[Luvian]

Male/Female: Male
Age: 25
Nationality: French canadian
Occupation: Yes


A
With which form are you usually addressed?
· By parents: Tu
· By grandparents: Tu
· In secondary school: Tu
· By professors: Depends on the teacher.
· By students: Tu
· By people over 50: Vous mostly I think, but they use Vous for pretty much everyone.
· By unfamiliar children: mostly Tu, but some have used Vous, mostly when they want something.
· In a pub: Tu
. (by cops): Vous most of the time
Which do you normally use
· To your parents: Tu
· To your grandparents: Tu
· To sec. school teachers: Tu
· To university professore: Tu
· To students over 40: Tu
· To younsters: Tu

B
Is it okay to be addressed Tu
(Are you asking my oponion, or what tend to be the norm? Personally it doesn't matter to me and I think to most people either, except the old people that live in another generation still)
· In advertisements: They almost always use vous
· On election posters: I don't remember ever being directly adressed by an election poster, it's usually a generic "Vote for X" or another such slogan.
· By professors: Students don't mind being called either.
· By students: Vous is deferential and usually impersonal, so if a student adressed another one with vous it would be strange, and he might get teased.
· In a newspaper: They usually use vous
Is it okay to be addressed Vous
· By professors: Yes
· By younger people (younger than 18): Yes
· By older students (40+): Yes
· By students your age: No
· By acquaintance of your parents: Depends on age
· By former teacher: Yes

C
· Are there situations you’re not sure which to use?
I never use vous.

· Have you ever felt uncomfortable when addressed Tu/Vous?
When I was 19-20 a teenaged girl of 16-17 used vous when she asked me for cigarettes (which she didn't get). It felt strange as we were almost the same age, but she was trying to flatter me.

· Do you ever say Vous, being addressed Tu in return?
I never say vous, but usually when one person has to use vous the other has too for the same reasons but inversed. (Difference in age/status...)

You're supposed to use vous when being formal, or when adressing someone of lower or higher status, but like I said it's not really in use anymore. Old people, as well as those in social positions like cops/politicians/McDonald girl use vous. Some teachers do but it's not that important, since most young people don't care and don't use vous. Most ads and journals use it, but they want to appear proper and professional. In a formal letter you use vous in a regular one you use tu.

Really I don't think there is much difference with english. Situations that would require you to be formal in english would require you to be formal in french too.

[ 09-16-2006, 10:37 AM: Message edited by: Luvian ]