Extrait d'un forum FR-EN

http://web.mit.edu/french/culturaNEH/archives/2005f/forums/cashcheck.html (le site n'est plus accessible)

You are cashing a personal check at a bank, the employee reads your name and addresses you with your first name. Vous touchez un chèque dans une banque, l'employé lit votre nom sur le chèque et vous adresse la parole en utilisant votre prénom.

L- 10:31am Nov 5, 2005 (#1 of 21)

Les réponses des étudiants américains sont très différentes de celles faites par les étudiants français. Pour nous, c'est assez impoli de tutoyer quelqu'un qu'on ne connaît pas. C'est la même chose d'appeler quelqu'un par son prénom, surtout quand on est jeune. C'est généralement aux petits enfants que l'on parle comme ça…

K - 05:42pm Nov 7, 2005 (#2 of 21)

Generally, students from MIT responded that they would not care much about it and nobody from MIT would try to correct the employee's behavior.

On the contrary, several students from Ecole Polytechnique responded that they would feel uncomfortable about it and would let the employee know that he has made a mistake indirectly by facial expression or accent or tell him directly that he has made a mistake. From this fact alone, it seems that addressing a stranger by first name is considered much more rude in France. However, there were also a few students from Ecole Polytechnique who responded that they would not care much about it and it seems that although in general, the behavior of the employee would be considered more rude in France, there are different attidudes toward addressing a person with her first name. What do you think about this?

M - 06:28pm Nov 7, 2005 (#3 of 21)

It actually feels strange if someone calls me Ms. xx rather than by my first name. It makes me feel old. I think that Americans greet each other informally. It's usually on a first name basis. It's not a big deal at all if someone calls me by my first name. In fact, it will be weird if they didn't. When you (French) meet someone new, do you always call them by their last name?

S - 11:49pm Nov 7, 2005 (#4 of 21)

I too prefer being called by my first name. I like my name. Although I must say that when someone refers to me as Ms.Baptista it sounds very elegant and gentleman like. When it comes to me addressing others, I'm bad with names. I usually don't refer to people by their name, I just say “hi”. Do you consider it impolite to not address you by your name at all?

Ste - 11:55pm Nov 7, 2005 (#5 of 21)

Using someone's first name in the United States seems to be something people do to be friendly and create an atmosphere of openness. Also, in the US, most employees who wear nametags only have their first name shown, so we have no choice but to address them by their first name if necessary.Would it be acceptable in France to address employees by their first name?

G - 07:33am Nov 8, 2005 (#7 of 21)

I think the gender assumptions that the responses reveal are interesting. While a few students on both sides commented that the sex of the employee made a difference, it seems like most MIT students assumed it would be a women, whil the use of “le” and “il” by the French students suggests that they assumed the employee was male. Is it true that working at a bank in France is a historically male profession, or is the use of the male pronoun an artifact of the French language?

F - 09:02am Nov 8, 2005 (#8 of 21)

Peut etre nous trompons nous de question ici. En effet le fait d'appeler quelqu'un par son prenom ou de l'appeler Monsieur depend seulement de la culture et de l'education. En France, par tradition, il est plus poli d'appeler quelqu'un que l'on ne connait pas “Monsieur”. Au Mexique par exemple ce n'est pas le cas. A priori aux USA non plus. Alors il suffit de s'adapter aux usages locaux : je suis surpris quand un inconnu en France m'appele par mon prenom, mais je trouve cela normal de la part d'un mexicain par exemple, et peut etre d'un americain (je ne suis alle aux USA que tres jeune). Par ailleurs en France au moins la societe est assez differenciee, et selon le milieu socio culturel le tutoiement est plus ou moins bienvenu. Il faut donc egalement prendre en compte l'environnement social.

F - 09:07am Nov 8, 2005 (#9 of 21)

A l'attention de Stephanie.

Concernant le fait d'appeler des employes par leur prenom, il s'agit en France d'un point tres subjectif. Cela depend du travail, de l'environnement social, de l'habitude de l'entreprise. Mais il est visible que certains employes le preferent, d'autre non. Le plus souvent omn utilise le prenom, et le tutoiement vient plus tard.

Qu'en est il aus USA ?

Merci