[Lingtyp] Extended uses of terms of address/vocatives

Wed Feb 5 09:38:19 UTC 2025

Hi Andrea,

in Russian, apart from the rather expected uses of (Oh) god!, there is also
a peculiar exclamative *Мамочки! *which I as a modern speaker would
perceive as a plural diminutive of mother but which, as far as I
understand, probably is a continuation of the earlier use of *мама* for
nurse, breastfeeder who is not the child's genetic mother. Similarly, not
only the vocative particle *ja *is used in Daghestan in the exclamative *ja
Allah*; but more specifically, in Archi, East Caucasian, the plural lobur
'children' is also used to express strong emotion.

In neither of these cases I would associate the expression specifically
with surprise, but surprise is among the pragmatic contexts where I think
it could be expected. I am unaware of further évolution of discourse
functions in either if the two cases.

Michael

--
Михаил Даниэль
*Я осуждаю агрессию моей страны против Украины.*
Michael Daniel
*I condemn my country's aggression in Ukraine.*

вт, 4 февр. 2025 г. в 23:27, Ellison Luk via Lingtyp <
lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>:

> Hello,
>
> Tagging along to this (and taking for granted similar English terms of
> address like "buddy" and "mate"), "gurl"/"girl" could be seen as a variant
> of "bro"/"bruh". It's especially current in certain AAVE and LGBTQ+
> communities, and overwhelmingly online (re: the meme/catchphrase "gurl
> bye!"). It can of course also be used between women outside these
> demographics, especially younger women/teens. I'm not sure if the discourse
> usages have been observed or described at all, but it seems fairly new, at
> least newer than "bro". "Sis" is another one as well.
>
> In English, these terms can also be used sarcastically or to appear
> standoffish: anything that elicits a "don't buddy me" or "I'm not your bro"
> could fall under this kind of usage. Reason I mention this is because
> searching for "gurl" on Google /Twitter/Reddit/etc seems to bring up a lot
> of these contexts.
>
> - Ellison Luk
>
> On Tue, 4 Feb 2025, 22:19 Michael Fiddler via Lingtyp, <
> lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi Andrea,
>>
>> This may be on your radar already, but *bro *or *bruh *in American
>> English (and probably other varieties) exhibits these extended functions.
>> Originally a term of address for a singular male addressee (typically from
>> a male speaker as well), it can now be used by any speaker as an
>> attention-getting marker for any addressee or group of addressees, as a
>> stand-alone interjection expressing surprise, and as an intensifier for the
>> utterance that it goes with (either preceding or following).
>>
>> I don't know the literature on this topic, but I observe these uses of
>> *bro/bruh *on a daily basis from my seven-year-old daughter and her
>> friends, as well as my three-year-old son, who learned it from his big
>> sister.
>>
>> From California,
>>
>> Michael
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Feb 4, 2025 at 11:28 AM David Gil via Lingtyp <
>> lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Andrea,
>>>
>>> A phenomenon displaying several of the features you noted (a term of
>>> address with plural meaning and extended functions) can be observed in many
>>> languages, in contemporary slang, especially that of social media,
>>> involving the borrowing, sometimes with high frequency, of English
>>> *guys*.  I have heard this in, among others, varieties of African
>>> English, various Indo-Aryan languages, assorted Philippine languages, and
>>> also Malayic dialects.  For some examples from Malayic dialects see Gil
>>> (2024), reproduced below.
>>>
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>>
>>> David
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> (31)  *Minangkabau*
>>>     Gais lai pernah mancubo makan iko gais?
>>>          *Gais*   lai            pernah   mancubo   makan   iko
>>> *gais*?
>>>
>>>          guys   add.foc  exp        ag:try        eat
>>> dem:dem.prox    guys
>>>
>>>          'Guys, have you ever tried eating this, guys?'
>>>
>>> [https://www.instagram.com/reel/C11JuKNhuex/]
>>>
>>> (32)  *Papuan Malay*
>>>
