Snape's special title

[edisbevan]

No: HPFGUIDX 56125

"Gomes Moor" <clam at u...> wrote:

> does anyone have any idea about why Snape is the only member of 
Hogwarts' staff who is  called "master"?

Leading and re-reading the passage of description it still looks to 
me like JKR just used different expressions for 'teacher' to avoid 
making the passage a tedious catalogue. A literary device in short.

'Teacher' and 'Master' are interchangeable in most traditional UK 
schools usage - teacher becoming more usual nowadays as it is a 
gender-free word. Thus the post of Headmaster or Headmistress is now 
usually called a Head Teacher (the term 'Principal' being an US term 
not used in Britain). However the literary effect of calling Snape 
a 'Master' is possibly to emphasise some traditional views on 
education and social usage...

What is unusual in the HP universe is referring to school teachers 
as 'Professor'. This definitely is not part of Muggle UK norms. 

Edis