Tintin Forums

Now, I realize that not everybody on this forum speaks french, but on the off-chance that someone does, here's a question that's been niggling at the back of my mind:

Why do Haddock and Tintin always address each other using the formal "vous"? After years of being best buddies, you'd think they'd have graduated to using the more familiar "tu".

Anyone have an idea why this artificial linguistic distance between best friends?

Actually in a few occurrences, Haddock does say a familiar "tu" to Tintin, e.g. when he meets him clad in an Indian disguise, in the beginning of Prisoners of the Sun, but later he just goes on with "vous" again.

As you certainly know, the more polite "vous" does match the plural "vous" employed for the '2nd person' in French.

This "vous" might be connected with some unseen duplication or weird 'plural' meaning of the heroes' names, considering Herge's assertion "Tintin, Haddock & the other are I", in the book Tintin et Moi.

This so-called theory was born because Tintin holds many dissimilar series of four* avatars possibly connected with a writing constraint such as the four main heroes' very syllables, so unique a constraint that Occam*'s principle of parsimony should apply fully...

On top of it, image reading isn't even mentioned in any book about secret writings -to date cryptography doesn't deal with it, thus this so-called theory about a 'plural' Tintin is -as could be expected- totally rejected by any sensible Tintinologist.

The thread 'Tintin & hieroglyphs' might give you some clues about the issue, but please consider that even a virtual private writing requires a most private reading!

Yes, they may be close friends, yes, they've known each other for years, but Haddock is the elder and isn't it polite to address elders with "vous"?
Tintin also addresses Haddock as "Captain" which is formal isn't it? Technically appropriate then to use "vous"?
I am not a French linguistics expert, but from what I know of the basics isn't this more or less correct? Please correct me if I'm totally wrong on this.

I'm sure you've raised valid points there yamilah, but as soon as I saw the word "avatar" I suddenly felt the need to go and lie down. I'll try to summon up the energy to finish reading it later. Or - now here's an idea - for the hundredth time (It's actually about 50!) please explain yourself in simple concise statements. I admire Balthazar and Jock for persevering with you and trying to make some sense of your writing, but I'm afraid - and I won't speak for the majority here - That I and many others are completely baffled by what you have to say. I have read a few of your posts which made perfect sense to me; but when it comes to discussing avatars, rebuses, secret writings and totally unique worlds you leave me completely in the dark. One of the others has said in the past that these do sound like interesting subjects and I agree. I also think that the principles of jet engine design is an interesting subject, but if I quoted passages to you direct from the technical manual, you would be asleep in minutes! I would have to tailor the subject to my audience, and explain things in more simplistic terms. You obviously have some very intelligent thoughts, please "dumb them down" a little for the benefit of a few confused members.

Cheers,
Ranko

I understand the rank issue - Haddock is both Tintin's elder and holds the rank of captain, so it would make sense for Tintin to *initially* address the captain using the formal "vous". But even by "Picaros", both Haddock and Tintin are still using the formal "vous". And Haddock uses the formal "vous" when addressing Tintin, which makes no sense!

Add to that the fact that, when I worked in France years ago, I used the polite "vous" with my employer for about two weeks, whereupon I was told in no uncertain terms to use the familiar "tu", or else risk insulting my employer!

Based on my real-world experience, it just seems a bit odd that Haddock and Tintin would persist in using "vous", that's all. I wondered if it was some kind of custom I wasn't aware of.

And Yamilah, I'm really sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about. I get that "tintin" is probably a nickname. It is common among French speakers to duplicate one syllable of a name as a nickname. Louise therefore becomes Loulou, Diane becomes Didi, and so on. If Tintin's real name is something like Justin or Augustin, it makes sense to call him "Tintin". But that doesn't mean he has multiple personalities, or that he's some deity's avatar, and therefore should always be addressed using the formal "vous"!

I always took it to be a sign of respect, akin to how comrades-in-arms sometimes address each other formally. For an English example, think of how British public schoolboys (certainly in fiction) maintain calling each other by their surnames, not forenames; similarly Holmes and Watson never call each other Sherlock and John, although Holmes and his brother call each other Sherlock and Mycroft, and Mary Watson calls her husband John (and, confusingly, on one occasion James).

Perhaps this is where being a North American is to my disadvantage, Jock123 - if anything, here it is the situation that dictates the use of language, as much as it is the person you're addressing! Equals will almost always use informal language with one another, as will close friends, no matter how much they may differ in rank. Hence my confusion!

castafiole
Equals will almost always use informal language with one another, as will close friends, no matter how much they may differ in rank. Hence my confusion!
Oh quite - it is unusual here too now, but I think that there are (probably only in fiction) situations where it occurs, even in the U.S.: think Magnum and Higgins… ;-)

"Vous pouvez me tutoyer" hehehe.

I guess that friends were more likely to call each other "vous" in French in the older days. But it sounds a bit strange that Tintin and Haddock would still be formal with each other, after all those years ss close friends.

And in the Swedish translation, they change from the formal "ni" to the familiar "du" already in "Crab with golden claws".