When I was learning English back in school (in the nineties), there were pupils and teachers. Now there seem to be students and professors, where a "professor" can be anyone who happens to teach people in a school environment.
Maybe this strikes me as odd because of the fact that both "Student" and "Professor" are used in German, too. However, "Student" refers to someone at studying at a university, and "Professor" strictly is reserved for someone who has earned a habilitation or has been appointed to a professorship (possibly honoris causa).
- Has that strict use ever been the prevalent case with English?
- Is it the difference between AE and BE usage?
- Or is it just to euphemism-creep?