honorifics

[The Fox]

No: HPFGUIDX 55819

Jodel said:
>Fox asks:

>>My question is, why do we have Mrs. Diggory and Mrs. Malfoy, but Madam 
>>Pomfrey and Madam Hooch?
>
>Because we are depending on the perceptions of a Muggle-raised PoV 
>character.  Have we ever heard Molly Weasley actually *called* Mrs. Weasley 
>by anyone other than Harry or the narriator? Have we ever heard
Draco's mother *called* Mrs Malfoy? I don't think so. That's Harry filling 
in the blanks acording to the customs in which he was raised.
>
>The witches who are refered to as "Madam" such-and-such are the ones he has 
>*heard* refered to as such. I suspect that inside the wizarding
world it is Madam Malfoy and Madam Weasley, not Mrs.

That's a good thought, too.  But we know the honorific "Mrs." exists in the 
wizarding world -- Filch's cat isn't called Madam Norris.  (And
doesn't Dumbledore refer to Cedric's mother as Mrs. Diggory?)

Also --

Steve (bboy_mn) said:

>My personal opinion is that Professor is not just a courtesy title for a 
>teacher, but an acedemic credential equivalent to a Masters Degree.  This 
>explains why Hagrid isn't a professor even thought he is a teacher. Care of 
>Magical Creatures is just as acedemic as Prof. Sprout's herbology class, 
>but Prof. Sprout has the acedemic credentials.

Yes, and the previous Care of Magical Creatures teacher was Professor 
Kettleburn, so it's not a matter of the material.  At the same time, though, 
Lockhart doesn't have a shred of academic credentials that we know of (when 
would he have accumulated them?), and the odds are neither does Lupin or 
Moody, and yet all three are called Professor.

Fox

...........
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Luke 6:37
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from high atop the thing?"
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Don't mean I feel so strong.
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