Fretiquette (urgentish help needed!)

[rochvelleth]

I have a question:

Let's say you're writing an email to a really important French academic in your field. His surname is, let's say, Noir[1]. How do you address him? "Dear M. Noir" doesn't seem right, so...

Help muchly appreciated.

[1] Names changed to protect the innocent!

Comments

[edith_the_hutt]

I was always taught that when writing to a personal acquaintance you used Dear x and signed yours sincerely and when writing a letter to someone who isn't a personal acquaintance or who cirumstances suggest who should treat as someone who isn't you used the form Sir/Madam, or Mr X, and end with Yours Faithfully.

'course that could vary from person to person. I ought to get a guide to ettiquette or something.

[rochvelleth]

Ooh, I think my phrasing is entirely ambiguous, isn't it? You see, what I was really asking was what form or address to use for him (e.g. Mr or M. in French).

But what you describe is pretty much considered the formal norm, I think.

*huggles*

[edith_the_hutt]

Ah. In which case I would recommend M. over Mr. I've not see it done the other way very much at all.

[rochvelleth]

I thought there might be something more appropriate for the biggest French academic ever though. *shrug*

P.S. Aw, go on, do the history quiz *sweet smile* :)

[weebleflip]

Argh, I could've answered that with confidence in my AS-level year, as all kinds of letter writing formalities came up. Sadly my memory has betrayed me, having not used much French at all in the last three.

~KT

[cartesiandaemon]

FWIW 'M' sounds fine to me, but I've never written to even the most famous French academic I know (which is probably no-one).

[fluffyarmadillo]

Monsieur X,
Da da da da da,
etc.