Was a professor correct to chastise me for writing “Prof. X” rather than “Professor X”?
I emailed Professor Mill [not his real surname] regarding typos in, and questions on, his book. I've never met and contacted him. My email commences with this salutation
Dear Prof. Mill
He replied
It is customary to address professors by their title in full, just as most people would not abbreviate the full names of people whom they do not know well.
His unpleasantness startled me. Is he correct though? If he is, wouldn't we have to write Mr. in full as Mister or even Master?
asked 4 hours ago
AntinatalistAntinatalist
263
add a comment |
I emailed Professor Mill [not his real surname] regarding typos in, and questions on, his book. I've never met and contacted him. My email commences with this salutation
Dear Prof. Mill
He replied
It is customary to address professors by their title in full, just as most people would not abbreviate the full names of people whom they do not know well.
His unpleasantness startled me. Is he correct though? If he is, wouldn't we have to write Mr. in full as Mister or even Master?
asked 4 hours ago
AntinatalistAntinatalist
263
3
Wow, Prof Mill is full of him/herself. I could care less about whether someone spelled my title or name incorrectly. Hell, they can write Dear Santa Claus in place of my real name and I would hardly blink.
– Prof. Santa Claus
3 hours ago
1
@Cag51 Ah OK! I'll add "chastise" back.
– Antinatalist
2 hours ago
2
It is customary to address professors by their title in full — (sigh) No, sir, it is not.
– JeffE
58 mins ago
add a comment |
I emailed Professor Mill [not his real surname] regarding typos in, and questions on, his book. I've never met and contacted him. My email commences with this salutation
Dear Prof. Mill
He replied
It is customary to address professors by their title in full, just as most people would not abbreviate the full names of people whom they do not know well.
His unpleasantness startled me. Is he correct though? If he is, wouldn't we have to write Mr. in full as Mister or even Master?
asked 4 hours ago
AntinatalistAntinatalist
263
I emailed Professor Mill [not his real surname] regarding typos in, and questions on, his book. I've never met and contacted him. My email commences with this salutation
Dear Prof. Mill
He replied
It is customary to address professors by their title in full, just as most people would not abbreviate the full names of people whom they do not know well.
His unpleasantness startled me. Is he correct though? If he is, wouldn't we have to write Mr. in full as Mister or even Master?
asked 4 hours ago
AntinatalistAntinatalist
263
asked 4 hours ago
AntinatalistAntinatalist
263
edited 15 mins ago
Antinatalist
asked 4 hours ago
AntinatalistAntinatalist
263
asked 4 hours ago
AntinatalistAntinatalist
263
asked 4 hours ago
AntinatalistAntinatalist
263
263
3
Wow, Prof Mill is full of him/herself. I could care less about whether someone spelled my title or name incorrectly. Hell, they can write Dear Santa Claus in place of my real name and I would hardly blink.
– Prof. Santa Claus
3 hours ago
1
@Cag51 Ah OK! I'll add "chastise" back.
– Antinatalist
2 hours ago
2
It is customary to address professors by their title in full — (sigh) No, sir, it is not.
– JeffE
58 mins ago
add a comment |
3
Wow, Prof Mill is full of him/herself. I could care less about whether someone spelled my title or name incorrectly. Hell, they can write Dear Santa Claus in place of my real name and I would hardly blink.
– Prof. Santa Claus
3 hours ago
1
@Cag51 Ah OK! I'll add "chastise" back.
– Antinatalist
2 hours ago
2
It is customary to address professors by their title in full — (sigh) No, sir, it is not.
– JeffE
58 mins ago
3
3
Wow, Prof Mill is full of him/herself. I could care less about whether someone spelled my title or name incorrectly. Hell, they can write Dear Santa Claus in place of my real name and I would hardly blink.
– Prof. Santa Claus
3 hours ago
Wow, Prof Mill is full of him/herself. I could care less about whether someone spelled my title or name incorrectly. Hell, they can write Dear Santa Claus in place of my real name and I would hardly blink.