>>>          Sabar     *gais*,   ha     mancing    dulu
>>>
>>>          patient   guys   1sg   catch.fish   first
>>>
>>>          'Wait a bit, I want to do some fishing first.'
>>>
>>>          [DGD]
>>>
>>> (57)  *Jakarta Indonesian ~ Standard Indonesian*
>>>
>>> Hay gaess. Bagaimana gaes,, kalian sudah nonton belum tadi gaes acara
>>> Bincang Tokoh ibu Dr. Hj. Winarti SE. MH. bersama ANTV Lampung???
>>>
>>>          Hay *gais*. Bagaimana *gais*, kalian  sudah nonton  belum
>>> tadi           *gais*  acara
>>>
>>>          hi     guys  how             guys 2pl      pfv     watch
>>> nondum pst.prox  guys  program
>>>
>>>          Bincang  Tokoh      ibu        Dr. Hj. Winarti  SE. MH.
>>> bersama  ANTV   Lampung
>>>
>>>          discuss   character  mother  Dr. Hj. Winarti  SE. MH.  together
>>> ANTV   Lampung
>>>
>>>  'Hi guys, what's up guys, have you already watched, guys, the
>>> programme discussing the character of Mrs. Dr. Hj. Winarti SE. MH. on ANTV
>>> Lampung?'
>>>
>>> [
>>> https://www.tulangbawangkab.go.id/news/read/4044/hay-gaess-bagaimana-gaes-kalian-sudah-nonton-belum-tadi-gaes-acara-bincang-tokoh-ibu-dr-hj-winarti-s
>>> ]
>>>
>>> (58)  *Standard Indonesian*
>>>
>>> Rudal    Tamir   sendiri    adalah   rudal     luncur   otomatis,   atau
>>> "self-propelled",
>>>
>>> missile  Tamir   neg.foc cop       missile  launch   automatic  or
>>> self-propelled
>>>
>>> yang   berbahan         bakar   padat,  dan     dipandur    radar  yang
>>> merancang,
>>>
>>> rel     dpat:material  burn     solid    and     pat:guide   radar  rel
>>> ag:design
>>>
>>> untuk  mencegah     target pada jarak   hingga tujuh  puluh   kilometer
>>> *gais*
>>>
>>> for      ag:prevent   target obl   range  until     seven ten
>>> kilometer   guys
>>>
>>> 'The Tamir missile itself is an automatically-launched, or
>>> self-propelled, missile using solid fuel and with a radar designed to
>>> defend against targets up to a range of seventy kilometers guys.'
>>>
>>> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Gf32zNzcg: 2:06-2:19]
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Gil, David (2024) "Borrowing within Malayic: The Role of Exotericity",
>>> in A. Adelaar, T. Hoogervorst and S. Moeimam eds., Lexical Borrowing in
>>> Island Southeast Asia; History, Impact and Analysis, WACANA, Journal of the
>>> Humanities of Indonesia, 25.3:480-530.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Available (I think ...) at:
>>>
>>> *https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1793&context=wacana&fbclid=IwY2xjawIPRG1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbvMebp1dJohe2Yfe2CYXCdcsbXM2oF388B1K8yDGChgM3QkjgPM9tgJ-w_aem_W0nMR116BUrGL9lv-6PbOg
>>> <https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1793&context=wacana&fbclid=IwY2xjawIPRG1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbvMebp1dJohe2Yfe2CYXCdcsbXM2oF388B1K8yDGChgM3QkjgPM9tgJ-w_aem_W0nMR116BUrGL9lv-6PbOg>*
>>>
>>> On Wed, Feb 5, 2025 at 2:01 AM Andrea Sansò via Lingtyp <
>>> 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: 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
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Lingtyp mailing list
>>>> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
>>>> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> David Gil
>>>
>>> Senior Scientist (Associate)
>>> Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution
>>> Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyDeutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany <https://www.google.com/maps/search/Deutscher+Platz+6,+Leipzig,+04103,+Germany?entry=gmail&source=g>
>>>
>>> Email: dapiiiiit at gmail.com
>>> Mobile Phone (Israel): +972-526117713
>>> Mobile Phone (Indonesia): +62-082113720302
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Lingtyp mailing list
>>> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
>>> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Michael Fiddler
>> PhD candidate
>> Department of Linguistics
>> University of California, Santa Barbara
>> website <https://sites.google.com/view/michaelfiddler/home?authuser=0>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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