Professor Title

[kuniggety]

How about? Well its the usual honorific we use when we wear Japanese style clothes to train in and do things that have evolved from Japan and still call it Jujitsu.

They don't even use the Japanese spelling. To convert it to Portuguese would probably make the name much longer. Even the uniform itself is a bit different than a judo gi. You can honor your roots and distance yourself from it/have your own identity at the same time.

 

[Dirty Dog]

It is the same in the US too. I don't understand why anyone would have a hang up with the word professor. It's a teacher but just with the connotations of expanded experience and responsibility.

The title of Professor, in the U.S., implies a PhD level education. If you aren't a teacher with a PhD (or equivalent) you shouldn't really be using the title.

"A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences, a teacher of the highest rank."




Sent from an old fashioned 300 baud acoustic modem by whistling into the handset. Really.

 

[Tez3]

This is the way the UK professorships work, interestingly and I didn't know this fencing also has professorships.
Academic ranks in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

 

[Steve]

How about? Well its the usual honorific we use when we wear Japanese style clothes to train in and do things that have evolved from Japan and still call it Jujitsu.

But Brazilian Jiu jitsu isn't a Japanese art. It's a Brazilian one that has roots in Japan. Just as karate is a Japanese art with roots in China.

In Brazil, the word professor is simply teacher. Carol did a really nice job of explaining the difference. Why do Americans call their karate teacher sensei? Same thing, just less rigid.

 

[Hyoho]

These World Soky doky people use it a lot. Black belts turned red with lot of gold on them. They also use grandmaster and have reached doctoral status.

 

[kuniggety]

The title of Professor, in the U.S., implies a PhD level education. If you aren't a teacher with a PhD (or equivalent) you shouldn't really be using the title.

"A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences, a teacher of the highest rank."

The PhD requirement depends on the field and the school. Most academic fields at universities, yes, have a formal ranking system where professor has a specific meaning. "Arts" don't have this requirement and you will find "professors" with a Master's degree as well as at junior colleges that do not have a formal ranking system. Professor is also a pretty generic term for a university level instructor whether or not they're really officially a "professor".

 

[Steve]

Just so I'm not misunderstanding. I asked before and didn't get an answer. Are you guys just explaining what professor means in English, or are you suggesting that the brazilians are Wrong to use it as they do?

 

[Hyoho]

Well Steve, all over the world the honorific of professor usually describes an academic/educational level. People in these fields study very hard to achieve this level and it usually has little to do with physical ability. The only people that usually use over the top titles are people like these World Soke council who seem to collect grades and honorifics of any kind.

I did once use a Japanese word on the net meaning something ridiculous and told everybody it was a title and people started to use it. I think BJJ would earn more respect by embracing the culture that an adapted art came from rather than draw away from it. Titles are earned to have any meaning. Lol its quite a surprise for a Japanese headmaster visiting another country to be approached by a foreigner with a belt and gold stripes that says, "Oh I'm a Soke too".

When all's said and done rank/title is usually awarded by an association. You can be a professor, headmaster whatever but what really proves things is how you perform on the mat/floor.

 

[Steve]

How funny. Funny that you think bjj craves respect. Funny that you think the brazilians speak their own language wrong. And funny that you think professor in bjj means what you think it means, rather than what I've told you it means in context.

You guys really need to walk your talk. Go back and read some of the kata/bunkai threads. Or the ones about wtf sparring. If the question is how the term is used, I think that's been explained. If the thread is now wehther it's used correctly or not, I have to say your opinion means about zero. Im astounded you guys think otherwise.

 

[Dirty Dog]

How funny. Funny that you think bjj craves respect. Funny that you think the brazilians speak their own language wrong. And funny that you think professor in bjj means what you think it means, rather than what I've told you it means in context.

You guys really need to walk your talk. Go back and read some of the kata/bunkai threads. Or the ones about wtf sparring. If the question is how the term is used, I think that's been explained. If the thread is now wehther it's used correctly or not, I have to say your opinion means about zero. Im astounded you guys think otherwise.

There's certainly no law regulating how the title is used, so all anyone can do is report the conventions in their area and/or their opinion.

My opinion, as I said, is that unless you've got a PhD (or similar), you probably shouldn't use the title.

I also think that unless you're a physician, you shouldn't use the title "Dr".

 

[Hyoho]

Isn't Portuguese for professor, professor? I really couldn't give a damn about BJJ or sparring? I don't spar. Budo from Japan derived, adapted or whatever has a set of standards. Either you want to follow those or why not lets drop the whole thing. Stop wearing gi's, belts etc. Lets just call it Brazilian collar and sleeve wrestling.

