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Universal 644:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 644:

Original
Use of the 3rd person personal pronoun to show greater respect or social distance than the 2nd person pronoun in reference to the addressee is usually introduced into languages by substitution of nouns or nominal expressions used in respectful address.
Standardized
IF 3rd person personal pronoun is used to show greater respect or social distance than the 2nd person pronoun in reference to the addressee, THEN this use is usually introduced by substitution of nouns or nominal expressions used in respectful address.
Keywords
personal pronoun, person, number, respect, social distance, addressee
Domain
inflection, semantics
Type
no genuine implication; rather: provided that
Status
diachronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
more than one hundred languages in Head 1978
Source
Head 1978: 191,
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    This assertion is not intended to exclude or deny the possibility of diffusion between languages.

    1. May 2020

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