This article is a summary of the study entitled “Address Forms and Their Implications in Communication Sciences and Disorders University Programs,” which appeared in the April 1999 issue of Contemporary Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders (Harris, McCready, & Herr, 1999). (Contemporary Issues is a publication of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association; subscriptions can be purchased through the ASHA Products Catalog.)

The authors observed that clinical supervisors with master’s degrees were addressed typically by first name (FN) by other faculty and students, and that academic faculty were addressed by title plus last name (TLN), most often “Dr.” Because the authors noted the salient role a naming choice plays in every interpersonal relationship as it pertains to the communication of status, they investigated the effect of academic degree, gender, age, and geographical region on the predicted use of address forms (FN vs. TLN) in both formal and informal situations. A review of the literature revealed that most information on address forms is found in the sociolinguistic literature (Brown & Ford, 1961, 1964; Brown & Gilman, 1960; Ervin-Tripp, 1972; Lambert & Tucker, 1976; Slobin, Miller, & Porter, 1968). Medical and psychological literature has dealt with manner of address (Bergman, Eggersten, Phillips, Cherkin, & Schultz, 1988; Bradshaw & Twemlow, 1980; Holmes & Post, 1986). No studies were found which explored manner of address in communication sciences and disorders university programs.