Tutoiement and Vouvoiement

• The convention in French of using the second person plural as a mark of respect was established by the 14^th century. In these circumstances it was non-reciprocal.
  • Tu used by:
    • Higher class to address lower class
    • Master to address servant
    • Parent to address adult children
    • Priest to address parishioner
  • Vous used by:
    • Lower class to address higher class
    • Servant to address master
    • Adult child to address parent
    • Parishioner to address priest
• After the Revolution in 1789, an attempt was made to use ‘tu’ in all circumstances but the practice failed to become established.
• After the student riots in May 1968, there was a fashion for addressing everyone as ‘tu’ indiscriminately as a mark of ‘solidarity’ but it was not generally adopted.
• However, the tendency now is for a reciprocal use of either ‘tu’ or ‘vous’. In other words, its use no longer denotes the relative social status of people to the same extent.
  • Exceptions:
    • There are still certain people who use ‘tu’ very little, eg; ‘la vieille France’ (Giscard d’Estaing etc)
    • A non-reciprocal use is still observed between:-
      • Teacher/pupil
      • In-laws
      • Employer/employee (depending on the nature of the work)
• Cote 33 du Règlement de discipline générale des armées. Le 5 août 1975. ‘Le tutoiement est formellement interdit en service.’
  • Apart from this, there has been no particular ruling on the topic, either in connection with education or administration.
• It looks as though a change in the political climate has brought about a return to a form that is stylistically marked.
• ‘tutoiement versus vouvoiement in different contexts
  • Family : tutoiement is general amongst members of the immediate family, exceptions being:-
    • The ‘grandes familles’
    • In-laws. Even if parents-in-law tutoient their sons/daughters-in-law, the reverse is less likely. Tutoiement is now more common between brother-in-law and sisters-in-law, particularly if they are of the same sex; i.e. a man is less likely to tutoyer is sister-in-law than his brother-in-law.
  • Age
    • Children up to the age of 10 are routinely addressed as ‘tu’. Above that age the position is less clear

Research among school children produced the following results.

In reply to the question, ‘If a new pupil arrives at your school, do you automatically tutoyer him?’ 80.55% of the sample said they would do so straightaway.

The next question was, ‘What is your reaction if the new arrival uses vouvoiement? Do you

(a) think that it’s a bit unfriendly – 23.25%

(b) think that it’s up to him – 23.25%

(c) ask him why – 20.93%

(d) find it funny – 11.63%

(e) think that it’s quite normal – 9.30%

(f) have any other reaction ­ 2.33% would ostracise him; 9.33% would invite him to tutoyer

On balance, the majority of opinions either expressly or implicitly disapprove.

• • • People over the age of 50 are more likely to vouvoyer but this could indicate
      • Either a general tendency
      • Or the behaviour of older people
  • Sex:
    • Vouvoiement is more common between persons of the opposite sex
    • Women tend to use vouvoiement more than men
  • Other factors
    • Political orientation
    • Social class
    • Upbringing – education, military service, etc.
    • Interests in common – sport, leisure activities, etc.
    • Certain professions
    • External appearances
    • Personality
• Certainties
  • Fixed usages of tu’
    • God (but not the Blessed Virgin Mary)
    • The Army – but see above
    • Cases where several criteria coincide (e.g. youger person, whom one knows well
    • Close family (but see above re in-laws)
  • Fixed usage of ‘vous’
    • Always, if a person is addressed simply as ‘monsieur’ or ‘madame’
• Uncertainties
  • Cases where there is a conflict of principals; e.g. an acquaintance who is older, in-laws, friends of friends.
• Variation with the same person
  • Different circumstances
  • Passing passions