch

A Dipl-Ing. (Not Dipl. Ing.) is very common to put on your business card in all German-Speaking countries, at least if you work in a technical field. Now in Austria and especially Vienna people even put it on their doorbell name tag, or do it even for a simple Ing. without Dipl-. And there are strange ways to get a Dipl-Ing. even without ever attending a university, you can get a Dipl-Ing. from a HTL (secondary school with a focus on technical topics) when paying some feeds and proving work experience..

oliver2002

I put my Dipl.-Ing. title in the OS profile and the OS tix and BP actually say xxx/Oliver DI MR

weero

Isn't that romantic? This is what I love in Austria. I still remember a talk I had to give where the organiser dragged me to the secretary with "griessen's den Herrn Dimplomingenieur weero", when she looked at him in a baffled manner, he corrected himself to "Doktor-Diplomingenieur".

Took me a long time to realise that this was the accepted way to do it ^.

IAN-UK

In some parts of Europe convention allows possessors of first degrees to use the honorific title Dr. Which then throws holders of PhD's into a blue fit. To get over the absolute need for differentiation, Prof Dr is often adopted as the title - or the Doctor part is written out in full.

In the US, my cousin quite rightly refuses to use his Professor title outside the academic environment - says people will think he gives piano lessons. What a snob

In the UK it has always been infra dig to claim status by using professional and academic titles outside the professional or academic field - unless there is some wider social justification for being so recognised. Always good to be able to identify a priest for a spot of confession..

IAN-UK

Yet you manage to remind us of your academic status in your nickname and in the thread ...

In the full flush of academic success I initially adopted my title for travel, banking and answering the phone. That was all knocked out of me on a flight to Singapore. A flight attendant asked if I'd take a look at a lady who was feeling unwell.

I thought hard, but quickly realised that any story I could tell her about trade in Mediaeval Europe was likely to be of little comfort. I told the flight attendant I was "not that sort of doctor": his look said quite clearly "then why call yourself a doctor, you idiot?"

Since then, I have lived happily enough as plain old Mr.

econprof

Well, I wanted to be "weero", but it was already taken.

One of those times where being "Prof. Dr." would have come in quite handy, then, I would say. Maybe they're on to something in Germany

hch

Because you actually have a doctoral degree, unlike many physicians these days? I never got why our anglo-american friends insist on calling a physicians a doctor constantly. (Also happens sometimes in colloquial German).

IAN-UK

The point is that the wider world, quite rightly, does not give a hoot whether or not I achieved an academic degree. On the other hand, ready identification of medical folk can be useful - so giving a blanket title such as doctor to those licensed to practise medicine really isn't such a bad idea.

In case of medical emergency, I'm not going to spend too long grilling my new-found doctor on the exact nature of his academic background.

econprof

Then why don't nurses have the formal title "Nurse"? That might also be useful. I don't think these conventions started as a means of identifying who's going to be helpful in the event someone goes into cardiac arrest on the plane.

At least in Germany they don't have "Sir", "Prince", "Viceroy", "Queen" and whatever else...

hch

That why sane airlines have a list of medical personal on board so that they can find actually physicians. E.g. my grandfather who was a physician would have never put his title into the public like that that.

andre1970

Don't think so... "Prof. Dr." sounds as something like a professor of medicine. See below why:
They actually do @:-)! Nurse Practitioners (and a wide array of other health-related professionals) do carry the title Dr.(not just "nurse") in the US.

tcswede

I think you might be mistaken on that - one of my fellow drinkers - sorry fellow students back at university was a "Firstname Herzog von Bundesland". And that was how he was generally addressed when spoken to by the "mere mortals" - his words after a few beers - not mine

Cheers

Thomas

econprof

I have never met a nurse who went by Dr. in the U.S. Never. They might have an RN or NP after their name, but never Dr.

weero

That must have been one of the dumber specimen - Singa is very fastidious in the correct use of titles. Everyone knows that you do not call an assistant professor 'professor' e.g.

I finally convinced our secretary to call me by my first name .. but she still uses the Dr. ...