– Prof. Santa Claus
3 hours ago
1
1
@Cag51 Ah OK! I'll add "chastise" back.
– Antinatalist
2 hours ago
@Cag51 Ah OK! I'll add "chastise" back.
– Antinatalist
2 hours ago
2
2
It is customary to address professors by their title in full — (sigh) No, sir, it is not.
– JeffE
58 mins ago
It is customary to address professors by their title in full — (sigh) No, sir, it is not.
– JeffE
58 mins ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
What a jerk! No, writing "Prof." is perfectly fine; his reaction is both incorrect and completely inappropriate. I cannot imagine any professor I know (even the ones I don't like) writing such a thing.
What country is this guy in? Some countries (e.g., Germany) have stricter rules for such things, but I'm still shocked he would respond like this.
regarding typos in ... his book
Ah. Is it possible he's being snarky about your abbreviation since you criticized his typos? If your e-mail had a condescending tone, maybe he is trying to "bite back." That's the only thing I can think of.
answered 3 hours ago
cag51cag51
17.2k63564
In view of academia.stackexchange.com/questions/127175/…, I'd rather not identify which Prof. M. But I'll say that he's definitely an Anglophone, from a (former?) Commonwealth or the US.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
"Is it possible he's being snarky about your grammar since you criticized his": Possibly? But I pointed out objective mistakes as to fact, not grammatical ones.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
Thanks for info. Deleting my comment with the unredacted name.
– cag51
3 hours ago
No problem! But I think his real surname is in my post history anyways....
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
1
"biting back" like that is still unprofessional even if provoked
– Thomas
2 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
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1 Answer
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active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
What a jerk! No, writing "Prof." is perfectly fine; his reaction is both incorrect and completely inappropriate. I cannot imagine any professor I know (even the ones I don't like) writing such a thing.
What country is this guy in? Some countries (e.g., Germany) have stricter rules for such things, but I'm still shocked he would respond like this.
regarding typos in ... his book
Ah. Is it possible he's being snarky about your abbreviation since you criticized his typos? If your e-mail had a condescending tone, maybe he is trying to "bite back." That's the only thing I can think of.
answered 3 hours ago
cag51cag51
17.2k63564
In view of academia.stackexchange.com/questions/127175/…, I'd rather not identify which Prof. M. But I'll say that he's definitely an Anglophone, from a (former?) Commonwealth or the US.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
"Is it possible he's being snarky about your grammar since you criticized his": Possibly? But I pointed out objective mistakes as to fact, not grammatical ones.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
Thanks for info. Deleting my comment with the unredacted name.
– cag51
3 hours ago
No problem! But I think his real surname is in my post history anyways....
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
1
"biting back" like that is still unprofessional even if provoked
– Thomas
2 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
What a jerk! No, writing "Prof." is perfectly fine; his reaction is both incorrect and completely inappropriate. I cannot imagine any professor I know (even the ones I don't like) writing such a thing.
What country is this guy in? Some countries (e.g., Germany) have stricter rules for such things, but I'm still shocked he would respond like this.
regarding typos in ... his book
Ah. Is it possible he's being snarky about your abbreviation since you criticized his typos? If your e-mail had a condescending tone, maybe he is trying to "bite back." That's the only thing I can think of.
answered 3 hours ago
cag51cag51
17.2k63564
In view of academia.stackexchange.com/questions/127175/…, I'd rather not identify which Prof. M. But I'll say that he's definitely an Anglophone, from a (former?) Commonwealth or the US.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
"Is it possible he's being snarky about your grammar since you criticized his": Possibly? But I pointed out objective mistakes as to fact, not grammatical ones.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
Thanks for info. Deleting my comment with the unredacted name.
– cag51
3 hours ago
No problem! But I think his real surname is in my post history anyways....
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
1
"biting back" like that is still unprofessional even if provoked
– Thomas
2 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
What a jerk! No, writing "Prof." is perfectly fine; his reaction is both incorrect and completely inappropriate. I cannot imagine any professor I know (even the ones I don't like) writing such a thing.
