Different Use of Register

Since I arrived in Austria, I noticed that the formal register was used in different situations in Austria compared to France. We have the same definitions of what formal register or slang are but we do not use it in the same situations. In French as in German, we can address each other with the "vous" or the "Sie" form when we are trying to be polite in a very formal way. Fortunately this does not exist in English. I am saving time in English because I do not have to wonder if I should use this polite form or not.

I realised that people in Austria in shops or on the phone when I was looking for an accommodation would easily skip the "Sie" form and just talk to me as if we already knew each other. In France, no one would do that. We can really be pompous, especially at the end of our formal e-mail. We do not simply use the convenient "Regards" but a whole very long sentence copy paste from the internet. Here is another example : I get to call my teachers by their first name in some classes but I still have to use the "Sie" form. At the french university, students call their teachers by their family names or simply "Sir". We are also always supposed to add "Mister" before mentioning the family name of anyone because if we do not, it means that this person is dead. Actually few people really knows that and we usually skip this rule when it is just a casual talk.

On the one hand I would say that it is nice that people are not putting up walls with all these overpolite rules. On the other hand I really get confused and I keep on using the "Sie" form, when I am not sure, to avoid embarrassing situations ! Of course I would not use it with young Austrians or classmates. This is a good thing that we do not have to ask ourself the question of the "Sie" form when we are just among young people.