[An-lang] respect vocabulary

[Daniel Long]

I am interested to know what you find out, especially things sent to you
off-list.   I could give you information about Japanese if you are
interested in non-Austronesian languages (you mention Dyirbal).
Danny Long

Ken Cook wrote:

> In some languages (e.g., Dyirbal, Guguyimidjir, Javanese, and
> Samoan), particular words are chosen to show respect for the
> addressee or referent. In Samoan (Polynesian), for example, about 450
> respect words replace everyday terms when one addresses or refers to
> chiefs and orators (Milner 1961). For instance, the ordinary word
> fale 'house' is replaced by maota when referring to the house of a
> chief, while it is substituted with laoa when one speaks of the house
> of an orator. Can anyone tell me how extensive this phenomenon is?
> I'm really only familiar with the Samoan version of it, i.e. 'upu
> fa'aaloalo 'respectful words'. In which other Polynesian languages
> does it occur? I know it doesn't in contemporary Hawaiian, and I
> don't see any mention of it in Churchward's Tongan-English
> dictionary. To what extent does it exist beyond Polynesia? Thank you
> in advance for your help,
--
Daniel Long, Associate Professor     *** NEW TEL*** +81-426-77-2206
Japanese Language and Literature Dept.         fax  +81-426-77-2140
Tokyo Metropolitan University
1-1 Minami Osawa, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo  192-0397 Japan
mailto:dlong at bcomp.metro-u.ac.jp
http://nihongo.human.metro-u.ac.jp/long/index.html

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