What country is this guy in? Some countries (e.g., Germany) have stricter rules for such things, but I'm still shocked he would respond like this.
regarding typos in ... his book
Ah. Is it possible he's being snarky about your abbreviation since you criticized his typos? If your e-mail had a condescending tone, maybe he is trying to "bite back." That's the only thing I can think of.
answered 3 hours ago
cag51cag51
17.2k63564
What a jerk! No, writing "Prof." is perfectly fine; his reaction is both incorrect and completely inappropriate. I cannot imagine any professor I know (even the ones I don't like) writing such a thing.
What country is this guy in? Some countries (e.g., Germany) have stricter rules for such things, but I'm still shocked he would respond like this.
regarding typos in ... his book
Ah. Is it possible he's being snarky about your abbreviation since you criticized his typos? If your e-mail had a condescending tone, maybe he is trying to "bite back." That's the only thing I can think of.
answered 3 hours ago
cag51cag51
17.2k63564
edited 3 hours ago
answered 3 hours ago
cag51cag51
17.2k63564
answered 3 hours ago
cag51cag51
17.2k63564
answered 3 hours ago
cag51cag51
17.2k63564
17.2k63564
In view of academia.stackexchange.com/questions/127175/…, I'd rather not identify which Prof. M. But I'll say that he's definitely an Anglophone, from a (former?) Commonwealth or the US.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
"Is it possible he's being snarky about your grammar since you criticized his": Possibly? But I pointed out objective mistakes as to fact, not grammatical ones.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
Thanks for info. Deleting my comment with the unredacted name.
– cag51
3 hours ago
No problem! But I think his real surname is in my post history anyways....
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
1
"biting back" like that is still unprofessional even if provoked
– Thomas
2 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
In view of academia.stackexchange.com/questions/127175/…, I'd rather not identify which Prof. M. But I'll say that he's definitely an Anglophone, from a (former?) Commonwealth or the US.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
"Is it possible he's being snarky about your grammar since you criticized his": Possibly? But I pointed out objective mistakes as to fact, not grammatical ones.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
Thanks for info. Deleting my comment with the unredacted name.
– cag51
3 hours ago
No problem! But I think his real surname is in my post history anyways....
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
1
"biting back" like that is still unprofessional even if provoked
– Thomas
2 hours ago
In view of academia.stackexchange.com/questions/127175/…, I'd rather not identify which Prof. M. But I'll say that he's definitely an Anglophone, from a (former?) Commonwealth or the US.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
In view of academia.stackexchange.com/questions/127175/…, I'd rather not identify which Prof. M. But I'll say that he's definitely an Anglophone, from a (former?) Commonwealth or the US.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
"Is it possible he's being snarky about your grammar since you criticized his": Possibly? But I pointed out objective mistakes as to fact, not grammatical ones.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
"Is it possible he's being snarky about your grammar since you criticized his": Possibly? But I pointed out objective mistakes as to fact, not grammatical ones.
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
Thanks for info. Deleting my comment with the unredacted name.
– cag51
3 hours ago
Thanks for info. Deleting my comment with the unredacted name.
– cag51
3 hours ago
No problem! But I think his real surname is in my post history anyways....
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
No problem! But I think his real surname is in my post history anyways....
– Antinatalist
3 hours ago
1
1
"biting back" like that is still unprofessional even if provoked
– Thomas
2 hours ago
"biting back" like that is still unprofessional even if provoked
– Thomas
2 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
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3
Wow, Prof Mill is full of him/herself. I could care less about whether someone spelled my title or name incorrectly. Hell, they can write Dear Santa Claus in place of my real name and I would hardly blink.
– Prof. Santa Claus
3 hours ago
1
@Cag51 Ah OK! I'll add "chastise" back.
– Antinatalist
2 hours ago
2
It is customary to address professors by their title in full — (sigh) No, sir, it is not.
– JeffE
58 mins ago