Are software engineers true engineers?

Are software engineers engineers? Or more exactly: Can software engineers legitimately be called engineers? This is an ambiguous question. Its interpretation depends on the situation in which it is asked. It might be asked in a situation in which practice-oriented engineering disciplines have more chances to be sponsored publicly: In this case it would be the question if software engineering should be allowed to profit from the prestige of engineering. Or it might be asked in an academic institution: Here it might be a question leading to decisions about curriculum organisation. Or it might be asked in the context of the philosophy of sciences: Here it might imply the question if the methods applied in and types of knowledge collected in software engineering are of the same type as in accepted engineering disciplines.