I'm quite aware of some of the attitudes in Brazil. Millions of Nissei, sansei and for some a chance to cash in on people wishing to explore their Japanese roots as would be samurai. Saying that an opinion means zero just about sums up how much budo seishin is left. Maybe one day you will get to study some real Budo with a philisophical and cultural attitude that goes with it.

 

[Steve]

Read carol's post above for an excellent explanation of what professor means in Portuguese.

In this case, the collective options don't matter on this topic because it,boils down to culture and language. It would be like an American telling a Brit that they really should call the back area of a car "the trunk." Not just should, but that they are wrong not too.

In Portuguese, the word professor means teacher and carries none of the connotations other languages place on the term. My understanding is that it is th closest translation in Portuguese to the word "sensei." No one is tying to inflate their titles.

What an interesting bias we have uncovered. Lots of funny presumptions. And some elitism to boot.

 

[Steve]

There's certainly no law regulating how the title is used, so all anyone can do is report the conventions in their area and/or their opinion.

My opinion, as I said, is that unless you've got a PhD (or similar), you probably shouldn't use the title.

I also think that unless you're a physician, you shouldn't use the title "Dr".

So, what would you call a teacher in Portuguese? What about a professor?

I'll try to explain in a different way. If someone gets a belt promotion, say they get a brown belt or a black belt. I might say, "parabens." It's Portuguese for congratulations. I could just say congrats, but it's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and why not? In the same way, if I'm addressing a Brazilian black belt, I might call him/her professor, because that's roughly the equivalent of coach or teacher in English.

It's just like using the term sensei, except a lot less rigid.

For the record, we also misuse the term, "Oss." I don't think anyone's too worried about it, either.

 

[Dirty Dog]

So, what would you call a teacher in Portuguese? What about a professor?

I don't live in a place that speaks Portuguese, so it's not an issue. You DID see where I said "conventions in their area", right?

 

[Andrew Green]

At the end of the day what it really comes down to is using non-English terms in a English speaking environment leads to confusion. "Professor", in Portuguese and in Brazil may make perfect sense. But in a English speaking environment the term has a meaning that is not really meant when used in Brazil. A martial arts instructor is not a "professor", not in the way we use the term.

Something about martial arts leads people to bring in terms that don't really make sense, or are simply misused in relation to their native meaning. It's not just BJJ and "Professor". "Sensei" in Japan isn't used the way most western martial arts schools like to use it. Then there is all the "Soke's" around...

I vote we just be coaches and / or instructors. Those terms make sense in our language and culture.

That said, I like to think that somewhere in Japan there is a fast food restaurant that awards the prestiges title of "Miss" to the manager of their fast food restaurant, regardless of gender. Some middle age guy proudly displaying his certificate of achieving the title of "Miss" hanging on his wall...

 

[Touch Of Death]

There's certainly no law regulating how the title is used, so all anyone can do is report the conventions in their area and/or their opinion.

My opinion, as I said, is that unless you've got a PhD (or similar), you probably shouldn't use the title.

I also think that unless you're a physician, you shouldn't use the title "Dr".

So if I get a doctorate in in English, I have to find another title?

 

[Dirty Dog]

I vote we just be coaches and / or instructors. Those terms make sense in our language and culture.

This works for me. I've solved the title issue in a very simple way. Students call me "Mark" or "Mr Cochran".

 

[Touch Of Death]

Why not teacher?

 

[Dirty Dog]

So if I get a doctorate in in English, I have to find another title?

In the US, no, because there is a perfectly good title for that degree. "Professor"...
If you earned a PhD in English, I suspect you'd be familiar with the word.

I prefer things to be clear and unambiguous. I suspect this comes across in my postings.
Using the title of "Dr" when you are not a provider of medical care is ambiguous and unclear.

 

[Andrew Green]

In the US, no, because there is a perfectly good title for that degree. "Professor"...
If you earned a PhD in English, I suspect you'd be familiar with the word.

I prefer things to be clear and unambiguous. I suspect this comes across in my postings.
Using the title of "Dr" when you are not a provider of medical care is ambiguous and unclear.

This is kind of backwards if I understand you correct. A Phd is a Doctor of Philosophy. So anyone with a Phd can quite rightly be called Doctor. Professor on the other hand is a title that is given by a University based on position. Professors will generally have a Phd, but having a Phd does not make a person a professor. That said anyone with a Phd can be referred to as a doctor. A doctor of medicine is a specific sort of doctor, but a doctorate degree in Engineering is still a doctorate degree and the person can still be referred to as a doctor.

I don't know about the US, but in Canada a person can have a Phd, be teaching in a University, but still not be a always be a professor.