Woman Maestro

[Amy & Joseph Kormann]

Point of confusion, what's the appropriate way to refer to a female
maestro? Maestra doesn't sound right but might be correct.

--
Amy and Joseph Kormann

[Joe Hoffman]

Amy & Joseph Kormann wrote:
>
> Point of confusion, what's the appropriate way to refer to a female
> maestro? Maestra doesn't sound right but might be correct.
>
> --
> Amy and Joseph Kormann


I call mine "Coach".

Joe

[Phil Fites]

(Some of this has graphics and didn't come through the copy real
well.)

ENGLISH: maestro

SYLLABICATION: maes·tro
PRONUNCIATION: mstr
NOUN: Inflected forms: pl. maes·tros or maes·tri (-tr)
A master in an art, especially a composer, conductor, or music
teacher.
ETYMOLOGY: Italian, from Latin magister, magistr-, master. See
meg- in Appendix I.

ITALIAN:
# maestro master, teacher
# maestra teacher (female)


LATIN:
magister, -tri (m.); magistra, -ae (f.)[Noun] - master

"Coach" works for me... :-)


Amy & Joseph Kormann wrote:
> Point of confusion, what's the appropriate way to refer to a female
> maestro? Maestra doesn't sound right but might be correct.
>

[Zebee Johnstone]

In rec.sport.fencing on Sat, 31 Jan 2004 14:09:50 -0500
Amy & Joseph Kormann <ajkormann@monmouth.com> wrote:
> Point of confusion, what's the appropriate way to refer to a female
> maestro? Maestra doesn't sound right but might be correct.

From my fencing master, trained in Italy, speaks Italian quite fluently
as he worked there for some years:

=====
The word "maestra" exists an means a female teacher, much the same as
"maestro" means a male teacher. In English there's only one word for
teacher (ie., obviously, "teacher") and thus you can't really use it to
explain different levels of competencies and expertise as you can in
Italian. In Italian there's the generic word for teacher, "insegnante",
and then there's "maestro"/"maestra" used to indicate specialist
incarnations of the more generic term.

"Maestro" and "maestra", while probably originally both meant the same
thing, have evolved separately in usage (probably due to early male
dominance in some fields, as well as the italian linguistic bias towards
the male gender---eg. for a crowd of females you use the female plural;
add one male to that same crowd and you use the male plural to refer to
the crowd---to the point where you can't say that a female "maestro" is
a "maestra" or vice versa. Indeed, when I hear the term "maestra" I
think of a kindergarten teacher (ie. being typically female and the word
is probably easier to say for the young'uns than the longer
"insegnante").

In professional areas, too (and this is probably the most telling
point), what you get on your diploma is "Maestro di Scherma". The total
body of fencing masters is going to be referred to using the male plural
form ("maestri") and thus any single member (referred to generically) is
typically going to be a "maestro".

Thus, when you refer to a fencing master of either gender you would
probably best address them as "Maestro".
===

Zebee

[Harold Buck]

In article <slrnc1p50u.76b.zebee@zeus.zipworld.com.au>,
Zebee Johnstone <zebee@zip.com.au> wrote:

> In English there's only one word for
> teacher (ie., obviously, "teacher")


Teacher, instructor, professor, lecturer, tutor, coach, trainer,
educator, . . .

--Harold Buck


"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

[Amy & Joseph Kormann]

Zebee Johnstone wrote:

>In rec.sport.fencing on Sat, 31 Jan 2004 14:09:50 -0500
>Amy & Joseph Kormann <ajkormann@monmouth.com> wrote:
>
>
>>Point of confusion, what's the appropriate way to refer to a female
>>maestro? Maestra doesn't sound right but might be correct.
>>
>>
>
>From my fencing master, trained in Italy, speaks Italian quite fluently
>as he worked there for some years:
>
>=====
>The word "maestra" exists an means a female teacher, much the same as
>"maestro" means a male teacher. In English there's only one word for
>teacher (ie., obviously, "teacher") and thus you can't really use it to
>explain different levels of competencies and expertise as you can in
>Italian. In Italian there's the generic word for teacher, "insegnante",
>and then there's "maestro"/"maestra" used to indicate specialist
>incarnations of the more generic term.
>
>"Maestro" and "maestra", while probably originally both meant the same
>thing, have evolved separately in usage (probably due to early male
>dominance in some fields, as well as the italian linguistic bias towards
>the male gender---eg. for a crowd of females you use the female plural;
>add one male to that same crowd and you use the male plural to refer to
>the crowd---to the point where you can't say that a female "maestro" is
>a "maestra" or vice versa. Indeed, when I hear the term "maestra" I
>think of a kindergarten teacher (ie. being typically female and the word
>is probably easier to say for the young'uns than the longer
>"insegnante").
>
>In professional areas, too (and this is probably the most telling
>point), what you get on your diploma is "Maestro di Scherma". The total
>body of fencing masters is going to be referred to using the male plural
>form ("maestri") and thus any single member (referred to generically) is
>typically going to be a "maestro".
>
>Thus, when you refer to a fencing master of either gender you would
>probably best address them as "Maestro".
>===
>
>Zebee
>
>
As usual, an excellent, comprehensive reply. Thank you.

--
Amy and Joseph Kormann

[Zebee Johnstone]

In rec.sport.fencing on Sun, 01 Feb 2004 08:03:02 -0500
Harold Buck <no_one_knows@attbi.com> wrote:
> In article <slrnc1p50u.76b.zebee@zeus.zipworld.com.au>,
> Zebee Johnstone <zebee@zip.com.au> wrote:
>
>> In English there's only one word for
>> teacher (ie., obviously, "teacher")
>
>
> Teacher, instructor, professor, lecturer, tutor, coach, trainer,
> educator, . . .

Those are, I think, different *kinds* of teacher, rather than different
intensities.

ITalian has words for those too, at least I know they have them for
professor and instructor for example.

I think it's more "insegnente/maestro" is "teacher/senior teacher",
although "senior" tends to imply time teaching rather than intensity or
skill.

Possibly "teacher/professor" is closer, and that's why the English
equivalent to Maestro or Maitre is Professor.


Zebee

[Byrocat]

Simple: "Ma'am" (say Madame with a silent "d") if she hasn't already
specified how she is to be called.



"Amy & Joseph Kormann" <ajkormann@monmouth.com> wrote in message
news:bvgulk$pta$1@news.monmouth.com...
> Point of confusion, what's the appropriate way to refer to a female
> maestro? Maestra doesn't sound right but might be correct.
>
> --
> Amy and Joseph Kormann
>