[Lingtyp] Extended uses of terms of address/vocatives
Michael Daniel
misha.daniel at gmail.com
Wed Feb 5 11:00:32 UTC 2025
And as Timur Maisak has just reminded me, there is also *батюшки *- and
also, but I think more limitedly *матушки* - two apparently plural
diminutives from a (today, in this function) somewhat peripheral *батя
*'father, dad'
and *мать* 'mother'
All but exclamatives, though.
Michael
--
Михаил Даниэль
*Я осуждаю агрессию моей страны против Украины.*
Michael Daniel
*I condemn my country's aggression in Ukraine.*
ср, 5 февр. 2025 г. в 10:38, Michael Daniel <misha.daniel at gmail.com>:
> 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>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Lingtyp mailing list
>>> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
>>> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Lingtyp mailing list
>> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
>> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lingtyp/attachments/20250205/d7bbc838/attachment.htm>
More information about the Lingtyp
mailing list