Ian

> Is this just legacy punctuation from earlier codes

I can only imagine that is what it is.

Perhaps this reflects a distinction between a title that appears with a name, and the name of a profession that a cataloguer adds to a name, but I don’t see any intrinsic reason why either should be punctuated in a particular way.

> But it reflects, to a degree, differing semantic fields between British and American usage.

I'm not at all convinced that there is a difference. Both the British and the Americans use "Professor" as a title, and also sometimes refer to the holders of that title as "professors". Just as a person with the title "Dr." can be (though is not necessarily) a doctor by profession.


Regards
Richard

_________________________
Richard Moore
Authority Control Team Manager
The British Library

Tel.: +44 (0)1937 546806
E-mail: [log in to unmask]




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