Thursday November 26, 2009

Tenor and tenure

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED by FADZILAH AMIN

I HAVE a question regarding the interchangeability these days between the words “tenor” and “tenure”.

Many banks are using the term “tenor” instead of “tenure” when referring to a period of time. e.g. “We offer the following Fixed Deposit tenors – 1 month, 6 months and 12 months.”

Is this an American version of the Queen’s English?

What is, without dispute, the correct word to use? – Curious Reader

The word “tenor” has at least one meaning pertaining to time and banking/finance both in the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed. 1989) and the Concise Oxford English Dictionary (11th ed. 2004, revised 2009).

One of the COD’s definitions of “tenor” is: “Finance” – the time that must elapse before a bill of exchange or promissory note becomes due for payment.”

Does that fit in with what is meant in the bank documents you referred to?

One of the OED’s definitions of “tenor” is: “The length of time that a bill is drawn to run before presentation for payment.”

The first recorded use of this word was in 1866.

Let me give the OED’s quotation:

“The tenor [of foreign bills]+depends upon a variety of circumstances, and may be extended to almost any period, provided the parties thereto are agreed.” (1866 Crump Banking v. 100)

And here’s a quotation from an HSBC (a British bank, I believe) webpage:

“Your funds will be invested in commodities, which you will sell to the bank in exchange for profit payable at a pre-determined investment period/tenor”

http://www.hsbc.co.mu/1/2/offshore/ islamic-banking/amanah-term-investment

“Tenure”, however, is more commonly used to refer to a period of time when a job, especially a political one, is held. When it comes to an academic job in a university, “tenure” means the right to a permanent job. The word is also used to mean “the legal right to live in a house or use a piece of land.” (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary).

I am afraid I can’t find any financial or banking connection with the word “tenure” in all three Oxford dictionaries I consulted, nor can I find a definition of “tenor” related to banking/finance in the online American ones I consulted.

It seems to me the banks are using the correct word in the Queen’s English (both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II).

But since I have never studied banking or finance, I can’t say that my observation is indisputable.

If a banker happens to read this, could you please enlighten us further?

Addressing a teacher

I would like to know what is the proper way to address a teacher when I meet him/her personally.

For example, for a female teacher with the surname “Wong”, should I call her “Teacher Wong” or “Miss/Madam Wong”?

My friend told me that it is wrong to call “Teacher Wong”.

Could you also please look at the sentences below.

a. Sue is swinging the swing.

b. Sue is happily swinging the swing.

c. Sue is happy when she swings the swing.

Are sentences b and c correct? – Lynx

1. It is wrong to address a teacher using the word “teacher” before any part of his or her name, e.g. “Teacher Wong” or “Teacher Ahmad” or “Teacher Puvan”.

However, it is fine to address Malay teachers as “Cikgu Fatimah” or “Cikgu Roslan”, for example, but NEVER “Guru Fatimah” or “Guru Roslan”, although this used to be all right a long time ago.

You can address male teachers who have surnames, i.e. Chinese, some Christian Indian or Eurasian teachers as “Mr + surname”, e.g. “Mr Wong” or “Mr Fernandez.”

Hindus and some other Christian Indians don’t have surnames, so you address them as “Mr + first name”, e.g. “Mr Selvarajah” or “Mr Thomas”.

As for a Sikh male teacher, it is safe to address him as “Mr Singh” unless he wants to be addressed by his first name, Mr Ranjit.

I find it odd to hear a male Malay teacher addressed as “Mr + his name”.

It is better to address him as “Encik Roslan” or “Cikgu Roslan”.

You can also address all Malaysian male teachers as “Encik + surname or first name”, unless of course, such a teacher has a title, in which case you address him as “Datuk Wong” or “Datuk Ahmad”, for example.

Female teachers are also addressed in several ways. Unmarried Malay teachers can be addressed as “Cik + her name”, unmarried Hindu and some Christian Indian teachers can be addressed as “Miss/Cik + first name”, unmarried Chinese, some other Christian Indian and Eurasian ones can be addressed as “Miss/Cik + surname” and unmarried Sikh ones can be addressed as “Miss/Cik Kaur” or “Miss/Cik + first name”.

Married Chinese women teachers can be addressed as “Mrs/Puan + husband’s surname” or “Madam + father’s surname”.

Married Malay women teachers can be addressed as “Puan/Cikgu + first name”, married Hindu and some Christian Indian teachers can be addressed as “Mrs/Puan + husband’s first name”, other married Indian and Eurasian teachers can be addressed as “Mrs/Puan + husband’s surname”, married Sikh teachers can be addresses as “Puan/Mrs + husband’s name”.

I am aware that I haven’t covered teachers belonging to all the ethnic groups in Malaysia, since I am not sure how they should be addressed by their pupils.

Teachers usually tell their pupils how to address them. Some prefer just to be addressed as “teacher”, and some male teachers prefer to be addressed as “sir” (but “Sir + name” is not right – you need to be a British Knight!).

Some women teachers, whether married or unmarried prefer to be addressed as “Ms (pronounced /miz/) + first name or father’s surname”.

This is the preference of some feminists, who don’t like a distinction to be made between married and unmarried women, and don’t see why they should take their husband’s names when they marry.

2. All the sentences are grammatically correct. You can also use “swinging/swings on the swing”.

But in order not to repeat the word “swing” so much, he might want to try variations like “playing on the swing” or “rocking on the swing”.

Moral and morals

DOES the noun “moral” (a lesson learned from a story or event) have a plural form? – MOE Reader

Yes. It is listed as a countable noun in the OALD. We do say, for example that “there is a moral to this story.”

I suspect the reason why the plural form “morals” is not often used is to avoid confusion with “morals” which is always used in its plural form and means “standard or principles of good behaviour” (OALD).

But here is a quotation from a website of Indiana University that uses the plural form:

“Aesop’s Fables On-line – Personal web site containing online collection of Aesop’s Fables includes more than 655 fables, in table format, with morals to the stories listed.”