Salutations - Dr. So-and-so or first name?

[unbrokenthread]

I swear I searched for this, but I couldn't find an answer--sorry if this is a repeat question!

 

I always address potential advisors as "Dr. ___" in my first email to them, but if they sign their response with their first name, does that imply that I should address them by that name in the future? Would it be more of a faux pas to refer to them as, say, "Bob," or to continue to call them "Dr. ____"?

 

Thanks!

 

 

[fuzzylogician]

If they sign the email as "Bob," you can address them as "Bob." Make sure it's not an automated signature, and if in doubt opt for being more polite rather than less. 

[rising_star]

I always adopt "Dr." until I'm told otherwise. I don't take one email signature (because really very few people sign emails "Sincerely, Dr. X" even when they want to be addressed as Dr. X) as an indication to switch to first name.

[fuzzylogician]

In my field first names are the expected norm -- I can't think of anyone who goes by anything other than first name or nickname. So as soon as people sign their name with their name (which is always), I use that name. I only use an official salutation when it's someone I've never met before. I guess this, too, could be very field specific so OP -- you should find out how they do things in your field.

[rising_star]

Fuzzy, I'm not sure if it's field-specific as much as it is region-specific. In the part of the US where I grew up, you just don't refer to an adult by their first name unless you've been given permission to do so. FWIW, I tend to be much more strict about not switching to first names in email correspondence (because it never hurts to be too formal basically) than I am in person. But that's also because in person people will say "Call me Bob" whereas that basically never happens in email.

[fuzzylogician]

Well, at least as far as I can tell, there is no difference between linguists working in one part of the US or another, or linguists working in Europe or Asia for that matter. It's just generally how our field works. I've really never heard anyone go by anything other than a first name or nickname, including Noam (Chomsky) and other faux-celebrities. This could perhaps be different for undergraduates but I did not do my undergrad in the US, so perhaps there are nuances I am missing. However, I believe that all the professors in my department go by their first name when teaching undergrad classes. The TAs certainly do.

[Washoe]

Oh, you'd be surprised, fuzzylogician. As someone said, it is region specific, really. In my part of Europe, we are rarely on the first name basis, and titles and authority are kind of important. During grad and MA in linguistics I never called my supervisor by her first name, even though we are on pretty good terms, collaborated together and were also in the habbit of going for a cup of coffee and chit chat. When we e-mail, we usually address our profs with "Respected prof/dr So-and-so", and if you are close to them and know them a bit you can use "Dear prof. Last Name". 

 

My profs also called me (i'm doing some literal translating now) "colleague Last Name".

 

When we went a bit international, having profs from States and some other parts of Europe over, first name basis approach was adopted, but in everyday ommunication we used a title, usually just prof. and a last name. Although some old school types really liked all their titles recited.

 

My anthro supervisor studied in the states so he was cool with the being on a first names basis, but I still find this lack of formality weird when I contact american POIs, like I am being disrespectful or overly casual. It is a cultural (but also a linguistic ) thing. 

[unbrokenthread]

As an undergraduate, I've been taught to refer to someone as "Prof. ___" or "Dr. ____" unless told otherwise. The majority of my academic relationships with professors have continued on this track, but in research, I've found that professors (spanning subfields of biology from marine bio to genetics) generally prefer first names. In fact, I've even received advice to the tune of "If a potential PhD advisor wants to keep you on a last-name basis, you don't want to work in their lab" (the logic being that you are now their peer; you are being trained to enter the intellectual conversation at an equal level to others in your field, and should be treated as such)

 

In the past I've called my PIs by their first names (with prior permission) but referred to them as "Dr. ____" during talks. This seems to make everybody happy.

 

Thanks for all the input!

[fuzzylogician]

Oh, you'd be surprised, fuzzylogician. As someone said, it is region specific, really. In my part of Europe, we are rarely on the first name basis, and titles and authority are kind of important. During grad and MA in linguistics I never called my supervisor by her first name, even though we are on pretty good terms, collaborated together and were also in the habbit of going for a cup of coffee and chit chat. When we e-mail, we usually address our profs with "Respected prof/dr So-and-so", and if you are close to them and know them a bit you can use "Dear prof. Last Name". 

 

I bet you I've worked and studied in your part of Europe, and indeed in a classroom setting everybody is addressed by a title.It's a different situation when you work with a professor as a grad student in the US, and in that case, even for professors from that part of the world (and everyone else, as I've pointed out), we all use first names. When I talk to my former professors from Europe when they visit here, we also use first names now. Again, that's how things work in my field.