[Lingtyp] Extended uses of terms of address/vocatives

Wed Feb 5 09:33:32 UTC 2025

Hello,

What about "man!", "boy!" in English?

Would these also fit into the same profile?

Cheers, Maïa

Maïa Ponsonnet

Chargée de Recherche HDR @ CNRS Dynamique Du Langage

14, avenue Berthelot, 69007 Lyon, FRANCE  -- +33 4 72 72 65 46

Adjunct @ University of Western Australia

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Co-rédactrice en chef du Journal de la Société des Océanistes

https://journals.openedition.org/jso/

Membre du Comité d'Ethique de la Recherche, Université de Lyon

<https://www.universite-lyon.fr/recherche/comite-d-ethique-de-la-recherche/comite-d-ethique-de-la-recherche-245561.kjsp>

https://tinyurl.com/cerunivdelyon

________________________________
De : Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> de la part de Christoph Holz via Lingtyp <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
Envoyé : mercredi 5 février 2025 08:32
À : Andrea Sansò
Cc : LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
Objet : Re: [Lingtyp] Extended uses of terms of address/vocatives

Dear Andrea,

In Tiang (Oceanic, Papua New Guinea), the noun kulâu [ku.law] ‘people’ (inherently plural) is also an interjection of surprise. I have never heard it as a term of address though.

Best wishes

Christoph

On Tue, 4 Feb 2025 at 20:01, Andrea Sansò via Lingtyp <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>> wrote:
Dear all,

My colleague and I are investigating an Italian term of address/vocative that appears to have recently developed new functions. The term in question, raga, is a shortened form of ragazzi/e (meaning "boys/girls" in the plural). While our analysis and interpretation of the data are still preliminary, we have observed that raga is no longer used exclusively in its original function as an attention-getter when addressing multiple interlocutors. Instead, it has acquired various functions in spoken language. Below is a preliminary list of these new functions:

- Expressing the speaker’s surprise (with both positive and negative nuances)
- Intensification/boosting
- Marking reported discourse

These new functions represent significant departures from the term's original, diachronically primary use. For instance, in some cases, raga is directed at a single hearer, contradicting its original plural reference. In others, the term occurs at the right periphery of an utterance, contrasting with its traditional use as a vocative or attention-getter, which is typically confined to the left periphery.

We are aware of several studies addressing the pragmatic evolution of terms of address in European languages. For example, in a contrastive study on güey in Mexican Spanish and alter in German, Kleinknecht and Sousa (2017: 257) argue that “terms of address have the potential to intensify the affectivity displayed by the speaker. In this capacity, they may be employed as linguistic strategies to enhance the expressive and illocutionary force of utterances.” Furthermore, these expressive uses can serve as the basis for more specific functions related to turn-taking and information management. In Mexican Spanish, for instance, güey can occur in the right periphery to emphasize the preceding segment, as illustrated in the following example (from Kleinknecht & Sousa 2017: 275):

[image.png]

While some of the functions we have identified for raga align with common uses of terms of address (e.g., intensification/boosting), others are perhaps less conventional. To situate our research within a typological framework, we would like to ask list members for examples of non-canonical uses of terms of address, particularly from non-European and non-LOL languages. We would especially appreciate examples involving terms with inherently plural reference, such as raga, as well as any references to relevant literature.

I will be happy to post a summary of the responses if needed. Thank you in advance for your help and insights.

Best regards,
Andrea Sansò
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