Last names vs First. (was: James/MWPP in Slytherin)

[ghinghapuss]

No: HPFGUIDX 83559

> Mandy wrote:
> > Another good example is Professor Snape calling Professor 
> > Lupin 'Lupin' through out PoA showing he thinks very little of 
> > Remus.  Interestingly almost everyone calls Lupin 'Lupin' perhaps 
> > because of his part animal nature puts him below the full humans. 


> nkittyhawk wrote:
> Well, you have to remember that Lupin was once a professor. 

The students always use the title Professor to a teachers face but 
drop it when they talk among themselves in an effort to bring the 
teacher down a peg or two, to make them less authoritative and to 
demonstrate to their peers that they are not afraid of the teacher. 
In other words showing-off.  At the end of OotP Harry keeps calling 
Snape 'Snape' to Dumbledore until Dumbledore scolds him and tells him 
to call Snape 'Professor Snape' as he is Harry teacher, and no matter 
how much he hates him he still deserves that level of respect. 


>Do you think they call Dumbledore Dumbledore because he's lower than 
>them? 

No, of course not, but the students call Dumbledore 'Dumbledore' to 
each other for the same reason I mentioned above. To my knowledge 
nobody calls Dumbledore Dumbledore to his face.  Certainly not the 
students. If an adult does, then it will be by a close friend and 
colleague and used as a term of familiarity not disrespect. 


>They don't say Professor, because they're not talking TO them. 

Yes I agree


> They've never really said "Remus" because, for the whole first year 
> that they knew him, he was "Professor Lupin". After that, it was 
> just Lupin because they never called him Remus. If McGonagall 
> retired, they wouldn't suddenly start calling her "Minerva". 
>They're just not used to it. 

Harry and co still refer to Lupin as 'Professor' to his face even 
though he has left teaching as they are not familiar enough with him 
to call him anything else.  Sirius does call him Remus, obviously 
they are very close friends. Or were I should say.  When Harry and 
co. reach a level of friendship with Lupin they will start to call 
him Remus too.  As for Minerva McGonagall the issue of age comes into 
play. Harry and co will most likely alway call her 'Professor 
McGonagall' to her face and never 'Minerva' as she is so much older 
then them and that age difference commands respect. Of course to each 
other she gets the same treatment as all the other 
teachers: 'McGonagall'. 


>They call Sirius "Sirius" because there was never a time that he 
>was "higher" in status. (like a professor)

Actually they didn't call Sirius 'Sirius' until he became Harry's 
Godfather and friend in Book 4.  All through Book 3 he was referred 
to by all as either 'Sirius Black' and 'Black'. Because they all 
first learned about Sirius when he was considered a criminal, the 
lowest of the low.  Most notably Hermione calls him 'Mr. Black' in 
the Shreeking Shack scene which literally stops him in his tracks and 
he stairs at her for a while. Obviously no one has given him the 
level of respect of a long time. I think Hermione brilliantly used 
the title out of fear to get his attention and to placate him to not 
hurting Ron.

As I said in my first post the issue of first and last names in 
Britain is very complicated.  The rules often contradict themselves. 
Just remember that what the students someone to their face is often 
very different than what they will use in private.


Mandy