Language: | Malayalam |
Feature: | Politeness Distinctions in Pronouns by Johannes Helmbrecht |
Value: | Multiple politeness distinctions |
aŋŋə | 2nd sg. hon. | - historically local adverb meaning 'there'; - used as a polite form of address; now obsolete |
aviʈunnə | 2nd sg. hon. | - historically local adverbs meaning 'from there'; - used as polite forms of address; obsolete now |
nii | 2nd sg. infer. | - is reserved for addressing a person of inferior social status, or to an equal who is familiar and intimate |
niŋŋaɭ | 2nd sg. hon. | - in some regions niŋŋaɭ may be taken too formal and therefore unfriendly - instead 2nd sg infer. nii maybe used |
taan | 2nd sg. intim. | - its used for the address of friends, while taaŋkaɭ(refl pl) is used for strangers |
taaŋkaɭ | 2nd sg. hhon. | - its used as a very polite form of address in very formal conversations; - etymologically, it is a plural form of taan (reflpron); - taan (Refl Sg) ist used for the address of friends, while taaŋkaɭ (Refl Pl) is used for strangers |