Re: French Grammar

[prie@protee.shom.fr (Yannick Prie)]

In article <960124123126.6cf7@ucfv.bc.ca> MCQUARRF@ucfv.bc.ca writes:

> In a previous post (which I lost :( ) someone stated that "le professeur" was
> correct French grammar for both female and male teachers.

This is the case.
 
> If this is the case, please explain to me why I just finished a mailing for a
> bilingual organization that went to "Cher Professeur" (Dear [Male] Professor)
> and "Chere Professeuse" {Dear [Female] Professor).

I guess because you've made a mistake. I've checked the "Larousse 96" to see
if "professeuse" was a new word, but it wasn't...

In fact, in spoken french, we can say "la professeur de francais, d'anglais etc." 
(rather than "la professeur" only, but we can say "la prof" which seems correct).
I can't remember hearing/reading "la professeuse" in spoken/written french.
You should write "Cher professeur" even to express {Dear [Female] Professor),
but I guess that "Chere professeur", although grammaticaly incorrect would
be well understood, and much better than "Chere professeuse" which appears
quite 'shocking' to french ears.

> Technically, the single gender term is correct. But in actual usage, there are
> more and more job-descriptive nouns that are recognizing that both men and
> women do those jobs. It's that feminism thing, you know :)

You're right, but if some jobs are already recognized (example : 
"docteur/doctoresse"), some aren't ("professeur/professeur", 
"ingenieur/ingenieur"). Maybe is it just a question of time, and fight...

Cheers from Brest

Yannick

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