On Jul 12, 5:05*pm, Tom Anderson wrote:

On Sun, 12 Jul 2009, Roland Perry wrote:

In message ,
at 14:18:39 on Sun, 12 Jul 2009, Willms remarked:
In the UK, "professional" implies reasonably or very well-off people,
such as lawyers and accountants.

*I am sure that many carpenters, engineers, and other not so well
paid workers perform their work in a much more professional way than
those named above.

Both descriptions above are a little off the mark.

"Professional" implies that the person has passed an academic qualification,
and is a member of some "body/association" where the public can go to check
up upon their qualification if necessary.

To that extent, whatever a CORGI engineer is called this week may well
qualify.

That's not the traditional meaning, though, is it? The traditional meaning
is basically a group of upper-middle-class jobs which have come to be
called 'the professions' through custom - law, medicine, architecture,
accountancy, the priesthood.

They were once the only jobs that required qualifications, and i think
there was also a meaning that they involved being a freelance contractor
rather than a salaried employee, but i don't think you can carry that old
definition forward and include plumbers and gas fitters - or indeed
consulting software architects such as myself. No disrespect intended to
plumbers or gas fitters, but that's just what common usage of the word
means.

The complaint i'd make against the use of the word in this context is that
i don't think it includes bankers or managers, who i imagine make up a
larger share of the Ashford commuter market than lawyers, architects, etc..

Common usage changes over time. These bankers and managers would
commonly be called "professional people", even if they aren't
"professionals" in the old school sense. And anyway, one doesn't have
to subscribe to any of this "professional" versus 'other' (by
implication "non-professional") malarkey anyway - I don't. And if
enough people disregard it, the commonly understood meaning will
change. (It comes across to me as somewhat pompous and status seeking,
at least if one places an emphasis on it.)

Viva the (plumbers) revolution.